Have You Plotted Your Story Before Writing It?

Creative Writing Tips -
The writer, who doesn't have the time to plot, always finds the time to rewrite.
Sound familiar?
I've been guilty of this too, back in the early days of my writing apprenticeship. I was so eager to get stuck into writing my story that I wouldn't bother with plotting.
Plotting gives you a sense of direction. It's your map, which will lead you to write your story. Leaping into the unknown rarely works. Without a plot several things can happen….
• Our stories aren't focused
• We lose our way
• Our characters don't come to life because we don't take the time to develop them
• We get stuck
• The story strays from us
And all this happens when we haven't figured everything out first.
Your plot is the foundation of your story. It's the skeleton, which will hold your story together. Your plot is there to work everything out first - to see if it can be worked out, and then flesh out that skeleton with other elements that make a story.
Plotting is the difference between writing a story for yourself and writing one for an audience. Writing for ourselves doesn't require too much strain because we only have ourselves to please. It's when we have to please our readers that the hard work begins.
If you are aiming to sell your stories, plotting is a must.
Have you plotted your story before writing it?