To outline or not?
Q: I have been writing fiction for many years and have tried different approaches. At first I was told the importance of writing a detailed outline, etc. I tried that approach and found the end-result was a contrived, stiff story. Now, I use a spontaneous approach, where I have little idea where the story is going, only enjoying the extemporaneous moment, which captures the essence of life. I think the former approach failed, for me anyway, because it was artificial, a phony representation of life. Now, I enjoy what is over the hill, what is around the corner much like the reader enjoys. However, I must say that it works ultimately best when the writer has had enough experience to know where to let the story lead and where to avoid. I think Stephen King writes that way. I only read one book by him called The Dead Zone and I had the feeling that he wrote spontaneously. On the other hand, Memoirs of a Geisha was great but I was told the author labored many years, which seems the opposite
