nwn building, how do you design?

[girlysprite]

I was just wondering...

I am making a rought design for a module in nwn. Its for a schoolproject. I got a story, it defines the mainquest.
Now I have to think how to let this mainquest work, what kind of areas I need, what sidequests i cram into my module...

I wonder how other builders tend to design and build. Do you make sketches before you build? or have a plan in your head?

By the way, I put most stuff I have on my project site: http://www2.hku.nl/~hanbas
If someone wants to feedback, great I still have no project teacher to help me with feedback.

[Alphonse]

I usually just start with a vague idea in my head of what i want and open up the toolset, moving stuff around, and bitching about how crap it looks until it matches the image i had to start with.

Thats easy enough to do for a single area, for a whole module its better to at least break it down into areas with what features each area needs.

[Xandor Amakiir]

Think of it as a story you want to tell, were do i start and were to go from there. Make sure you got a solid red line first, when you got that worked out you can deviate to sidequests etc...

A simple diagram usually works for me, detail wil come when you work it out, just like Hamlet said...