PANTSER OR NOT?

By June Shaw

Novelists may be the only people who know what I’m talking about, but they do know. And most of them can respond yes or no or both.

It took awhile in my writing career before I understood what this meant. Once I did, I realized I was a pantser.

Many others, it seemed, were the opposite: They were outliners.

I had no idea how I would outline a novel before I even started writing it, but then I discovered a huge number of highly successful authors did that. Soon I determined that I had been doing both. I did outline some major sections of the novels I began to write. I filled in the scenes by the seat of my pants, meaning I decided what came next as I went.

Outlining, I found, really did help structure my novels. It directed a path for my stories without taking away any of the creativity, all the while helping me write faster.

What about you?

Do you discover your story as you write, or do you have the whole story planned out before you type in your title? What do you find helps best? Why do you choose one or the other?

I’d love to get feedback from other others—and maybe those who don’t write books but read them have some idea of they believe would work best.

As always, thanks for sharing your ideas!

 June     Juneshaw.com 

Finished at Last!

by Jackie King

Finally. It’s finished!

I’m embarrassed to say how long it’s taken me to finish THE CORPSE WHO WALKED IN THE DOOR. Way, way, way too long. In fact, there have been numerous times when I seriously considered ending the struggle (No, not slit my wrists!) and starting a new project. But I didn’t. Mostly because I have a stubborn streak a mile wide. If you don’t believe me, ask my daughter, Susan. She’s accused me of this since she was in college…and she’s right!

Stubborn Streaks Are a Mixed Blessing. They make you stay in a bad marriage and put up with emotional and mental abuse. Just too damn stubborn to walk away.

They also keep you working, whether at your day job or at writing, when any more sensible person would have walked away. And both of those have helped pay my rent and utilities down through the years.

At more than one point I was ready to throw in the towel and say, “This book just can’t be fixed. I can’t connect the dots, not ever. Then I’d write a new scene or rewrite an old one. Unfortunately, I’ve always been a panster, not a plotter. That is another trait that I consider both a great blessing and a dark curse. Pansters can bring a freshness and excitement to the table. Even the author doesn’t know what’s going to happen next.

And it’s great fun. This is the drug that keeps me ‘writing the hard way.’ Plotters, on the other hand, don’t have to do nearly as much rewriting, fixing, and wondering where the deuce this particular scene should go in the story.

Anyway, I’ve been struggling for a very long time with this story. (I’ll share more in following posts.) Now is celebration time and I’m wondering why I have this feeling of anticlimax in my bones. Perhaps it’s because it’s plotting time. (And yes, I know I said I don’t do that, even though I do. Although in a convoluted sort of way.)

Me celebrating, both my birthday and finishing my book

I’ve emailed a copy of this almost-ready draft to my beta readers: Judy Rosser, her beautiful daughter Anna Dooley, and my darling DIL Amanda Horn. I may also send a copy to my niece and nephew. They’re off playing this weekend and I’m not going to bother them just now.

None of these folks are writers. They are that most wonderful and intelligent creature, a compulsive reader. God Bless them one and all.

More later,

Jackie