This was a topic that came up in conversation recently with a friend of mine doing NaNoWriMo (only the best competition on Earth). We were discussing our differing writing styles (they’re a pantser, I, obviously, and a planner). I’ve said for a long time that this dichotomy is a continuum rather than a binary choice. As I grow as a writer, I’m finding the joy in pantsing even within my structured drafting approach. At this point, I said that difference between pantsing and planning is the same difference of instinct vs intent. And then my head exploded.
It’s been a busy week. I’m getting progressively settled at my new job. I learn new things every day. I’m even starting to take some command in what I do, and that feels great. Thanksgiving is this week and our plans have completely fallen apart. We’re child-free and working out how we’re going to spend the holiday. It’s a small preview of what our life will soon be like as empty nesters. “Interesting” doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Drawing from the Well
What a great writing week again! I actually finished working through all my notes from the initial readthrough. Now, that leaves eleven brand-new chapters to write, but that’s okay. Most of them have a clear focus, but some were just “I need to fill in here to allow for character development.” That’s okay. It’s just going to take a little longer to get the driving action going in those chapters. That said, I already finished one of the eleven this morning and it feels REALLY good. I feel like I’m finally coming into my own with this book. I can feel it like I have the first two. That’s a huge relief after the rather cerebral approach I had to take on it. The fact that it has descended from my head to my heart is just the assurance I needed.
Pages 307
157,242/178,208 Words
Filling the Well
I made some progress this week, but it’s still not fast enough. I haven’t had as much time lately to listen to audiobooks as I would like, but I’m working on it. I’m no further behind, but still need to catch up by five books. I finished two more books in the Penric and Desdemona series and it’s still so interesting how all these personalities work together. It’s a great commentary on Dissociative Identity Disorder and how for SOME, it might be an asset, even though it is difficult to manage and scary nonetheless. I look forward to seeing where it keeps going.
88/105 for #ProjectBookworm2023
Blizzard continues it’s blistering release cadence in Dragonflight with the announcement of the first post-finale patch: Seeds of Renewal. Patch 10.2.5 is going to be interesting and introduces a whole new game mode. It’s going to be very interesting how this goes. As always, I’m excited.
Well Chat
Pantsing, planning. Gardening, architecting. Deciphering, deciding. These are all ways to describe writing styles. It all comes down to instinct or intent.
Instinct is all about feeling the story. It’s following your gut as you write to “find” where the story goes. It’s planting seeds in your manuscript and seeing what sprouts. It’s getting lots of content on the page and picking through it for the “diamonds in the rough.”
This process is exciting on the front end. It’s all about exploring ideas and trusting your instincts on the inside to guide you to the heart of your story. You can have high emotions and really cool scenes. You can also have meandering scenes that add detail without development or divert from the story’s intended throughlines. The key here is following your heart, your gut, or whatever metaphorical driving force lives inside of you. For some, this is the exhilarating journey through story. For others, it’s utter chaos.
For those, there is intent. There is the planning out of each story beat, each scene beat, each aspect of the story before the first letter hits the manuscript. The creativity comes largely up front. Those depending on intent build their scaffolding and fill in as many bricks, drywall, and wallpaper as they can before they start nailing it together, deciding how things will go. It’s about thinking through potential issues. It’s deciding the path forward. It’s drawing the map in sand before chiseling it into stone. For some, there is comfort in knowing how things will work at and that they WILL work out. For others, it is robbing creativity and settling for the boredom of plodding through what’s already decided.
So which is better? If you’ve been around for a while, you probably already know that I’m going to say neither. Each has its strengths and its pitfalls. Neither is an island unto itself. It’s just about approach. If you’re aware of the pitfalls and account for them in your editing process, you’ll be just fine.
Where do you land on this spectrum? How do you handle the hard parts of writing your way? Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on social media. Have a great week, a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and come back next week when I revisit some old blogs to see if I still feel the same way as I did years ago.
May the tide carry you to safer shores.
BSG