When I write – do I plan or am I spontaneous?
Can I answer a bit of both? Possible not. The problem is that my ideas are spontaneous, usually from a prompt of a word, colour or even a smell. But the writing is planned.
This is one of the ways that my dyslexia really is a bother. I have the organisational skills of an eight year old – so I have to plan otherwise I get into a muddle. I have even been known to plan flash fiction… 🙂
Some stories are spontaneous, when the muse has me by the scruff of the neck and drags me through the story whether I want to write it or not.
Otherwise I make one of these:
This I used for a workshop to show how I break down stories – it is Goldilocks and the three bears. You can imagine what the one for the dissertation looks like!
But once it is planned I do go off the ‘plan’. I never set a story line in stone because sometimes my characters will do things unexpectedly… Or a situation can arise that I never thought would happen. Or other characters can suddenly walk into the plot. Anything could happen but I do try to stick to the outline so that the story stays on the same track as I thought it would when I first started the idea.
I know where I am going with any of my stories – it’s how I get there that can differ. 🙂
Kate Murray - Cleaver 
I use mindmaps too – they are useful freeform methods for teasing out ideas but leaving them with structure for later when you need to do something with the information. BATDIG had several!
I do wish that old muse would grab me by the scruff a bit more often though!
I know – I’ve been doing Michelle Goode’s logline quest to get ideas – it has worked too. 🙂
http://www.writesofluid.com/loglinechallenge/#.UdbrjPmTjSg
I’ll have a go at that, I didn’t know about it. Can you combine prompts? It’s just “escapologist owl” might be fun to do…
I don’t see why not. There is a facebook page too – https://www.facebook.com/groups/loglinechallenge/
I’ve been using mindmaps in other areas – study assignments and analyses mostly – but have started using them for plotting as well. I find they work but not quite as well as for more “scientific” work where I need to order my thoughts, rather than find ideas.
Like the Goldilock example :°).
PS Kate, I don’t know why my comments use my sneezetheday avatar – I’m logged in as inkblog but I guess you have figured out by now who I am ;°).
I do indeed know who you are… I think you can change how you appear in the comments by changing your default log-in blog.
I love mind-maps but it doesn’t work with all my stories. Some just write themselves and others can have mind-maps with about 4 versions – none of which look anything like the finished story… 🙂