I'm always interested to find out how other people plan, because I've never been taught or anything myself. My first novel-length-fanfiction had no planning at ALL - I had written 30 000 words and still had no idea what the ending was.
![tongue.gif](http://www.harryandginny.co.uk/forums/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)
Disaster, and, predictably, I had to abandon it when I found about a zillion plotholes lining my journey. Then the new canon came out, and blasted it into smithereens anyway, and that was the end of that.
![tongue.gif](http://www.harryandginny.co.uk/forums/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)
So, for any stories that I've written since then, I've made sure to plan. It takes me weeks and weeks to plan -- I'm not somebody who can just sit down and write everything out logically. What I tend to do in the first place, is have some vague idea of a story, which I then slowly develop through the next few days (normally when in the shower or bed) until I have a basic plot. From there, I plan little scenes and write them out, draw pictures of them, and develop my characters until I know them inside out. That's pretty much the stage I'm at now. Then after that, I scrape together the major plot, and write out short, basic chapter plans. Really it's not even that - it's just a timeline sort of thing (something like yours I'd imagine, Imogen
![smile.gif](http://www.harryandginny.co.uk/forums/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
), so I know what has to go where. Essential - I get so lost without it.
![tongue.gif](http://www.harryandginny.co.uk/forums/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)
But the only advice I can give really - and it's not worth much, since I'm the worst planner since ... somebodybadatplanning:P - is to make sure you know your characters. If they're strong enough in your mind, I think you can find a plot for them somewhere. And once you've got that plot, write it down and make a timeline. Simple.
![smile.gif](http://www.harryandginny.co.uk/forums/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
But still, advice from other writers would really help me, so I'll be keeping up with this thread!
![smile.gif](http://www.harryandginny.co.uk/forums/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
-Jules. xxx