Hello, my name is Lauralynn Elliott, and I’m a pantser. Kait and Susan have given me a good talking to about plotting and why I should. I understand the concept. I understand the reasons for plotting. I sort of plot in my head. But, alas, I’m still a pantser. And there’s a very good reason why. Here’s the story:
I don’t know what’s going to happen. Seriously, I don’t. I get an idea. A GENERAL idea. And I know the MAJOR points I need to hit. I almost always know the ending. I know certain things must happen. But if I sit down to write an outline for the book I’m about to write, I have no idea what’s going to happen in the book. So I can’t write the outline. This is going to sound strange, but there’s something almost magical about my hands typing out words. That’s the only way I can make the story happen. I don’t even think I could dictate the story. I HAVE to be typing it out, and the story unfolds as I do. I’m very surprised sometimes by things that happen in the book. Characters do things that I don’t expect. An example: I just wrote a character in my WIP who was going to be this older, snobby, stuffy woman who owned an antique store. As I was writing the interaction between her and the main character, she suddenly became a woman who seemed stuffy on the outside, but really had a good heart and a sense of humor. I had no idea. Now, sometimes, I’ll be sitting at my desk or somewhere, and I suddenly know what needs to happen in the next scene. But even that ends up changing as I write. I’ve never been able to do it any other way.
So maybe I need another weekend with Kait and Susan. Maybe they can beat me into submission. Is it possible for me to change? Maybe. I think if I could quit my day job, my mind would settle down and be more open to plotting. If I want to eventually get into writing mysteries that have very complicated plots, I will probably HAVE to change my method. Although, some of my beta readers tell me they like the twists that have been in the books I’ve already written. One said, “You think up the best twists and creatures.” But, honestly, for something a lot more complicated, plotting is probably necessary. Stephen King is a pantser. But I’m not Stephen King. I don’t have his experience. I think I’m going to start a WIP at some point during the summer and maybe work on plotting on my vacation when I’m relaxed and my mind uncluttered. We’ll see what happens.
You may do whatever works, though whenever you get ready to come to your senses 🙂 I’m here to help. Would enjoy a weekend with you in any case.
I don’t understand why pantsers think they have a monopoly on in-draft changes or spontaneity, though. That’s like saying if you made a to-do list this morning and listed some chores, and then Tom Welling showed up naked, you’d have to shut the door in his very pretty face because he wasn’t on the schedule.
Um, no.
Sometimes better things come up (double entrendre intended) and less important former notions are abandoned.
When I outlined Hush Money, I wrote down Joss’s dad as “overprotective.” Because my husband had recently dragged me into a military surplus store, I decided that was the family business and added “probably ex-military.” Gene walked on scene in the first draft, looking perfectly normal, just like I’d envisioned him. And then he suddenly shifted on me into someone who clearly had problems. Which changed his backstory, the family dynamics, and deepened Joss’s motivation for following his orders. Going forward, Gene’s problem became a major part of book 2 and will add further awesome to book 3 (if I stop writing this comment and get back to it).
And of course there are all kinds of changes and surprises that come up for me as I work. If there weren’t, it wouldn’t probably wouldn’t take so damned long, but it wouldn’t be what it is, either.
Not saying you should plot, but part of the Hammer’s duty is to swing at this notion of plotting as bondage when it comes up.
Oh, I don’t think plotters never change their minds about things mid-stream. I know if you’re too rigid with yourself, it can destroy creativity. My problem is I can’t think of my outline. I don’t know what to put down there. Because it hasn’t happened in my head yet. It kind of happens as I go. Maybe my brain is wired funny, I don’t know. The magic hands on the keyboard thing, I know, is very weird.
I would be disappointed if the Hammer didn’t do her duty. It’s just what you do. And it’s good stuff. 🙂
Yes, I would love to get together, if not for a weekend, at least for a day. We aren’t that far apart. I wish Kait were closer. 😦 Maybe we can all do something soon.
It’s been a year since we all got together, as last time it was between K’s birthday and mine, and K’s is this week. That we don’t get together more is rather criminal.
It really is bad that we don’t get together more often. We have such a good time together.
I write brief outlines. They’re great for getting me ready to start a story, but as soon as I start typing, that outline is forgotten, so I’m still a pantser at heart. 😉 The snowflake method and stuff like that makes me fall asleep. Seriously, even thinking about it makes me yawn. Lol. I do see the value, and I definitely plan ahead in my series, but it’s not as direct as outlining. Can’t explain it in a comment or I’ll break wordpress. 😉 My plots are generally simple, and if I did decide to write something with more twists and turns, then I would utilise *some* method of planning to keep track along the way, but it would still be a variation of what I already do.
