First - my apologies if this topic's already been done. I didn't see a similar one, then again, I have to admit that I didn't really look that hard.
Up until this point, I have always written off the cuff. Whenever I get the bug, I just go with it. It's worked for me, but I've noticed that I end up losing some REALLY good plot lines because I can't write enough to get to that specific turn in the plot when I think of it, and by the time I do get there, I've forgotten it.
At long last I think I've come up with a winner of a story. An original story. Up until now I've only written cliched, immature fan fics that I hate... but I have some devoted readers that I can't bear to disappoint.
So I want to do this the right way. The entire plot is up in my head and I want to get it all down before I jump in and forget about it!
How do you plan for writing? Does anyone really outline anymore? I'm the outlining QUEEN, but only in my history classes. I tried a preliminary outline of my story, but for some inexplicable reason, doing it caused me to lose that passion that I had for writing it. It's too clinical for me... I've always been the kind to just let the story develop on my computer screen.