-Try to avoid 'deus ex machina'. Always good to remember that. -I've never really been a fan of plans when it comes to writing. I'll usually create guidelines, for example: This has to happen at the middle of the conflict, or this character must experience this while performing the action. I purposely keep the guidelines vague so I can come up with and change minor details without having a huge effect. -Always read over what you've written. As klgraham1013 said don't be afraid to remove/change things that don't fit, don't make sense, or are unnecessary. Try to improve something each time you read over it.