How many people out there write "organically", i.e. just write without really thinking too much about it and let it grow, and how many people sit down and plan each scene, etc?
Plus what are your opinions or each.
Organic Vs Planned
Moving thread to Writers Discussion.
Just write randomly... Make it up as I go along - following a rough plan that we've discussed and incorporating stuff that we've discussed etc...
Yeah I like to do a bit of both, I plan it to a certain extent characters ect ect, but generally feel I'm not really "writing" so I end up just writing it with a loose idea of plots ect.
bit of both
when an idea comes, just get it down. ultimately if it is a sitcom it has to be planned and structured.
I plan it scene by scene first, so I know where each scene is going so it doesn't drift.
Though sometimes stuff throws itself up during writing or I cut scenes out as I go along, so I only stick the plan about 80%
If I plan it well before hand, it all ties up nicely, which I like.
I seem to have changed recently, from writing randomly to quite a lot (perhaps even excessive) planning. I suppose it's just what makes you feel comfortable.
I found I was writing a lot and them running out of steam. I put this down to lack of planning. (er...'spose it could be lack of talent as well 
)
I'm echoing Seefacts but swing even further towards planning. For me the place for organic growth is during the brainstorming stage. Get the idea, blast away as many ideas as you can around it. Even if they seem preposterous, you can trim them out later, but don't stop the creative roll.
Finally, after weeks of thinking through, it's the plot outline, then scenes derived from the plot outline, then dialogue blocks (what must be said as dictated by plot outline / what is funny that can crop up in that block). Finally dialogue.
Once I've got the plot outline I rarely drift away unless something screams at me.
I side with Nabavok: 'who once expressed contempt for the idea that fictional characters influence their own destinies. “That whimsy…is as old as the quill, my characters are galley slaves.”'
What I think he meant was no character should really 'surprise' you. All the groundwork has to be done prior to the writing. The surprises a character may spring on you were all sprung during the planning. The plot is the ship, and the cast of galley slaves serve only the function of driving the story from start to end without deviation.
This is admittedly at the extreme of the planned viewpoint.
I've rewritten a piece because a new layer came to me during the final edit. This involved another rewrite to make an amendment to one particular character. It improved the book, but once the layer had been spotted and planned, there was again no deviation from my planned route.
It's to do with approach, exactly, Griff. Personally, I want to know where I am and what I'm doing in each section. Others think differently. If it works, it works. 
Quote: SlagA @ February 16, 2008, 4:51 PMI'm echoing Seefacts but swing even further towards planning. For me the place for organic growth is during the brainstorming stage. Get the idea, blast away as many ideas as you can around it. Even if they seem preposterous, you can trim them out later, but don't stop the creative roll.
Finally, after weeks of thinking through, it's the plot outline, then scenes derived from the plot outline, then dialogue blocks (what must be said as dictated by plot outline / what is funny that can crop up in that block). Finally dialogue.
Once I've got the plot outline I rarely drift away unless something screams at me.
I side with Nabavok: 'who once expressed contempt for the idea that fictional characters influence their own destinies. “That whimsy…is as old as the quill, my characters are galley slaves.”'
What I think he meant was no character should really 'surprise' you. All the groundwork has to be done prior to the writing. The surprises a character may spring on you were all sprung during the planning. The plot is the ship, and the cast of galley slaves serve only the function of driving the story from start to end without deviation.
This is admittedly at the extreme of the planned viewpoint.
I've rewritten a piece because a new layer came to me during the final edit. This involved another rewrite to make an amendment to one particular character. It improved the book, but once the layer had been spotted and planned, there was again no deviation from my planned route.
Yeah, once I get the whole sitcom idea - but not yet a pilot plot - I'll do lots of random chatting scenes, say in a coffee shop, or characters discussing a conflict so I can feel the voices. It's really good fun and you can get some great stuff doing it this way. And more ideas come up during this, so it's really worthwhile.
I LIKE it being surprised by characters. One of my sitcoms, in the second episode I just wrote, two character's dynamics went in a totally different way I thought - it was interesting.
I tend not to write a word until I've spent a good long while thinking about my main characters, the situation and premise and whether it's worth working on. I think it's helpful to have a first episode worked out in your head before sitting down to write. I think once you do, writing 'organically' is fine. Try the first couple of scenes without being too over-disciplined then go back and hone them. You can usually tell after a few re-writes of your opening couple of scenes whether your characters come alive and whether you want to keep on going with them.
God tells me what to write.
Seriously I kind of defocus and the idea's come to me.
Quite freaky when your characters, suddenly run away from you and do their own thing.