I rarely have a plan in life.
I’m being dead serious.
I have friends who have planned a great percentage of their lives. They knew in college what they wanted to do. They planned on two children. They planned on retiring early and even planned on the amount of savings they would have when they retired.
Me? No clue! No plan at all. I’m like the steel ball in a pinball machine, just rolling around waiting to be hit by the next flipper. And the funny thing is, it works for me. I’m six months shy of seventy and I have no complaints at all about how it all worked out.
Now part of that equation is trusting in my abilities. I know I will be fine no matter what comes round the bend, and I have to credit my parents for giving me that confidence. A part of it is borderline fatalistic. I know that shit happens when you least expect it. All the planning in the world won’t stop a tornado from leveling your home, or a heart attack from stealing away a loved one. What’s the old joke? Do you want to make God laugh? Tell Him your plans! That’s pretty much my outlook on life. I handle today, today. I’ll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. It works for me and that’s all that matters.
Now I mention all that because my writing technique mirrors my outlook on life. I don’t plan stories. I don’t plan novels. Most of my work, and there has been quite a bit of it, starts with a writing exercise . . . I was walking down a city street late at night . . . what did I see . . . and the story takes shape as I continue with that prompt. I do not outline. I rarely, if ever, know how a novel will end when I begin it.
I trust in my abilities and I trust in my muse.
Would my technique work for others? Maybe, maybe not, but it works for me, and that’s all that’s important for this writer.
I will leave you with that thought. There is no “one size fits all” approach to life, or writing. In the final analysis, you have to do what feels right for you. I have known great writers who break grammar rules on a regular basis. I have known people who follow the beat of a drum most of us will never hear. It works for them, an d that’s all that matters.
Have a brilliantly original day!
Bill
“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”
Billybuc
Artistry With Words 
Somedays I think I have a plan and yet others I truly don’t. I guess whatever works. That said wishing you a wonderful Tuesday whatever lies ahead today!
Thank you Janine! Happy Tuesday to you as well. Even if we don’t have a plan, we can act like we do. lol
Amen and amen…
I try to plan but it seldom goes according to the plan. I do so just… Well Hell, why do I?
Like always Bill, when I read your posts, these atoms in my brain sin uncontrollably.
Have a great day sir!
Spin
I will do that, Greg, and I wish the same for you….sin or spin, it’s all good! 🙂
i am not a planner either..Always by the seat of my pants. I used to perform on the stage and never planned what I was going to say…and I had to make the audience laugh. I always start out with a marketing plan and do something else. Dinner is planned when I take something out of the freezer. I start things that I don’t finish…and we have moved a gazillion times mostly on a whim…So I am with you.
I love it, Carol! I can’t count the number of homes I’ve lived in…just pick up and move, and looking back I don’t know why we moved. lol Oh well, it worked out and that’s all that matters.
Being true to one self … following our nature, is such a beautiful thing! Creativity tosses the rules on their heads. The Spirit is not bound by plans. Planning is a very fragile thing. Hats off to you Bro.
Thank you Manatita! I love that….tosses the rules on their heads…indeed!
I do like a plan, but I usually end up not following it…
LOL…now that is funny, Andrea!
Hello Bill – I do not plan or outline stories, mostly just try to answer the question, ‘what would happens next,’ and follow the trail. As for life, I set a few goals early on. Hey, I still have time. haha
You do still have time, Mike! It will be awhile before you catch me in age. 🙂
Bill
‘Hope for the best, plan for the worst, but don’t get bogged down in the details!’
That’s my way, and just like you, it seems to work for me.
Have a great week.
Indeed, Lawrence, and if it ain’t broke,don’t fix it!!!
You and I have very different writing styles, but hey! We’re still friends!
We are indeed, Donna! I have every confidence that yours works as well for you as mine does for me.
Love your approach and love your spirit, Big Bro. (Comment 1…it usually takes a couple tries…pfft, wordpress. Hehe.)
Aww, Lil Sis, you make me yearn for when we finally meet. There is a big old hug waiting for you.
I never had a plan: didn’t ever know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I still don’t know. I just try new things and keep learning. I just enjoy the journey. Love your spirit and love your enthusiam, Big Bro! You make me smile and I’m so glad to know you! (2 of 2, lol)
I love that you just try new things and see where they take you, Lil Sis…a kindred spirit for sure.
Hugs from Beautiful Olympia!
I don’t plan much either. I used to plan my holidays, but I haven’t travelled anywhere since 1991 . When I write, the story takes on a life of its own, I just follow and make an adjustment here and there.
Enjoyed this post. Have a great day, Bill!
Thank you for your comment, Irinadim….interesting how many writers do not plan.
Hello Bill!
Sometimes an idea just hits in and story comes out but at other days, no thought, no story, nothing.
It often happens with me and I like to keep it natural.
There are some stories going on all the time in my mind but time is not enough to complete them.
But no planning, not for writing at least!
Thank you Nikki! It’s always good to hear from you…no planning for sure!