Outline first or just dive in? My last story went off the rails.

I was writing a short story about a diner in Tulsa and couldn't decide if I should map out the whole plot first or just start typing. I went with no outline and ended up with a character who suddenly joined a carnival 3 chapters in and I had no idea how to get him back. Now I'm stuck halfway through and wondering if a rough outline would have saved me from that mess. Do you guys typically plan everything ahead or just see where the story takes you?

2 comments

2 Comments

adam_nguyen712d ago

Yeah outlining is just budgeting for a story. No fun but you won't run out of cash.

tessa36810d ago

50 bucks says that carnival guy had a name like Sparky the Clown or something... I did that once with a story set in a laundromat, introduced a lady with a parrot on her shoulder just for flavor, and then she ended up being a ghost the whole time. No idea where that came from, but I just rolled with it and made the whole story about haunted laundry.