Taps on screen - Anybody out there? Age old writer's argument - Plotter or Pantser. #writer #writing #plotter #pantser #writingcommunity

 This is my writer rant post. This months topic - Pantser vs Plotter

Pantser Madness

Writers are so busy – writing – that they have time to argue. After spending hours scrolling through Twitter – researching of course – it’s interesting to see the inane arguments that happen between writers. No - not politics or moral issues.

World shattering arguments about – plotter vs pantser  - or – dumping on the romance genre cause it’s easy to write and not really writing.

I am a romance author – we’ll get to that discussion another day.

But I am quite wiling to stand on soapbox and declare – “I am a card-carrying pantser.”  It is how I write my books – by the seat of my pants.

I read, somewhere – I really prefer to quote my sources – I am going to have to start writing things down – anyway – I digress – I read that books written by pantsers tend to be character driven and books written by plotters then to be --- ready for it – plot driven.

Which is better – character driven or plot driven? Neither. A “which is better” argument is never solvable.

Which is better – chocolate cake or chocolate ice cream?

Which is better – spending a day on a beach – spending a day reading?

Which is better – puppies or kittens?

So – again – I proclaim – I’m a card carrying pantser.

 True story – I was riding in the car and a song came on the radio – my brain went “what if…” I grabbed my laptop and wrote 3 chapters. Those 3 chapters turned into 3 books and my rock star series Two Hearts One Love was born. I plotted out nothing. I had no idea I was going to write a book at that moment, nor did I know it would turn into a trilogy.

Being a pantser does have some issues – like when your characters get themselves trapped in a corner and can’t figure out how to get themselves out. Then it is up to me to figure out how to get them out. And, I LOVE that challenge.

Again, the rock star series. First book, about 8 chapters in, I was stuck. Could not figure out how to proceed. Stopped writing it and moved on to other things. One day sitting in quiet meditation at yoga class and my brain went – write a sequel. Boom! Book one finished itself and I flew through book 2. Book three, I had some struggles with, as it seemed that book 4 was trying to get itself noticed. But I wrapped the whole thing up in book 3.

A few years back, I was asked to join a group of author friends writing a box set. The theme behind the box set was one of the characters was a law breaker – an art thief – a jewel thief – something. I will admit I wrote a plot for that one. This is the whole thing.

Theme: Lawbreakers

Plot – Should be her.

From that plot – Two Truths and a Lie was written and I didn’t know I was going to base it on the legend of Robin Hood until I got to the last line of the first chapter and announced the character’s name.

So, yes, I’m a pantser and no, there is no method in my madness – just some really good stories.

Which are you? And why do you love it?

 

What's happening in November on 

Romance –  Sweet to Heat

20 – Taps on the Monitor

21 – SPOTLIGHT – Jackie Forster - The Children of the Light Trilogy

22 –  Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday

23 – SPOTLIGHT –

24 – Flashette

25 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor

26 – Thursday #Yoga

27 – My Blog. My Post. My Books.

28 – Spotlight – A.K. Rouse - Phineas Varga and the Revenants of Windsor

29 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday

30 – Spotlight – Ashe Barker - Seducing is Sassenach

 

Follow Me on Twitter

 

Sign up for my bi-monthly newsletter

See a vacant date and you'd like to post - leave a comment with email address.