: Absolutely not. You have some great answers here but I just have to add a point or two. I am also a discovery writer and my piece is about a world I know nothing about, but I know my

@Pierce369

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Absolutely not.

You have some great answers here but I just have to add a point or two. I am also a discovery writer and my piece is about a world I know nothing about, but I know my characters.

Sometimes a decision I made creates a problem for me. I have characters on both sides of the law and refuse to have one side be peopled by idiots. Mistakes are made, but there are times when my characters cannot escape without the other side being completely incompetent - so they get caught. I know the general direction I want my characters to go and sometimes the plot actually goes there.

In the selected question, that writer does know what he or she wants to write, but has a small problem of research. Trials for thrones are an ancient tradition in literature and that member might find some great examples of what their story needs in Greek and Norse mythology.

To suggest that because a person has a question on a plot point that the work they are writing will be inferior is ignores a simple fact. People, writers in particular, like to discuss their work with likeminded people. Writers groups are formed to help with this aspect of an otherwise solitary pursuit. Shelley had Byron and Keats to brainstorm with.

In my piece, I reach some points where I wonder am I expecting too much of my MC if he does X so should he do Y instead. Some of those questions have become questions here and received good answers. Usually, when I wonder such, it turns out I am asking a bit much of the poor sod, so he does Y.

Realism requires the writer, who is too close to be objective, to periodically ask is this reasonable? That is a valid question to ask. Immersion is risked when too many incredible things happen or - as my father used to say when a character was in trouble on a television show - don’t worry, the cameraman will help him.

Oftentimes questions are asked that seem to be asking what should I write when the question is really will this break immersion? Is this credible? Would you put the book down either due to the stupidity of the character in this situation or just because you can’t stop laughing at him?

I have likened my process to a game of billiards. My characters are there, waiting and I introduce the first stress or the first character interaction and things start happening. I choose which resulting interaction seems promising or surprising and follow that path, creating more opportunities.

When I started my novel I had two characters and a general idea of the plot (might happen in volume three) and went from there. So far, I have a rather strange and dark piece leavened with humour that two others are quite enjoying and a prequel I began when I lost much of my book (autosave is evil). I also have the distinct impression the characters are writing it - not me.

If you start out with no characters, no ideas that is a problem. Asking what you should write is different from asking if you should write about a warrior going to a far off kingdom to slay a monster (Beowulf). The I want to write about a dystopian future world, what would it be like, question would indicate that the poster had yet to consider their idea and it was still at the brainstorming stage.

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