I've been asked this question many times. "Do you write from an outline? How do you get your ideas and keep them straight while writing a full length novel?"
The answer I gave in the past is, "I don't start with an outline. I start with a title (an idea) and then let the characters develop the story."
But today I realized that's only partially true. 
Imagine a book as a lump of clay. (And please don't think I'm comparing myself to an artist.) The definition of sculpting is to create by remo...