Abandon The Plan?

I'm a bit of a planner, and when it comes to writing I try to organize my thoughts into a loose outline of sorts. That gives me some direction and helps to keep the storyline moving forward. However, there are times when I have to admit that it's best to abandon the plan. Here's what I mean...

In January of 2009 I wrote an article in this section about making a plan. But it's easy to become a slave to your writing plan, and to lose flexibility. That's not good. Perhaps you had decided that a character was going to react a certain way to some big news, and you even plotted the rest of the story based on that reaction.

But suddenly, without warning, your mind wandered a little, and you stumbled onto the idea that maybe your character would actually react in a completely different manner. There are two ways to go with this. Some people might say 'I can't do that, I've already outlined this and I can't veer off that path.' Others might say 'Wait, this is not only different, it's better!'

Try to remember this: The most important outcome is to write the very best story, or article, or poem that you can. Sometimes that means you have to abandon something that - at one point - seemed locked in. Yes, it might mean more work for you, especially if you've done an extensive outline that is now obsolete; but, again, in the long run you want the best writing to shine through.

Keep your mind open to the possibilities, and keep writing!

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