Screw the plan... The first draft is the plan

My writing desk
and my son (18 months in this pic)
checking out my plans

This isn't my first time on this particular rodeo. No, no, not the writing a novel part (are you crazy?) the starting a novel part. Starting a novel  I've done plenty of times before. 

It starts with an idea and before you know it, you've launched into the prologue (easy!) the first chapter (cake walk!), the second chapter (cool as a cucumber). You read through them over and over again, you make a few tweaks as you go and you're ready to move on to the third chapter (uh-oh) and there... Suddenly, you hit a snag.

You knew how you wanted it to start you even know how you want it to end but now what? You've hit what I call that saggy, soggy, squishy middle.. damn you saggy middle! It's your main character looking at you blankly from the page, a question mark over her speech bubble. It's your cursor blinking at you accusingly. 

What next genius? What next miss smarty pants?

Suddenly, your initial confidence gives way to misgivings, you read and re-read your previous chapters and you're filled with self-loathing and disgust ("what was I thinking? this is the worst worst most possibly the worst piece of writing in the whole of humanity!") you throw your hands in the air (after you've uncurled yourself from the fetal position you tucked yourself into) and you say, "eff it, do I really need this kind of stress in my life? I have a job, I have kids, it's all too much. Perhaps I was never meant to be a writer. I'm not a creator I'm doomed to forever be an appreciator and nothing else." And with that gloomy thought once again, you have another half written story to file away in your ever-growing folder of half-written stories. 

Now, I've attended many creative writing courses (the one by the Sydney Writer's Center is one of the best) and read many books (Stephen King's 'On Writing' is a must-read) and I decided that I needed a plan. So I set out to bullet point my way to the end of my story. I mapped out each chapter and each scene precisely. I wrote character bios, character lists ("what was the name of his cousin again? Was it Bob? Wait, Bob was the name of the neighbour not the cousin!").... I planned and I planned and then I realized something (now obviously everyone is different) but for me... well, all this planning killed the fun.... Gone was the excitement. Gone was the thrill ("I got it! They're now going to jump from that ravine!") instead, I was so terrified that I was going to "come off plan" that I found that I literally planned my story to death. 

Those who know me wouldn't be surprised by this revelation, when God was handing out the planning gene, they planned to give me one but completely forgot to do so. Methodical. Meticulous. Mapped-out. These are not words or notions that describe me. Much to the lament of my parents and high school teachers I thrive in chaos. I'm madness. I'm last minute. I'm 'she'll be right mate'.

So I've done the no-plan-let-the-ending-magically-come-to-you-plan. I've done the plan-every-scene-plan. I'm now going somewhere in the middle plan. Ie. a plan but its not bullet pointed to death. There's a map but it's not not etched in stone... 

Basically, screw the plan... The first draft is the plan... I need to write it first. I need to finish it and once it's finished, we go from there! Oh geez - wish me luck! 

Are you a writer? What works best for you? I would love to hear your thoughts, please comment below!