Brainstorming versus Planning

[Aaeden]

I'm sure there are a number of aspiring writers who frequent this forum.

What are everyone's methods for actually sitting down and writing things? Is there a suitable percentage to focus on idea work versus actual writing, or should everything be finely detailed before you even pick up a pen / pencil / keyboard?

What different methods do you use to brainstorm? Are there any specific tools that you use in order to get your ideas on paper?

I've been drilling two ideas down for the better part of a year, and it never seems like I can get time or inclination to write, mainly because I don't have a set plot, so anything that will help me get something set in stone will be quite valuable!

[Sinol]

My usual style is just to start writing anything that seems relevant to the subject at hand. Then, and only then it's time to rewrite and add and delete as seen fit. I have to rewrite things in a right order because it's not a very natural thing to write things from start to finish and it's more like a small part there, another there, there's the title, this fills up space with something useful, this sounds nice, etc.
 School work especially, gets that treatment, otherwise I couldn't ever finish them. I plan things much better when I write things and see what fits with it.
Of course a rough idea helps.
 but as I mainly play ideas on my head like it's a film (mostly black & white, can't think as clearly with colors) and seeing how it starts developing in my head. Then I write that on paper. When talking about writing stories and such that is.

[Tiger_Dusk]

my methods are kinda weird lol, when I have a idea in my head i seem to kinda obsess over it, making it hmm how do you say...? "fine tuned", then when I have the idea completed I write it down on paper... but it isn't just any kind of writing. I write with the feeling I have at that particular moment. lol so ya often my writeing will feel kinda intense at times.

[Drewdle]

I write primarily with digital media; I find that my hands aren't fast enough to keep up with my brain if I'm not typing, and at that, they're still barely fast enough. I'll write short poems and things by hand if I feel like it, but that's really all the tree murdering I get up to.  As to ideas, I just sit down when I feel like I'm in that gear, and start tearing away at an idea, and see where it goes. If I like it, I keep going, if I don't like it or don't see anything coming of it, I throw it into a "Scraps" folder. You never know when old stuff comes in handy.

[Tiger_Dusk]

I write primarily with digital media; I find that my hands aren't fast enough to keep up with my brain if I'm not typing, and at that, they're still barely fast enough. I'll write short poems and things by hand if I feel like it, but that's really all the tree murdering I get up to.  As to ideas, I just sit down when I feel like I'm in that gear, and start tearing away at an idea, and see where it goes. If I like it, I keep going, if I don't like it or don't see anything coming of it, I throw it into a "Scraps" folder. You never know when old stuff comes in handy.

I know exactly what you meen about the paws not being able to keep up with the brain X3 grr ... i loose some ideas cause of that sometimes D:!

[Kyvr]

For years I have been writing `thought-books`, portable notebooks I take to school and work that I write in when I have an idea that I want to write down. I now have over 30 of these thought-books stored away.

I`m always writing, at home and at work, but the trick with me is picking out what is worthy of exploring further and which is crap. Honestly, I`ve had a lot of crappy ideas, and then again, I`ve had crappy ideas that turned out to be not-so-crappy   

From there I start writing the story out, usually out on a word processor. Than I make a hard copy, edit, hard copy, edit, over and over again. It seems I`m never totally happy with my work, but I actually enjoy the whole creative process.

That`s about as much planning as I do, a mixture of brainstorming and planning.

[Seamus]

I've gone through alot of different processes over the years.  from thought mapping to just writing whatever comes to mind and heavily editing it later.  The process that i find works best for me is somewhat unique.

I'll write down a general idea of something on an index card.  The index cards are then spread out onto a desk, table, or cork board.  from there i think on one or two ideas and write what might come up on sticky notes or more index cards.  Those will go underneath the main index cards usually in a messy fashion, until i'm left with a huge mess of ideas barely organized.  I'll look at that and sketch out 3 or 4 rough drafts, and try and combine the 2 best ones or use just one for the final draft.

Thats for general essays, so I would definitely have to rework that for a novel or something like that.  Couldn't picture writing 3 or 4 novels then picking the best one XP