The benefits of being a pantser

There have been books where I wish I'd have started with a definitive outline, one that plotted where my story was going and how it played out. There have been books where I had to stop writing in order to plot where the story was going because I was getting lost, or writing "blah blah blah" instead of anything that might move the story along. Being a pantser (defined as someone who writes by the seat of their pants) has its downsides. But then...

I'm working on my new book, and yes, I'm pantsing my way through it. I have a pretty good idea where I'm going and what comes next, but the mystery part has been hanging over me. I have a villain. And I have a red herring villain. Today, as I was trying to figure out what comes next--and I should have had this thought sooner, when I wrote down the motives and reasonable cause for the murder--I found yet a third potential villain, one that makes a lot of sense! 

Sometimes we write characters to fill space. Someone needs to be somewhere and they need someone to be there with. Oftentimes, those filler characters don't even get a name because they aren't critical to the story. Sometimes, they need a name because they're going to have a spot in the story later, or they will be a recurring character. Sometimes you just need to call them something other than "the other guy." Many times, I've discovered that if I've gone as far as to name the character, they need to have a reason to be there--sometimes, even to be the unexpected villain! This is when being a pantser is fun. You write things you didn't know you meant to write and they suddenly come together to make the story richer. Deeper. As if your brain knows before you do and sets the stage, just waiting for you to have that "a-ha!" moment. 

I just plotted my "a-ha" moment. Which makes me excited about the story all over again. Which keeps me writing. Of course, I've been pretty interested in this story from the beginning, so that makes it that much more fun.

Stay tuned for more information on Unidentified Remains!

Best Laid Plans

I've been struggling with the writing this year. Not going to lie. There are so many distractions in the world that tug at concentration and emotions and all. If you've been following along, you'll know that because of this, I actually did an outline for the new book. It helps to keep on track, and on those days I sit down and have no idea where this story is going, it gives me direction. Except when it sends me the wrong direction.

I sat down this week and started a new chapter, then took the outline points to work from. Except they didn't follow on from where the last chapter left off. Folks, I'm a pantser at heart, I write from the seat of my pants. This is where I excel, and usually, those things that I make up all find a way to gel together, whether I intend them to or not. 

So here's what I started with. My characters are working together to unravel a mystery. Was it murder? Or was it suicide? In my outline, I have them meeting with suspects. Formulating hypotheses, and then getting together to compare notes. My last chapter ended with one of those suspect interviews, and in my outline, it jumps to one of the characters referring to a book for ideas on where to go next. The problem is that chronologically, the next chapter should be the comparing notes chapter. I've spent three chapters on one day, which is probably the limit on how long I can stretch this day out. What I don't need is more time with them apart thinking about what comes next. They need time together, time they PLANNED to spend together hashing out what they've learned. 

Excuse me, outline. You missed a spot. 

So I'm pantsing this next chapter, because logically I know what has to come next, and my choppy outline overlooked that. 

This might also be the right place to mention my outline only goes so far. I'd figured that if I got that deep into writing, I would find my groove and "roll on." In truth, that's probably true. I'm still struggling to write, but I'm far enough along now that I know where to go from here. I still have the outline to guide me if I get stuck (at least for a few more chapters), but the "flow" should carry me along from here. 

For those of you who think writing is easy... Nope. It's work. It's a job. Just like anything else. Unlike a regular job, the pay sucks, so you have to love what you do. I do. Which means I'm still plugging along. What can you do to help? If you like my books, tell a friend. 

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!

Navigating the Land of Make Believe

Every author has their own method when it comes to writing a story. You hear about plotters and pantsers (those who write by the seat of their pants). You hear about story boards and outlines. Me? I live in the land of make believe. I often see scenes or interactions, but not always the big picture. I don't always know where the story is going. That's the case with my current work in progress.

Sometimes, I'm very structured, which makes the job much easier. Other times, I have no idea what comes next. Scratch that, I have an idea, but only the barest of bones. I generally know the theme of the story, where the story needs to go. But aside from that, it's like playing Barbie doll. I put the characters on the page and make it up as I go along.

When my creativity falters, I have a tendency to make notes, plot points to cover. Free form outlining, in a manner of speaking. When I know where the story is going but it isn't clear, I write directly in the story about what needs to happen rather than paragraphs that "are" the story. Sometimes, I hear the dialog in my head, and I write that down to spur on the words around it. Those notes often turn into brainstorms of "Wait a minute. If this happens, then that has to happen." And sometimes those notes serve as a vehicle to get me writing. Once the words start, more and better words tend to follow. Some notes make it into the story, and some don't. When I'm really at a loss, I have a girlfriend I bounce ideas off of. I'll switch to my email program and start writing to her about the problem I'm facing, and oftentimes, in the course of explaining it to her, a flash of brilliance strikes me and I've solved my own problem. It's about stepping into my imagination and getting the engine started.

In my current work in progress, I'd reached a point where my main character needs to face her fears. Unfortunately, I didn't know what she was afraid of. I went over the usual phobias with a complete lack of interest, but then I thought about how intimidating big dogs can be. Which led me to one of the background characters who wanted to be a canine handler. Instant conflict! (I love it when a story comes together!)

