: Writing free-form versus creating a plot online? I've always preferred creating short stories, and novels naturally. I don't normally create plot summaries, chapter summaries, and so forth. Is it

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An outline or summary is planning. As is character profiles, event lists, setting notes, language notes, maps, roleplaying, and anything else you do understand the story before you write it. How much planning is needed varies from none at all to months of planning for hours of writing. Some factors that affect how much planning is needed are length, complexity, abnormality, number of authors, memory and writing speed. The longer the story the more details to be confused, and the same with complicated plots esoteric theories and other complications. If you can't remember the whole story for long enough to write it down, you need notes. If you are working with someone else, you need to plan to make sure everyone has the same plan. Abnormality? The more different a story is from what you know, the more you need to plan.

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