Outliners Vs Freefallers

There are three types of writers. Those who outline, those who don't and those who do both. Outliners are the writers who write down everything that comes into their head. They will carefully plot their novel from beginning to finish. They will research at the beginning, middle and end of their novel. They will take the time to develop their characters right from the beginning. In an essence they will outline how their novel will start and finish.

Free fallers are the writers who just go with the flow. They have an idea in their head. They're not sure where the idea will go but they do they know they have to write it down. They won't plan their novel. It will just come to them as they write it. Characters will create themselves, plots will come together as they are written and everything will fall into place. They're the writers who will make changes as they write as opposed to the outliners who will print out each chapter after it's written and carefully mark out the changes.

There is no wrong or right. There is no left or right and up or down. This is just the way some writers work. I used to be a free-fall writer. In fact, I started writing Nowhere to Run one Saturday night when I should have been writing an assignment. It wasn't planned. It was just something to do to avoid writing an essay on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. I wrote the prologue and the first chapter and then tossed it aside for a year. The plan was not to write a novel. It was just something I wrote for a lark.

I picked it up a year later with, yet again, no thought to write a novel. I just started writing. The characters came together, the plot fell into place and I went from there. I had no concept of planning the novel. I just wanted to write it and take it from there.

Writing free fall style is a fun way to write for some. Others need the restrictions of a plot and the satisfaction and almost soothing feeling of knowing where their novel is going and how it is going to get there.

I never thought I would be one of those people. I have never plotted a story in my life. I've just written it. The ideas leaping from my mind to my fingers with a flash of lightning. Sometimes the mind jumped ahead of the fingers and the words got jumbled, but that's always how I've rolled.

Halfway through writing Nowhere to Run I did a back flip and started plotting. I didn't plan it (Pardon the pun), it just happened. It started when I realised I probably should create a character chart on my main female character, Stephanie Carovella. What resulted was the further development of a character, who maintained a strong facade but underneath was a a vulnerable woman, afraid to let anyone get close to her. She became a character driven by her past and her demons and one afraid to love anyone again.

From there I started writing notes onto what I needed to add to previous chapters and ideas I had for the later chapters. I wrote notes on what I needed to research, which characters would make the best murder victims and ideas of who the serial killer was. I still hadn't decided on who the serial killer of Nowhere to Run was. Even now I am contemplating on changing the serial killer for the umpteenth time. I figure that will be something to change after the first professional editor.

Deciding to outline or free fall isn't a decision you really make yourself. It just happens. Free fall writers don't plan to write a novel. They just start writing. Outliners know they want to write the novel and will do so.

I consider myself a mixture of both now. I'll still write by what inspires me and let it come together but I'll also plot, plan and twist the novel into what I know it can be.
Both qualities have their strengths and their weaknesses. Combining them together allows you the freedom to explore your creativity while allowing yourself the safety net of knowing where you want your novel to go.

Using both free fall writing and outlining works for me. I can be a fly by the seat of my pants writing and still allow myself to plot ahead.

So writers, which one are you and why?