In my “legitimate” writing, I always need to have a solid outline before I start, and at least need to know generally where I think the story should be going, even if that changes as I go along. However, I frequently have started multi-chapter stories here without knowing where they’re going, and the writing process itself informs me where the story needs to go. Sometimes, my own curiosity to figure out what’s going to happen will spur my writing process but, after a chapter or two, I generally figure out where things need to go and start fleshing out a detailed outline so I don’t forget anything.
Unfortunately, once I’ve figured out all the mechanics of how the story should play out, my urge to actually write the story can diminish. Not to compare myself to Hitchcock, but he often said that solving the problems of how to tell the story were what he most enjoyed, and actually shooting the movie could be anticlimactic. I feel that way sometimes. For example, I had a complete outline of where my recent “Mariposa Halloween” story would go, with all the twists and turns mapped out in detail (including extensive roles for Billy Farrow and Reese characters from my “X-Dream Makeover” series), but it would have taken months to write the whole thing and I just didn’t feel the urgency the further I got away from Halloween.
I don’t like leaving stories unfinished, but writing stories for free, I need to get some enjoyment out of the process. I did open up “The Reflex” as a community story, so anyone was welcome to keep it going, either based on my notes or any other direction they’d like to take it.