Straight roads are frightening. Standing in the middle of them you can look up the road and feel like you are seeing out to forever. Although there are no surprises to be seen, the near infinity of the road is intimidating.
Rounded roads are better. They are exciting. You never know what's awaiting around the next corner.
It's interesting to me that I feel that way because I think of -most of- my writing as a winding road. Usually I don't write outlines. I agree that's generally a bad thing, outlines can make writing linear, but writing without an outline is so EXCITING! Although I don't often use an outline, I do have ideas of where I want a story to go and how I want to get there.
Without a detailed outline I have no idea where my imagination is going to take me, and that journey is as much fun to write as I hope it is to read. I can just sit back and watch a story unfold before me. Sometimes it doesn't work out, contradiction and plot holes, but sometimes it works out very well. And sometimes the parts I agonize over in my writing, and try to perfect end up being less well received as the writing I don't over think.
Example: The last chapter of "The Woman Returns". I spent weeks re-reading and editing, trying to wrap up the story well, but no matter what I wrote it just didn't seem to live up to everything that I had written previously, but I had people waiting anxiously for the last chapter so I published it anyway. Admittedly, not a good choice. And now, I've received no feedback from the fans who were begging me for the last chapter. That doesn't feel very good. Kind of like coming around a corner and seeing a brick wall. It's a surprise, but what can you do? I made a choice and I'll live with it.
-Brandolyn
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