Should I Plan More?

I am not much of a planner. I don't set goals for myself, and I certainly have a hard time sticking to anything. I enjoy living in the moment and capturing what I want to do when I want to do it. I think the reason I don't plan things is because I’ve often been let down by those around me and, at times, by myself. Plans just seem to change. For example, I planned on marrying the wrong guy, I planned to move to Hawaii after that breakup, I planned to return to school for speech pathology assistance, and I planned to move to another city all by myself—but then I met my now husband. Our future plans continue to change as well because neither of us is really the planner in our relationship. Yes, I make all the lists for our vacations, and we go over the checklist together. However, after reading this article by Amanda, I need to do some rethinking on the process.

I can see her drafts and the incredible amount of time and dedication it takes to actually plan them out. I am a subscriber because I love her writing so much, and I think the main reason I admire her work is because she takes the time to plan these stories carefully before diving into the actual writing. She seems to have mastered the process of outlining and organizing her ideas in a way that makes her writing not only more engaging but also much more structured. For me, this kind of thoughtful preparation is something I often wish I could implement into my own writing process.

I usually sit down with no clear plan in mind, and when a thought strikes me, I just start typing away. It’s a more spontaneous approach, and while that can lead to moments of inspiration, I often find that my thoughts become scattered or don't come together as cohesively as I’d like. I don't always manage to create a clear narrative or structure. Sometimes, my ideas feel like they’re all over the place. That might be my downfall.

I can see the benefits of planning, though. When I observe other writers who plan their work, I notice they tend to have more success. They often win challenges, or they are runners-up, and their stories come out polished and compelling. There seems to be a direct connection between the effort they put into planning and the success they experience. It makes me realize that more time and effort spent planning could potentially help me become a better writer. By thoughtfully organizing my ideas beforehand, I might be able to create more cohesive and well-thought-out pieces of writing. But, despite knowing this, here I am again, typing away without a clear outline or any direction, just letting my thoughts spill onto the page as they come.

The idea of planning my writing always feels like an extra step I don’t have time for. Yet, when I look at how well-planned drafts can improve a story, I know it could make a difference. Drafts provide an opportunity to refine your ideas, ensure logical flow, and improve clarity. They can help you experiment with different approaches to the same concept—whether that’s trying out a new narrative style, considering different character motivations, or altering the structure of the plot. It’s a chance to take risks and make mistakes without worrying about the final product. You can explore various options and decide which one works best for the piece you’re writing. Drafting allows you to step back and reconsider your choices, offering the time to revise and edit your work before submitting it. This process can make the final version of your writing much stronger and more effective.

However, I never seem to take the time to write a draft. And I think the reason for this is because I strongly dislike the process of editing and proofreading. To me, it feels like a tedious chore that detracts from the joy of creating new content. It's very hard for me to sit down and focus on taking out the mistakes I've made or reworking sentences to improve clarity. The thought of revisiting the same piece of writing over and over again, trying to catch every little error or awkward phrasing, often feels exhausting. I’d much rather just get the words out and move on to the next idea. Unfortunately, this often means that my first drafts are not as polished as I would like them to be.

Luckily, there are writing tools, like AI, that can help me with the editing process. These tools can catch grammatical errors and suggest improvements, which is incredibly helpful when I don’t have the patience or energy to proofread my work myself. They can ensure that my thoughts are expressed correctly and that my writing is as clear and error-free as possible. Even though I don’t write traditional drafts, these tools allow me to refine my work after it’s already on the page, making it easier to go back and fix mistakes without feeling overwhelmed by the editing process.

In the end, I know I could benefit from taking the time to plan my writing more carefully, and I might even enjoy the process if I gave it a chance. But for now, I continue to rely on spontaneity and technology to get my thoughts out and clean them up afterward. Maybe one day I’ll find the right balance between drafting and editing to improve my writing, but for now, this is my process.