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Pantser + Plotter = Plantser >>> Thank you, Ms. Higgins

On November 3, 2018 I attended RWA/NYCs romance conference at the Fordham University campus in The Bronx. The conference was informational as it was fun and we were fortunate to have had on hand several best-selling authors, icons really, and for that I’m eternally blessed. 

Recently, I got to thinking about a comment Kristan Higgins said during one of the workshops: Not a ‘pantser’, not a ‘plotter’, but a ‘plantser’. Several of us laughed out loud, “Yeah, that, that’s me!”

By design I am a pantser and enjoy making up stories as I ‘go’ rather than creating outlines as do my plotter counterparts. As you might imagine, the first draft of my novellas are quite messy as scenes are often deleted/added along the way. Second and third drafts are marginally better.

I think many pantsers will tell you that allowing our imaginary friends to direct the course of a book is the most exciting aspect of the writing process. Pantsers might also tell you that this technique is equally frustrating.

I have tried plotting and using character sheets in the past, but the process didn’t feel natural, so I reverted back to my pantser ways. However, since my goal for 2019 is to have a much more structured writing process I decided to go all in on this plotting thing for NaNoWriMo.

Yes, planning and outlining is a departure from the spontaneity of pantsing, but guess what? It’s okay; as a plantser I can now identify with both worlds. Thank you Kristan!

Happy writing,

Maria

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