Gooood Afternoon Lovelies,
So, in the past I have described myself as strictly a pantser, that I am unable to successfully outline a book and still have inspiration and drive left to want to write that book, but I have actually done it. Though I would not consider it an extensive outline by any means. It is merely a series of scenes that I believe will be in the book that hits all the main plot points necessary for the story. I have actually successfully planned the first 3 books in a new project I’ve been working on. A mystery series.
This is a very good example of how writers evolve over time as they write. My writing and inspiration used to be completely stunted by outlining, but now I’m able to outline and still want to write the book, only now I’ll have a much easier time because I already know how most of the story is going to be structured and what major things will happen.
So my advice is to never completely object to the way some writers write, how their processes work or what they look like because one day you might find yourself on that side of things. I’ve always thought it an impossible feat for me because I’ve never been able to do it before, but I’m now excited to incorporate this new process into my writing process and use it to the fullest extent. It has helped me so far.
I’ve been able to outline 3 books in a matter of a couple of weeks. Each book I’ve outlined has taken me only a few hours to complete. This only has me more excited to get to writing these books and how much easier writing them might be because I know what’s going to happen, but I’ll still be able to discover some of the secrets in the story by writing it, all the subplots lying in between the major plot points.
Allowing my writing process to change in this way allows my creativity to flow, not completely free, but also not be stunted either. Plus I get the best of both worlds. No getting stuck on any one part because I know what comes next and I know what I’m working towards, and the fact that I can still discovery write because while I know the major events in the story, I don’t know everything that’s going to happen and there can still be surprises for me to discover as I go.
Now, that being said. I would not consider myself a plotter, but a bit of both. I’d classify myself as a plantser, getting the best of both plotting and discovering.
Thank you so much for tuning in! This was a very exciting subject for me to cover and I cannot wait to see how the writing goes when I begin! Until next time lovelies! Happy reading and writing! Trust your process and allow it space to shift and change as it needs to. Change is sometimes a good thing. Feel free to talk about your writing process in the comments! I’d love to hear what you do differently or if you write similar to me!
Celine Rose Marie