Writers tend to fall into the category of plotter or pantser. Me? I'm a plotter. Even when I try to write by the seat of my pants, I find myself opening a new Word document and typing in notes for backstory and future scenes and bits of dialogue. I guess I'm afraid I'll lose some of my ideas if I don't get them typed into a document.
Besides if I don't know where I'm going, how will I know how to get there? Definitely a plotter.
Though there are different levels of plotting. I'm still trying to find my level of comfort. With my last manuscript, I followed Karen Weisner's plan as she described in First Draft in 30 Days. I did the draft in June of 2008. In the fall when I tried to sit and write the story, it had no zing. It felt worn out. I had thoroughly dissected it and had no interest in bringing it to life. So I put it on the shelf and worked on other stories until June 2009.
In June I dusted off the 3-ring binder and opened a new Word document. Then the scenes spilled out of me. I was writing a new chapter every day for about a week. It was exciting and new and fresh again.
I wish I could say that excitement and speed lasted throughout the entire writing of the book, but alas no. Middles and endings can be so long in coming sometimes, but with the regular weekly meetings of my critique partners, I plowed through and finished the manuscript at the end of September.
It was an interesting experiment in major plotting. At times I felt my story lacked spontaneity and creativity because everything was already prescribed in my outline. I did change things as needed, as my characters took me down different paths, but mostly I stuck to the outline.
Now I am trying the completely opposite method. I've started a new project, and I haven't written a single character sketch or background timeline or scene outline. But I have opened an extra Word document to type some notes about backstory.
I guess I'll never be a true pantser.
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