Think you have an amazing idea for a story? Think your character is original and likable? Think you plot twist will be super amazing? All that will be wasted if you can't answer this question: Think your story will flow smoothly as you go?

Think again.

Planning is literally the most essential part of the writing process. I should know, I wrote Star of Gryffindor with almost no planning at the beginning. I reached the Sorting chapter and realized I didn't know where this story was going to go. I knew what was going to happen, but I didn't even know who the villain behind it all would be (*SPOILERS* yes guys, Wren is being genuinely nice in those first chapters). I knew I wanted a surprise reveal, but didn't know how I'd pull it off.

That's when I started planning, and I thank my lucky stars I started then. If you want your story to flow, plan. It also helps with writer's block to know where you're going, because then it's easier to think of a way to get there. You don't know how many times I've spent forever procrastinating on a chapter because I don't know what to write. I normally know where I want to get with the chapter, but not how to get there. Guys, knowing where to go is a start, and it's always a huge help. If you just spend a little time thinking how to get there, and possibly throw some clues or foreshadowing in, it'll probably work really well. I know from experience how hard it is to write a fanfic without planning. You get halfway through and realize you don't have an end in mind. That's a feeling I want you to avoid. It results in more abandoned fanfictions than anything else.

To write a Harry Potter fanfic, you might be wondering how Rowling planned. What sort of bar did she set for her fans to rise to? Let me show you.

That is a small piece of her plot chart for Order of the Phoenix. She had seven different subplots to keep track of in each chapter, and those all rippled into each other as she wove them together. You see, if you're serious about this, you need to know what you're doing, and you to know when you're doing it.

Don't think of a plot outline as set in stone, though. Sometimes, you'll get a wonderful idea that requires you to change things. Use it, if it's better. Work it in, or change everything. As long as it's still your best and still makes sense, it'll probably be amazing.

By the way, there's this awesome website called writelikerowling.com. I would highly recommend it. Very good stuff there, even if it is focused more towards aspiring authors of original works, not fanfiction. Because, honestly, who needs to write like Rowling more than Harry Potter fanfic authors?