Planning: What constitutes "too much?"

Aes

Aes

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Oh my, it sure has been awhile since I last peeked in these forums.

After having kicked World of Warcraft to the curb temporarily, I find that my time is now open to much more productive endeavors. Of course, writing is definitely on the list, and hopefully this time, I'll be able to go somewhere with it.

I've seen/heard from several sources that trying to plan out every single aspect of the story is a pitfall that swallows many newbie writers, so I wanted to ask this:

- How much planning is "too much?"

- Sure, it makes sense to get a good feel for the major characters, but is it a good or bad idea to do this for the social structure of cities, towns, villages, kingdoms, etc as well?

- Is it a good idea to plan out the story, or is it better to "just write it, and see what happens?"

This time, I'd really like to see if I can get far enough to post something in the critiques section. ;)
 
I think that the mix of planned plotting versus organic growth is different for everone. I find it best to work out the basic plot structure and then 'join the dots' organically once it's sorted.

I don't think there's such a thing as too much planning unless it's stopping you from actually getting anything written (which is what it all comes down too, eh?).
 
I was writing a novel that soon suffered from too much planning. I spent more time mapping out the little details then I did actually writing it!

Recently I began a new (shorter) project and almost fell into a similar trap. I mapped out what would happen in every chapter in quite a bit of detail. Then as I started writing, I reached the third chapter and the entire story changed in a flash of inspiration. Now I just keep a vague idea of where I want to end up and let the characters take me there themselves.

However, this is just a personal thing. There are many who plan out a lot and do plenty of research before they begin writing - it does seem to work for some.

My advice is that if you ever spend more time researching, planning and revising than actually writing the story - then that's too much.
 
Yeah, so far, my planning/writing has a ratio of roughly 10000:1. I get so wrapped up in making sure every little detail is clear, until all these amassed details trainwreck and completely put me off to doing the actual writing.

It may go against my detail-oriented nature, but perhaps fleshing out the vital characters, summarizing a basic plot, and letting everything else happen on an organic level will work better for me.
 
Personally, the longest outline I've ever done is a few paragraphs. Then I usually go off there, developing the story and its characters as I go on. But this may work for me just because I lack the proper organizational skills and the ability to fully commit to detailed and lengthy outline.
 
It gets to be too much when it starts interfering with the actual writing and turns into a form of procrastination rather than doing the research necessary to flesh out the story.
 
When it comes to the storyline itself, I think you should get yourself a rough outline and not get too involved in mapping out every minute detail. Then just get on with the writing and when the story changes - as it may often do - you can rework the outline easily and crack back on with the writing.

When it comes to the overall world, then the more detailed it is the better. Look at the amount of research authors do on non-sf or non-f fiction to make their stories more believable. Most try to make their stories accurate and that requires the research. But if you've based your story in a fictional f or sf setting you can't just wander into a library or look on the internet for answers. So if you spend time fleshing out your world I think it'll show in your books. But do this as you write. Or write short stories based in the world to flesh it out for yourself. The more real it is to you the easier it'll be to write about and the more real it'll feel for your readers.

That's me thoughts on it, but don't, whatever you do, stop writing whilst you're planning.
 
I can't stop if I don't start. My problem is I get so obsessed with planning details, I rarely end up actually writing anything. The short stories suggestion sounds appealing, and I think I'll be giving that a shot. :D
 
In short the answer to the question is simple:
It depends

Of course this doesn't help and you have to find out for yourself. The short story idea is not a bad one. I like short stories in general.:)
 
I think that everyone here has said it really well that you're probably planning too much when you don't actually get to the wrting which is a trap that I can fall into.

Referencing your point re working out social structures etc I find that doing this on a very basic level for the major cities/planets/whatever in your story isn't a bad thing as it allows you to better describe the setting in the narrative (i.e is it desolate and run down rather than plush and oppulant, democratic rather than dictatorial ect) and lends a bit of colour and depth to your story.
 
I don't think you can have too much planning

For me, I've done 200 pages of planning all together, and a lot of this won't be in the book, but it's things that I need to know.

Take J.K.Rowling for example, she spent five years planning her seven books, and look at how successful they are! I think planning is vital and the more you have, the easier it is to write and lay down clues, because you know exactly where the story is going. If you have a couple of pages of notes, you may write something you regret ad it may be too late to change it when you realise.

That's just my opinion though ;)
 
That's why I say: it depends. It will work for some and it will spoil things for others. Too much planning tends to bore me and therefor I avoid it. But too few planning can make you go astray, which I have to live with. I fear that you just have to try what works for you.
 
but you could easily say, look at robert jordan, he clearly planned a lot, with all his characters, countries, and so on all mapped out into great detail, enough he could write a guide to it book before the series was even half done.
and his series is rigid and waffly because of it.
i think whatever way works for you is the way that works for you. if your world is complex, and the plot is twisty, then yes, you will probably need some planning to keep it together and know where you're going, so you don't contradict
if your work is simpler, more about characters than world or twisty plots (robin hobb farseer stuff, for instance) then i don't think you need a lot of planning
 
Feordel said:
I don't think you can have too much planning

For me, I've done 200 pages of planning all together, and a lot of this won't be in the book, but it's things that I need to know.
Click to expand...

But how long has it taken you and how much actual writing have you done in that time?
 
Some writers will plan everything down to the tiniest detail. Others plan very little. I once heard Elmore James say that he just thought of a character, then followed him around, writing down everything he did. I doubt that could work for me.

I plan enough so that I can write the story and have it make sense. Then, when I write, I allow myself to go off on tangents and explore other possibilities. Most of these end up in the bin, but sometime they produce gold.

I can remember writing my hero and heroine's first romantic kiss. As I wrote the sections from her POV I realised that she wasn't ready for this. She shied away from it, and refused to have anything to do with him. So I wrote it that way. I had to do a heck of a lot of re-plotting to get them back together, but their eventual kiss is much stronger than it originally would have been. Sometimes you need to throw the outline away and see wht happens.

But NEVER use plotting as an excuse to delay writing. Just get on with it. The outline doesn't need to be perfect before you write, despite what some writing books say. It just needs to be enough to get you started.
 
Um, I've done 'Over-Planned'.

I stuffed a spread-sheet with plot-lines, crucial scenes, prompt piccies, character cues, quips etc etc, then got a severe attack of 'stodgy text' because I'd taken out the thrill of watching my story evolve...

I know I've a fun story in there-- Meantime, I'm working on 'Soft Target'.
 
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