PLOTTING VS. ...BEING A PANTSER*
Obviously, a plotter is a person who plots out their stories, usually by some form of outline. A pantser is someone who writes "by the seat of their pants."
I know that a lot of professional writers start out as pantsers, but once they are published they are expected to present an outline for the next book in the series or whatever.
So, that got me thinking: what am I? It seems like a simple question, right? You either plot or you don't. But here's the thing, I feel like I fall somewhere in the middle. I don't make an outline (I've tried - I only followed the very first chapter), but I don't just write with no idea what is going to happen. I need some sort of guidelines of how my story is going to go, or else I will go crazy! So, usually I decide the major plot points and what order they are going to happen (Ex: Does heroine kiss hero before or after Big Discovery?). I figure out how the story is going to end, and then I fill in the blanks. It sort of seems like outlining, but those blanks are HUGE.
All in all, my characters guide the story. Not me. They decide what happens next, and I am okay with that.
So, that's a little bit about my writing. What about you? Are you a plotter or pantser?
*I was going to say pantsing, but that brings back bad memories of P.E. in middle school.
1 comment:
I am a pantster, and I cannot apologize for it!
I do write outlines sometimes, but I never follow them. So, I've learned that my outlines are nothing more than a way to brainstorm ideas and get started.
But my characters will take over the story once they are fully developed. They grab the steering wheel and yank us off the highway. I might still end up at the ending I planned in my brainstorming/outline ... but I might arrive there by a completely different route!
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