Debate: Should you outline your novel before writing or just go with the flow?

I got two pieces of advice from different writers last year. One said outline every chapter or you'll hit a wall at page 50. The other said just write whatever comes to mind and fix it later. I tried the outline method on a short story and got stuck because my characters broke the plan. Then I winged a 3,000 word chapter and had to delete half of it because nothing made sense. So which side wins in your experience? Do strict plans help or kill the creative spark?

2 comments

2 Comments

joseph52918d ago

Wait, you had to delete HALF of a 3,000 word chapter? That's brutal, I'd be so frustrated I'd stop writing for a week. I've never had to cut that much at once, just little bits here and there.

elizabeth22018d agoTop Commenter

Those 1500 words were basically meandering garbage anyway. It feels good to kill your darlings once you actually do it.