I actually think of my first drafts as really detailed outlines. I know what you mean by magic – the story comes out of nowhere and the characters carry it along. I always thought it was because the characters are the most important part of a story for me, but I generally have the main events vaguely figured out beforehand and basically connect the dots as I’m writing. First drafts are my favourite part of writing because of the discoveries along the way. Although, I have to admit that I’m hating editing less and less every year… hopefully because I’m getting better at it, but that might be wishful thinking. 😀
So anyway, when I’m finished with the first draft the basic story is there, but by the end I’ve figured out exactly what I want from the story. I know what I need to add and take away, I know the characters, and I get gut feelings about how to proceed next. Every single book becomes something different than I expected, and that makes it fresh for me, no matter how many books I write or how long the story has been percolating in my little brain. Writing is rarely painful for me, thankfully!
Things like getting to know the characters can technically come from character sheets and stuff like that, but in my experience, I never really know a character until I’ve seen them live in the story – if that even makes sense. 🙂 I’ve tried different methods, but I know myself, and I know what will work best for me. Things change, but right now, I’m pretty happy with my process. It could definitely be streamlined, but that’s more down to a lack of confidence in my own abilities.
Tl;dr – we’re all different and use whatever we can to get things done. 🙂
Claire, I thought you were more of a plotter than you’re saying you are. I don’t know WHY I thought that, but I did. Whatever you’re doing, it’s obviously working, judging by all the comments on your blog where people are dying for the next book. 🙂 When I’m writing, it’s almost as if I’m READING. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, and I can’t wait to find out. Does that make sense? The twists or surprises in my book surprise ME.
You know, I’ve heard of the snowflake method, but I have no clue what it is. I’ve never really cared. LOL. I do want to read Stephen King’s “On Writing”. If anyone has the right to weigh in on the subject, it’s him. He’s earned the right in my opinion. 🙂
Well, I’ve never been accused of being organised. 😉
That’s exactly the way it feels for me, and that’s why it’s fun, and that’s why I keep going. I’ve tried to outline for real before, and knowing what was going to happen in detail didn’t give me any incentive to actually write it. I get so much more work done when *I’m* eager to know what happens next. Whatever way I can trick my mind into getting anything finished. 😀 I’m going to keep this as fun as possible, because it would be a shame to ruin all of the happiness I get out of writing by making it a pain in the arse to do!
I’ll have to give that book another go myself. I did try it, but I didn’t finish it because it was mostly about his life, and at the time, that wasn’t what I was looking for. Apparently, all the good stuff is near the end. 🙂
I’m a pantser too 🙂 though I do try to at least have an outline. Usually, like yourself, I sit down to type and the story unfolds.
Whatever works, Lauralynn.
I have no outline, though. I think you are a hybrid. LOL. Another bad habit I have is when I DO think of things that need to happen, I keep them in my head instead of writing them down. I’m not as young as I used to be, so there’s a big chance of forgetting.
Whatever works for you, works for you, LL. I’m a plotter myself, not a tight plotter, but a plotter non the less. And though I plot discovering something new about the story is the best part.
Sometimes I write stuff down, sometimes I don’t. I figure if I forget it then I hope I won’t remember that there was something I forgot. It seems to work because I don’t remember forgetting anything.
I hope you don’t remember what you forgot. And if you do, I hope you don’t remember remembering it.
I’m 100% pantser. Like you, I know the major points but little else, and characters and events change at a moment’s notice. I’ve tried plotting, but it never worked, except at the very end of a book when I’m looking to tie up all plot points. Even then, it’s vague (like “Mitch talks to Abe”). I think some writers need to make plots (some vague, some detailed), but other have to write as they go. I think we’re wired the way we are for a reason and that there’s no one way to write a book. 😀
I’ve hear plotters say “I can tell this book was written by a pantser.” Honestly, I can’t tell either way as long as it’s not all jumping from here to there with no purpose. (I’ve read some of those.) I knew you were a pantser just by some of the things you’ve said on your blog. But by reading your books, I wouldn’t be able to tell either way. I still think if I were to write something that really had a lot of twists and turns, especially a mystery, I might have to do a little plotting. Otherwise, I think a writer could get confused and feel overwhelmed. Or maybe not, but I think I would. LOL