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I used to be an obsessive outliner - figuring that writing without an outline was like jumping off a cliff and building a parachute on the way down.

If you do outline, you have to be aware of the problems that that kind of thing can cause.

I am not very good at sticking to outlines, and I double back all the time to revisit scenes and change things.

I outline and outline and outline, and then I'm very specific about the stuff I write. That's my process.

I always work from an outline.

The way that I write novels in particular is I don't usually outline; I just write. Part of the fun is discovering what's happening in the story as I'm going along.

I outline in some detail, but even after the outline is done I often get a new idea that is an improvement, so the outline is a living, breathing thing as well. I also re-outline when I'm two-thirds done, to be sure that there is an emotional payoff from all the plot lines and to be sure the story is as tight as it can be.