WRITING IS AN ADVENTURE
Thank you Nas for having me at your blog, today.
It is well known that writers are either planners or
pantsers. Pantsers for those who aren’t familiar with the term are those
writers who sit down and just write with little planning beforehand. I like the
idea of being a pantser but my accounting background has influenced the way I
attack a project. I think it has something to do with all the events of my work
having to be in correct sequence and balanced back to zero. I plan all my
novels in an excel spread sheet before I begin that first draft. With the blue
print completed, I write the first draft much quicker and the work needs less
revision.
However, with my current work in progress, I’ve completed my
character profiles and I’m allowing the muse to take over and let characters discover
their own journeys. I work from character motivation rather than plot. This is
a lot more fun than planning the whole story and then writing the draft. It
gives the characters more scope to be themselves and lead the way. This process
can be filled with potholes if I allow my imagination too much freedom. I end
up writing much more than when I plan it, which means more revisions.
However, I’m taking a romantic outlook and deciding I’m
going to be a discovery writer for my current project. I like the pioneering
flavour that it has.
How about you, do you think discovery writer is a better description
than pantser?
About Laura O’Connell
Laura enjoys writing stories about second chances in love
and life. She calls the Gold Coast home, however, her curious nature leads her
on adventures to locations that surprise and inspire her. Laura has a passion
for telling a good story set in places where she has lived and travelled.
Laura
around the web:
Book Blurb – Web of Lies
Eight years later they reconnect, but the time apart has
changed them. The family had made decisions based on lies and deceit and now
must find a way to either reveal the truth or find another option. On the
surface, their arrangements seemed flawless, but dig deeper, and the people
they thought they knew aren’t as they appear.
Lachlan and Stephanie are forced to confront the
consequences of their actions and the entire family is compelled to reveal the
truth, find forgiveness, and renew loving one another. But the hardest decision
is still to come … where does Ryan live?
I don't know about you, but I think the term 'pantser' is awful. I like your term much better, Laura.
ReplyDeleteThanks Maria, I think it is a much better term, too, which is why I think the gentleman who used it before me caught my imagination.
DeleteHi Maria!
DeleteI don't even get 'pantser' what? Fly by your pants? Lol! I beleive every writer probably has an outline and plot in their mind.
Thanks for stopping by!
Welcome to Romance Book Paradise Laura! I do hope you will enjoy chatting with all my friends here!
DeleteI started out as a dedicated pantser, but as I go down the writing path, I'm morphing into a plotter.
ReplyDeleteHi Leslie, It seems many writers are changing the way they write as they develop. I think it has something to do with becoming more efficient and productive because of looming deadlines.
DeleteHi Leslie!
DeleteI agree here with Laura.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Laura. I think those of us who started as pure pantsers have moved towards plotting as Leslie says, but I think for a story to sing you always have to let the characters have their way up to a point.
ReplyDeleteHi Denise, I agree! It's important for the characters to have their heads, which is why I'm settling into a mix between a planner and a discovery writer. Nice blend that allows me to get out of the straight jacket of planning that I used to have. I really like the way our writing evolves as we gain more experience - an exciting journey. :)
DeleteHi Denise,
DeleteThanks for coming by! If you let characters cook a while in your mind, I believe you can do great!
I dislike the term pantser. I've always called it flying into the mist, but your term discovery is perfect. Love it!
ReplyDeleteHi Shelley,
DeleteDiscovery writer sounds far better than a pantser.
Thanks for dropping by!
Hi Shelley, I haven't heard the term 'flying into the mist'. Thanks for sharing that. I like to learn something new every day.
DeleteThank you so much for introducing me to Laura's book, Nas. It sounds wonderful. I never get tired to meeting how other author tackle their work.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for dropping by, Joylene. I hope you enjoy my work.
DeleteYou welcome, Joylene!
DeleteWeb of Lies sounds like a good book!
ReplyDeleteI am personally a planner. Whenever I try "pantsing" it, I don't finish!
Thank you, Sherry. Yes, when I first tried 'pantsing', I come unstuck about half way through and didn't quite know where I was going to go next. A dead end with nowhere to turn but to back out the way I came in.
DeleteHi Sherry!
DeleteWeb of Lies is a wonderful story, I'm sure you'll enjoy.
Thanks for dropping by!
Oooo... Laura's work sounds fantastic. Thanks, Nas, for having her here today! And I'm such a pantser... Me and plotting = Not good. LOL.
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by, Morgan. We are all different in our approach to writing. The important thing is to find our most efficient way to get the work done. Now you can call yourself a discovery writer. :)
DeleteHi Morgan!
DeleteThanks for stopping in!
I plot and pants. Can't do only one! Laura's book sound great. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your approach to writing, Lydia. As I venture further on my journey, I think I'll be a bit of both, too. :)
DeleteHi Lydia!
DeleteThank you for coming by to read this post!
I started as a pantser but now I love to plot. It saves me so much time later down the track.
ReplyDeleteHi Lynda, that's great, I'm glad you've found an efficient way to save time. :)
DeleteHello Lynda!
DeleteI agree, we need to plot and pants, then plot again so we don't get stuck.
Thanks for commenting!
Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Nas. It's been fun to meet and share with your readers.
ReplyDeleteLaura :)
Hi Laura!
DeleteWe all enjoyed chatting with you! Thanks for giving us your time!
Hi Laura and Nas. I'm always fascinated to learn "behind the scenes" steps that all of you talented authors take to help enable a book to end up in my hands. I'm amazed every time I read a fantastic post like this about the thoughts and processes that go into producing a book of purchase-worthy quality. Laura, Web of Lies is a book-shelf keeper for me. I'm not sure which process you should use for future stories, what ever you have been doing sure works for me :)
ReplyDeleteI've been a pantser, and I'm trying to reform to a plotter. I'm not there yet, but I am working from fairly detailed character sheets filled with a lot of motivations. And a plot timeline. Also, I must know the ending before I begin, even if it changes. I'm hoping to avoid massive rewrites. It's a start :)
ReplyDeleteI do like that term! I'd love to be a discovery writer, but I'm afraid I'd end up with a huge tangled mess. Maybe I should try it sometime and just see what happens - it sounds like a fun first draft (but not-so-fun revisions.)
ReplyDeleteYour term is much more suitable, Laura!
ReplyDeleteThis was interesting to read. I like this term. I'm a plotter myself, but I deviate from the plan slightly since the characters take over.
ReplyDelete