Pants or Plot? This is THE question.
A confession: I am a pantser, sometimes spelled pantzer. No, nothing like a panzer. I write by the seat of my pants, plot on the fly and rake up scattered thoughts of villains, protagonists, settings and an occasional animal. When finished with a first draft of an historical fiction piece—of which I didn’t plot one little bit before writing—I’m still editing, re-editing, re-editing edits and re-edits and re-re-edits.
I started with a full head of hair.
Presently, I have small blotches of skin on my head and ten calendars from 1860 to 1865. Having made several appointments with an unsuspecting therapist, I then purchased a ticket to the Railroad Museum in Golden (even though this story does not now involve trains), and a How to Outline Your Report instruction booklet and accompanying CD from some shyster in second grade.
Alas, my editing includes long verbal chains of “Dang.” “Yuck.” “Oh, crap!” “How many edits can one woman make?” “What the…?” “When the…?” “How in the world did I come up with that date?” “There was never a train in that town!” “What was I thinking?”
I’m exhausted. Should I have plotted this…historical monster?
You may ask, “Won’t plotting kill my creativity?”
Jeffery Deaver states on his website:
“I spend eight months outlining and researching the novel before I begin to write a single word of the prose. The skills I use to do that are the same I used when practicing law—researching and structuring a legal document or case.”
So, he uses his left and right brain to write. Logical. Jeff’s a logical man.
I’ve heard it said that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote by the seat of his pants, but J.K. Rowling plotted all her stories.
“…plot, the absolute line between two points which I’ve always despised. Not for literary reasons, but because it takes all hope away. Everyone, real or invented, deserves the open destiny of life.”
― Grace Paley, Enormous Changes at the Last Minute
“Story is honorable and trustworthy; plot is shifty, and best kept under house arrest.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
“Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations.”
― Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing
Even when plotting, the ending is never set is stone, is it?
Nope.
Can an author plot everything, except the last couple of chapters? Of course. Sure. Go ahead.
Write the way you feel is best for you, your plot and your characters. Follow your gut, your intuitive self. You can revise your plan of attack any time! Remember: writers must experience, and learning how to do something is a part of life.
“Put down everything that comes into your head and then you’re a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff’s worth, without pity, and destroy most of it.”
― Colette, Casual Chance
I re-read the quote from Colette. Okay, been there and still there.
I re-read Bradbury’s statement. He most likely wrote a perfect synopsis.
Hey, what if I write the synopsis first, and then my story? Sure. Dig in. Great idea.
Oh bother, I am horrible at synopses.
Remember: research, learn, follow your gut and get a good critique group.
You have me thinking now, Rainey, of quotes about plotting. I plot every story. I admit it!! I experience happy tingles when I position my sticky notes on my story grid. I use colors for each of my protags. It’s like slipping into a warm blanket of security, knowing the general direction and essence of my story.
Then the story comes to life, my characters take over, and with each new page, the little sticky notes become outdated. When they no longer apply to this new story, I may or may not update them, but by then my story is rich in the magic of itself.
And I share your sentiments about the synopsis. 🙂
Rainey- as I began this, I thought that it sounded like you, and when I finished, it WAS you! So, congratulations on your work and your blog. Nicely done!
Janet,
Thank you for helping me see another way to plot.
Love the “happy tingles” and “warm blanket of security” as well as your stories rich in their magic.
Hey, Judith,
Thank you for your kind thoughts and encouragement!
Hope to see you next week!
Good post, Rainey! I start a novel as a pantser to figure out characters and story. Lately, I’ve stopped numbering chapters so I can move them around with ease later by changing up the transitions. Somewhere down the line, I stop and lay out a chapter plan, finish writing, and do the old cut and paste exercise. In the past, I’ve tried outlining before I get started but it’s wasted effort because I rarely make it past the first chapter before I start changing things as new ideas pop up.
Hey Rainy, loved your blog. I’ve written novels both ways, pants and planned, by far the most fun was a combination where the initial hook and first couple of chapters just flowed, but after that I did some planning and plotting to get through that devastation of the middle where you think, “Now where was I going with this and how does it end?”
Keep going. Hattie will find her happy ever after and see her daughter again. Just remember it’s historical fiction. If you want a train to stop in Buckskin Joe, then lay the tracks and listen for the steam whistle.
I’m a panther too and it works for me; however, I depend on beta readers (who point out inconsistencies or issues) and my editor who is a wonder and keeps me form getting too far off in the weeds. I also write any scene that pops into my head as a separate document and file them away. I have been amazed at the way they just seem to fit at one point or another in one of my books.
Darn auto correct, but maybe I’m a panther too?
Pat, I thought I was the only one!
Thank you for your comments.
Ken, you’re a great author and nice to know you write using both styles. I need to use the sheet you shared with the group RE: plotting more than I do..
Hattie thanks you!
Helen, so nice to hear from you. Hey, you can be whatever you want to be to get those stories out.
Yes, thank goodness for beta readers–they help keep our imagination organized too.