Story Planning: Too Much or Too Little?

Hey this is an aspect of writing that I’ve always struggled with. I either seem to do to much or too little.

So what I wanted to ask was just how much do you guys plan out before you write. I mean when you start do you know what is going to happen in each chapter or do you just go with the flow and take a crooked path to the end point.

How much do you know about the characters before you start. Do you know there favorite movies? And personal dislikes? Habits? Or have you just got a basic outline of looks and general personality.

[Edited for comprehension, submitted by Matt3187 of The Young Writers Society]

Answer:

Okay, so you said you either do too much planning or too little. And you didn't specify what type of genre you write in.

There's a fine line with planning things, plotting them out, etc. First of all, you NEVER want to stifle your characters' personality, which also means when they do things it is of their own accord, not yours. It's them that are acting, not you.

For Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Adventure: Definitely, you'll want to have a plot outline and a more-than-general plan for this, because usually these aren't character driven and even if they are you'll need to track what the point of the story is and where the characters are. Only because usually you're in a whole different world with Fantasy and Sci-Fi, and even if this genre is called "Adventure", you'll need to know where everything is and when everything is. In addition to making a plot outline, which is helpful enough already, you can make a timeline if you've got 4 or more characters. It's just another way of keeping track of them.

Example[s]:

The Mortal Instruments Trilogy by Cassandra Clare revolves around action, action, and lots of plot twists that still impact the character, but it's outside forces that are squeezing them, forcing them to change. It is a fantasy/adventure/action book.
Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer is, of course, fantasy/sci-fi/adventure/action, all of the above. It also revolves around a tightly constructed plot and sharply defined characters. Final Fantasy VIIby Square Enix [NOT A BOOK, lol]. It's all about plot and plot twists and evil characters and whatnot. I picked it because it was very cleverly planned, and because it's probably the most popular out of the video game series. Plus, the movie is kick-ass. Haha. Fantasy/Sci-Fi, though it's mostly sci-fi. Also includes adventure and action and big guns and whatnot.

For [Mainstream] Romance/Memoir/Etc.: Usually these are character-driven kind of plots, where the character becomes the plot, the character is the book, and actions don't matter as much as the changes and morphing the character goes through [even though the actions should still, of course, be done through the character through what they would do]. You have freedom to do anything, really. This is the type of genre where it's okay to start out with a single sentence and go from there. Usually I'll do a loose plot outline and allow room for additional scenes and actions if necessary. Sometimes I'll stray. But it's okay, because when you're writing fantasy/sci-fi/adventure types of stories, it's the outside forces that are acting on the character. With these more dreamy, romantically-inclined kind of stories, the character is changing within themselves, not just because of their outside situations, though certain situations may influence them to change or to start changing. You could also say that other characters are helping them to change.

Example[s]:

Anything by Sarah Dessen. Just Listen and The Truth About Forever are good examples of character-driven plot, though all of her books reflect the same style. She is deeply delved into her characters. Great reads.
The Last Summer (Of You & Me) by Ann Brashares. This book has been especially inspiring to me. She has such a tight hold on her characters and knows them inside out, therefore they'd do as their character would do. It's amazing. Her bestselling series The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants are also great examples, since she's got so many characters that are really dimensional. She wrote this one without a plan, and it only worked out so well because she knew her characters inside out. All of them.
The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. The character's voice is very real, very raw, very unedited. It uncovers a unique kind of human innocence.
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous. This is a touching book, and even though you might think it's the drugs that are affecting the character, it's really the character making her choices for the drugs. There's a fight going on inside the character, and this may very well be a great epitome of that. It's also very raw and easy to read [thin book, as well as The Perks of Being A Wallflower.]

Horror/Suspense/Other: I think, since these kinds of genres are more tricky and harder to pin down, it'd be a culmination of character and action driven plot. Horror and Suspense prey on the emotions, even though the plot is also important. To work on the emotions, you have to know the events that will happen. I think having a general outline and knowing how you want to work with each scene will help, but also work on character emotions and voice.

Examples:

Misery by Stephen King. I don't read much horror, but this is a great example. Fairly simple plot, complicated human character.

So basically, I hope I've answered your questions. You asked if you had to know your characters. Uhm, DUH. Haha. To be blunt, you'd be nothing as a writer if you didn't know your characters extremely well. You also asked if you had to know their favorite movies, books, people, etc. I say you have to know them inside out. Not just the above, but their often-used facial expressions, reactions to any situation you throw at them, overall personality, their friends, their inner thoughts, their style [as in speaking/thinking]. Treat them like a real person. Use examples of people you know to help realize your characters. Spend some time with them, I'd recommend about 2 weeks with each character trying to understand them [Though some people may take longer or less time]. THEN you can start on the plot, knowing how your characters would react. Therefore, your plot is based on your characters' actions, not on what you want your characters to do.

Sometimes you can't fully understand your characters. Hopefully, as you write, your characters will flesh out through the story and they'll evolve into their real selves by "The End". Or, your worst nightmare can come true and you will control them by "The End". Godmodding is the last thing you ever want to do in storywriting. After all, writing stories is about character change within, not YOUCHANGECHARACTER change.