Writing Forum

When it comes to plotting or not, I really think it is a question of what works best for you as writer. If outlining makes you create better stories, then do it. If it kills your story, then avoid it.

I do not think that outlining is what makes a story feel formulaic and predictable. The real cause is bad writing and lack of editing and thinking things through.
Really, any story, whether organic or outlined, can be distiled down to a simple plot.

What makes the plot intriguing and prevents the story from being banal and predictable is: The way the characters and settings are used to create plot twist and surprises, and the integration of different plots and subplots which meets and separates at different points in the story.