Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan
[...](On the other hand, I'm a failed SF author, so any advice I give is pretty much worthless! Listen to Lake, and just write like he does; you'll be better off.)
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I don't think outlining is necessarily a problem, not if it feels natural to you. From what I have read, many successful authors work as you describe, but not all - it's not the only way to write. It's not the only way to succeed, and it's not the only way to fail. There are hazards with either approach, and the author must work to overcome the problems inherent in their chosen method.
I remember reading of a public argument between two famous authors: one saying that the characters told the story, he was just the cipher; the other saying that the author must have control over his characters. ... But I can't remember the author names (I think they were both men). Anyone here remember?
(I had it in my head that C.S. Forester was one of them, but Google doesn't show anything like that for him.)