Plotting and Pantsing

As most of you who read my blog know, I'm basically a pantser, with some exceptions.

The benefits of pantsing (writing by the seat of my pants) include discovering the story along with your characters, which can be an exciting ride. They tell you their story. But what do you do when your characters are more circumspect? When they aren't in the mood to share?

The benefits of plotting include providing a story direction. A story can't just plod along with everyone being happy and learning about each other and their past and (in a romance) falling in love. They need obstacles. A reason to be on the page. The requisite goals, motivation and conflict.

As an author I start out with an idea. Something I want to center my story around, or a concept I want to incorporate in some way, shape or form. From seeing the majesty of a buck standing beside a snowy road puffing out clouds of breath, to walking through a French market. But how does that fit into the story?

In my current story, I have characters talking to me. They want to tell their story. That's all well and good, but what's the story? It can't just be "my life as a [fill in the blank]." It has to be interesting. That pesky goals, motivation and conflict. This is a case for the plot meister. Why should I tell your story? What trouble are they going to run into?

Here's another little hint. For people who have "writer's block," outlining and/or plotting helps clear some of the dam. Instead of trying to put paragraphs on the page, writing smaller chunks of ideas is much easier. Similar to the "spoke" method for writing a term paper or business article. Write each idea on one of the spokes of a wheel and sort them out later. Trouble your characters will encounter along the way. Places where the "everyday" needs to be weaved in to help them think through the trouble or uncover a clue to resolving the issue. Clues to solving the problem. Character arcs. Which of these experiences help your characters to grow? What will they achieve by the end of the book that they didn't have at the start? Or is there a reason they won't be able to achieve it?

Some easy plots are "a crime has been committed. Solve it." Or "solve the mystery of X." And in romance, most often, "how do two very different people who live their lives in opposition find that they can't live without each other?" It's in the middle ground that they find love.

So when my characters aren't "doing" anything but living their everyday lives, I sit down and write an outline to give them direction. What's stopping them from going about their business, and how do they fix it in a way that makes them better in the end?

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm setting up roadblocks for my characters. Happy writing!