Writing without an outline is like taking the long way around the block. You might get lost, but you might also discover routes you never knew existed. Each path has its own rewards, and I could argue the benefits of both methods. When writing to a deadline, outlining is a better road to your destination--it gets you there faster. Without that constraint, taking the uncharted path can often be an entertaining diversion, or a frustrating exercise in losing your way. 

The takeaway message to all of this is that even if you don't know what comes next, what to write, write something. "Something" almost always leads to something more.

TFW

For those of you who don't know, the title stands for "That Feeling When."

As I near "the end" on one more book, I'm running into that feeling when I don't want the story to end, but I want it to end. I want do be done, but I don't want to rush to the finish line. When writing a story, there's nothing worse than rushing to tie up all the loose ends in a very convenient bow.

I read a book recently where once the author wrote the climax, the point that the story was leading up to where everything comes out into the open and generally does some sort of damage, they packed all the loose ends into neat little packages. Sometimes those loose ends aren't neat, nor should they be. Consider shows or movies where the villain tells the person he's about to kill all about his evil plan instead of just pulling the trigger. Yes, sometimes that's the only way you can reveal how they got there, but I will admit to wondering why the villain just offed the one guy but stopped to chat with the main target. Savoring the kill doesn't hold water with me most of the time.

And so I'm finding myself in this same boat. I'm about to write the climax. I know what's going to happen, but I'm not sure how it's going to unfold. In leading up to this point, I had written a section that showed a moment of clarity, rather than letting it play itself out. When I re-read it, I realized it would carry much more impact as an "aha" moment. "Where had she seen that look before?" AHA!  Well, something like that. I was pretty proud of myself for seeing it was too convenient as originally written. Yes, I am still growing in my writing journey every day.

Which brings me back to finishing. I have to walk my character into a potentially dangerous situation and bring her out on the other side, and then I have to show the reader how this has changed her life for the better. That's what books do. They show character growth or resolution of a goal, or both. So once we get to the other side, I need to explain why we traveled the roads we did to get to this point. Why did I point out that particular landmark along the way? And I have to do it in a logical, believable way instead of throwing my characters to the wolves and saying "you have to do this so that the story works the way I want it to." Funny, but too often, the characters tell ME how the story works out. I think it's better that way. After all, walking this journey with them all this way, I don't want to betray who they are now. Add in that there are reader expectations for the type of story I'm writing.

Which brings me to that feeling when the story comes to an end. I want to part with these characters as friends, hoping that one day we might see each other again - especially when the books are part of a series. And I don't want readers to say things like "well, that was a little too easy." My characters need to stay true to themselves, and true to the way the real world works, or at least the the extent the world they live in works.

Overcoming Writers' Fatigue

While I'm finishing up my second in the Hillendale series - UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, I'm struggling with where to go with Book 3. This is not officially writers' block, probably more like writers' fatigue.

Several years ago, while I was writing the Mist Trilogy, my editor recommended The Writer's Brainstorming Kit, a book she referred to as "tarot for authors." It's a handy book that gives you the option to choose your plots, goals, motivations, conflicts, or to "flip a card" and be inspired. If you order the physical book, it comes with a deck of GMC cards. If you order the e-book, it cross-references to a deck of cards. At the time, I was struggling with my villain and why he did the things he did. I found the book surprisingly helpful.

Which brings me to "now." I have a vague concept of the plots and subplots for Hillendale #3, but this book needs to push the envelope a little farther, so I've been struggling with what haven't I already done in books one and two. Writers' fatigue.

I'm a pantser more often than not - I write by the seat of my pants. I start with my characters or some "thing/place/event" that sparked my imagination and let them tell me the story. When I get stuck, I sit down and plot (does that make me a "plot-ser?") I know stories need to move forward, and there has been more than one occasion where the story was wandering around aimlessly when I had to stop and call my characters together for a little planning meeting. What are the goals? What's standing in their way? What's the point of this story?? I'm not sure I've ever run into this before I've ever started the story though.

One way to get inspired when fatigue strikes is to read other books. Watch movies or series. So I selected a series (A Discovery of Witches) which turned out to be not at all what I'd expected, and yet it's very good! So while I wait for my editor to finish Book #2, I figured I'd pull out the tarot for writers book and see if I couldn't find a plot to carry Book #3. This, my friends, is when I realize I have writers' fatigue, because as I'm weighing my options, I see I've left myself a perfect roadmap to follow if I'd only been paying attention! Every book in a series should point to the next one, even if they are meant to stand alone, and I've done just that. I knew I was laying the groundwork, but sitting in the recovery phase of Book #2, I couldn't see the forest for the trees (to incorporate a cliché).

What do you do when you have writers' fatigue? You use the tools available to you to give you the extra "oomph" you need. In this case, an outline. Actual plotting. It takes the fatigue out of trying to figure out what comes next. Let me point out that outlining isn't a restrictive tool. It gives you a roadmap. Directions. But if you see a road sign advertising a fun detour, there's no reason you can't divert once you're more "rested."

Am I changing my stripes and embracing outlining my books? I sincerely doubt it. There comes a point in every book where I stop to make sure I'm actually moving the story along. Sometimes I let the plot unfold naturally, but when it doesn't, I will almost always stop to give my characters a map.