: Re: What else should I plan? I have started writing a novel. I've done some character questionnaires for my main characters, and I've outlined the plot. I want to do this planning to keep my story

@Tiffany377

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I have a similar weakness to you in the potential "fizzle out" points of my writing. I've found that this comes from not knowing the specific next steps of the story rather than the total arc of the plot.

A trick that helps me is visual planning rather than writing a plot overview; I find pictures or quotes that inspire certain visuals or interactions, print them out and use them as anchors to leapfrog on to (think dramatic mountains, or an illustration of charging winged hussars, etc). By then time I have finished one scene, then next is already begging to be written because I'm excited about describing a certain place or piece of dialogue and I can build the thread of the story to that point, leading up with the relevane, foreshadowing and the tension.

I understand that this is a rather idiosyncratic way of hybrid plot-pantsing but I thoroughly enjoy writing in this way. It's cathartic.

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