Hi, thanks so much, Lynn. It's great to hear from you, and that's another excellent question! I think that's relatively common, that when we THINK we know what we want to write about, the book (or essay) ends up being about something else. I never use an outline or map things out ahead of time. What works best for me is to follow the book's energy.

To me, writing is like following a whisper...listening very carefully to see what IT wants to be about. Almost always, we, the writers, find our way.

Of course, some writers DO plan an outline! And this works well for them. So, really, do whatever works best for you. There's no right way or wrong way. It's just the way writing feels most natural to you.
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author, "Fearless Confessions: A Writer's Guide to Memoir"
www.suewilliamsilverman.com