Years ago in Wales when I was camping and couldn't sleep because I felt uneasy knowing someone had drowned just a couple of steps away from where I was lying, I came up with a very effective way to plan things- entirely in my head when I try to sleep! Back then, it was a totally different story to the one I have written on this site, it was called Unfortunately Unlucky but it turned out too much like Harry Potter so I scrapped it and came up with the one I have now! I have planned so far into the story it was weird going right back to the beginning to write it!!

What techniques do you guys use?

I can't plan where my story is going. It just happens...I know that sounds silly, but I know that my writing sounds stilted when I force it. Like with my first story Never Again, I came up with the character, and then came up with the situation. It went from there...flowed...

Does that make any sense?

Major plot points i will plan in the same manner you do raindrop, by laying awake at night and thinking. but the little details, like what the character looks like or dialogue, that comes as I write it, maybe I'll rereadthose details a few times to see if it sounds good

Music really inspires me, id listen to my ipod at work and think of the story and the scenarios.Think of the characters, their past, hates and everything.I get a bit too involved, girlfriend has occasionally heard me going over stories in my sleep.

Hahahaha, I used to do that when I was teaching dance, especially when it got close to recital time. I would start counting in my sleep.."and a 1, 2, 3, 4...no no no let's do it again." Drove my husband crazy! But I had awesome looking dance numbers on stage!

An idea for a story comes out of nowhere, like a sneeze. Same goes for planning. So I might be eating lunch, studying the quadratic formula, or air guitaring.

Go quadratic formula!!!