When I give writing advice, I base most of it off my own experience. I’m mostly a pantser–writing by the seat of my pants–instead of a plotter–a writer who works mostly from outlines, some of them very detailed. So it’s difficult for me to give advice on how to plot because a lot of it comes to me spontaneously as I write a scene. But I don’t think it’s fair for plotters to have reams of books to turn to for advice, while we pantsers only have our instincts. So below is advice for writing by the seat of your pants, lessons I’ve learned from writing and publishing three short stories and three novels.
No One is Totally a Pantser
I haven’t met a writer yet who hasn’t thought deeply about his or her story before sitting down to write it. No writer begins writing without a single thought as to what he or she wants to write. One writer may keep all the story ideas in her head until she writes the first scene. Another may make some general notes on scenes he knows he wants to include.
I write characters’ motivations, not in story. form, but like a report.
“John owns ten care dealerships. He likes showing off his wealth. He was no close family. He’s driven to keep adding to his business empire.”
Since I write mysteries I’ll also write in report form how the crime was committed and why.
“John killed Mary because she knew he’d bribed their local senator. He used a gun he stole from his best friend.”
Pay Attention to Your Process
I think a lot of writers are pantsers because they enjoy the freedom of a limited outline and the joy of discovery while they write. I love it when I realize a plot point I’ve never considered:
Wait a minute. Old Man Thompson was seen at the grocery store before the murder, and my amateur sleuth’s cousin works there. Maybe she saw something! What could her cousin have seen that will help crack the case?
But to be productive we need to pay attention to the writing process that works best for us. I’ve tried too many times to change how I write a novel in order to complete it faster. While nearing the end of my third Rae Riley novel, I thought I could outline the rest of the chapters and make the actual writing go faster.
Nothing doing. I had to stick with the process that works for me: sketch out a few scenes in the next four or five chapters, write them by hand, edit while typing them, decide if they’re any good, and then sketch the next few chapters.
No Wrong Way
There are as many ways to write as there are writers. The only wrong way is one where you can’t finish the story. So if you’re pantser, proclaim it proudly, sit down, and take a wild, writing ride.
For more post on the writing process, click here.
Writers, are you a plotter or a pantser or a bit of both?
