Sally Was—Wait, I Don't Like That Name

This next method may not seem much like planning, but it can be used to produce a plan. It's free association, also called "stream-of-consciousness".

Before you sputter your mouthful of caff all over your keyboard, let me explain. Free association involves writing whatever you feel like writing about the idea off-the-cuff. For this to work as a planning method and not merely a way to break writer's block, you do not write the actual story.

You write about the story.

You start writing whatever you're thinking about the story, either by hand or by typing. Even if all you can think of is "I don't know where to start," start with that. I once was finally able to finish planning one element of a story when I started out by writing, "I'm stuck. Why am I stuck? I'm not sure…" And it continued from there.

Always be asking questions about the statements you ask, like my own "Why am I stuck?" If you write that there are two sisters and Suzie's the elder, ask yourself what that means for Suzie that she's the elder. Remember to ask yourself what happened because there were two sisters and not only to the two sisters.

Fluff will quickly fill your pages, but you'll find gems mixed with the dross. After writing off-the-cuff about your story idea until you're dry, leave it for a few days or a week, then reread it. This may spur more writing about the idea. If not, then you start pulling the useful tidbits out of the mess you wrote. Highlight them or write them separately as you want, but if you attack this method and stick to it, you should be able to form a solid story idea (or to soon realize this story idea isn't going anywhere and needs to stew for another four years).

The free association method takes time and can be a pain if you're a slow writer or typer. I find it most useful when I'm first struck with a story idea to jot it down for me to return to later, or for when I'm stuck.

Writers hate throwing away their words. That's probably why many see this technique and grimace—so many words, wasted!

If that's you, you should try this technique. Writers must be willing to dispose of their words when they edit. This method could therefore be particularly good practice for someone with an aversion to changing what he writes.