Can we talk about the idea that you need a full outline before you start writing

I see a lot of people here saying you have to plan every chapter and character arc before you write a single word. I used to do that, and it killed my stories. For my last project, a fantasy thing set in a fake city called Veridia, I had a choice: stick to my 20-page outline or just start writing with a single image in mind. I picked the second one. The story went in a totally different direction, and a side character I made up on the spot became the main villain. It was messy, sure, but it felt alive in a way my planned stuff never did. My friend read it and said, 'This part where the guard just quits his job feels so real.' That never would have happened if I'd stuck to the plan. Has anyone else found that too much planning makes the writing feel stiff?

2 comments

2 Comments

pat_hart1mo ago

My detailed outlines always felt dead, but your guard quitting his job changed my mind.

the_drew1mo ago

Yeah, that guard quitting is the kind of small, human choice that makes a world feel real. I once wrote a whole scene around a character just stopping to tie his shoe. It grounded everything that came after. Those tiny details breathe life into a plan.