I know this is conflicting for a lot of people. But how much are you in control of your story? And how much does your story run on its own?
Do your characters fall in line or make surprise decisions? Do events happen the way they're "supposed to," or do you find they surprise you? If you need your characters to hit point A, can you always make it happen?
This goes hand in hand with pantsing vs. outlining, character arcs, the current multi-volume thread, and a lot of other discussions. But you can pants and still be in control. You can outline and still lose control.
And why does this happen? Is it just a personality difference? An experience difference? Are there ups and downs to either way? Do you wish you had more or less control than you do?
Do your characters fall in line or make surprise decisions? Do events happen the way they're "supposed to," or do you find they surprise you? If you need your characters to hit point A, can you always make it happen?
This goes hand in hand with pantsing vs. outlining, character arcs, the current multi-volume thread, and a lot of other discussions. But you can pants and still be in control. You can outline and still lose control.
And why does this happen? Is it just a personality difference? An experience difference? Are there ups and downs to either way? Do you wish you had more or less control than you do?