PLOTS AND PLANS
Don’t feel pressured to follow a set pattern. Write the way that feels right, says Margaret James
Margaret James
To plan or not to plan… This is a subject that is endlessly discussed by novelists and indeed by storytellers of all kinds. So do we really need to talk about it again? I think we do because it’s the question I am most likely to be asked by any new student of creative writing: do I need to plan my stories, or should I wait to see where my characters take me?
Over the years, and having worked with many hundreds if not thousands of creative writing students, I have come to believe that the need to plan (or the refusal to plan) almost anything in life is largely dictated by the basic personality of the planner (or non-planner) and that trying to tinker with anyone’s basic personality is pointless and also mean.
As a novelist, do you need to be a definite planner or a definite non-planner with no room for manoeuvre? Well, I’m sure there must be people who always plan absolutely everything they do, while others never plan anything. But I’m guessing most of us are more flexible and adaptable in our take on life?