I like that sheet, Leeli!

However, I usually don't do a whole bunch of character planning and plot planning and everything planning before I write a book--I usually just let my characters run loose until they develop their own personalities, and from there it is generally very easy to write with them. Of course, the bits before they develop well are usually very messy and weird.

As for my plot, I usually let it just run, and develop it on-the-go. It also sometimes turns out really awful at the beginning, but after that...sweet.

If I try to plan everything out neatly, I tend to get bored and abandon my story. So I try not to do too much planning beforehand, and schedule many editing sessions for afterward!

I have a book that I finished--I wrote it on paper, so now I'm typing it into the computer--and I haven't edited it yet, so I could show you some examples of before and after I develop my characters and plot. Let's see....

Before (this was as good as and example as I could find for the moment) 

Sitting at her campfire two days later, she suddenly felt faint and dizzy again. It was worse this time, it felt as if something was pulling her, deeper into the forest of pine, birch, and oak. She gritted her teeth, waiting for it to stop. A while later, the dizziness lessened, and she tottered to her feet. “What is wrong with me? This’s never happened before. Before-before I had the stone…. But I promised Grandfather I would keep it safe, and I’m not about to break that promise, even if it costs me my life. I told him I will protect it, and that is exactly what I will do.” She still felt slightly faint. Leaning against a tree trunk, she looked up. A large owl hooted and flew away. Sighing, she lay down on the ground, using her satchel for a pillow. She did not sleep well that night; tossing and turning. She rolled too close to the embers of the fire, and a spark flew on to her. The sharp sting woke her up, long enough to glimpse a shadow prowling around her campsite. She thought nothing of it, however, being sleepy. Soon she fell back asleep. 

Hack. I'll have to cut it all out. And that dizziness part completely doesn't fit the story--I'll have to find all of it and cut it out.

After

Everinne lay on her back across the bench, her legs dangling into the water. She stared into the sky as it slowly turned from light pink and gold to black. The stars came out, twinkling in the vast expanses of the sky. She, unlike Bernath, loved the water. It was so peaceful; the boat rocking back and forth. They hardly needed the oars; the current carried them downstream. A dragonfly colored in yellow and green winged by, nearly brushing her hand. Carieleth was so like her world. Many of the same plants and animals lived here. The trees were different, of course, but the environment was very similar. It felt almost like home to her. She was soothed by the gently rocking and soon fell asleep.

Misty figures walked through her dreams. Charl tried to snatch the Everstone, the two elves, Kaltagra and Jualinn, had her trapped in a crystal ball, pointing and laughing while she tried to climb out on the smooth surface, and above all, her grandfather’s voice echoed through the empty corridors of her mind, “You must…protect…what is inside…with your life….” 

It's a bit better....

Oh, I also haven't put it into paragraphs yet, because I didn't write it on paper with paragraphs, and I want to keep it as close to the original before revising as possible.

So, yeah!