Plotter Envy
As Told By a Devout Pantser
Welcome!
When You Have Plotter Envy
Once upon a time there was a type ‘A’ woman. A supermom, organized, able to leap over tall piles of toys, or stop a speeding ball from rolling in the street. With quick reflexes she could throw down a towel before a sick dog ruined her carpets, and just as nimbly could swat a fly. A member of PTA (of course), and her kid’s team coach (goes without saying). Her shoulder bag had a treasure trove of necessities that put Felix the Cat’s bag of tricks to shame. Disney vacations researched and impeccably planned to beat the lines (surprised?), as were school events, extracurricular events, birthday parties, just because parties, and visits with family. She stocked the fridge, made dinners, packed little brown bags, ran carpools. She never missed workouts and always had lunches with friends. That’s the kind of conquer-anything-gal she was. Until she became a writer and found she couldn’t pre-organize a word of it. She was a pantser, you see, with a deep case of plotter envy.
Fighting the chaos (before apps like Plottr were a thing) she created spreadsheet after spreadsheet to track the chapters, the plot arcs, the crumbs, the timelines, the settings, even the names of characters used, until there were too many sheets and files to find. She went to conferences and well-known author-led classes on how to write a novel where they handed out “the formula.” The ‘is how we do it’ of outlining and planning, the percentage of this and that’s of writing that plotters swear by. Oh, how she wished she could be one of them, but she remained an outsider. One of ‘them.’ The pantsers.
So, she picked up her pencils and papers and shoved them in her laptop case and retreated. The struggle to create her novel continued until one day she took a deep breath and let go of the need to fit in with the plotter. It just wasn’t her style. And when she stopped forcing her plot and timelines to fit their expectations, her story blossomed. She discovered writing was not a chore. It was fun, a passion, in fact. But the greatest lesson that came from it: pantsing is very freeing.
“Pantsing is very freeing.” See what I (accidentally) did there? No? I’ll wait…
Insights from a devout Pantser:
As a panster, I let the creativity flow and follow where the story goes and then dive back in to adjust, trim and delete. I’m not saying plotters aren’t creative—don’t send howlers to me, they’re organized creatives and I’m a Jackson Pollock style writing creative. To their credit, however, when a Plotter’s book is done and they submit it for publication, they’ve already got that pre-made book summary at their fingertips, and can instantly highlight where the plot points fall and character arcs rise in each chapter. And if nothing else, for that I envy the plotters.
Plotter or Pantser? What’s your style?
GIVEAWAY ALERT:
June 8 is Women’s Fiction Day! In celebration, one lucky winner will win all SIX a of these books!
Truth and Other Lies, Maggie Smith / House on Fire, D. Liebhart
Big Little Lies, Liane Moriarty / Not Yours to Keep, Zelly Ruskin
Of Lies and Honey, Donna Norman-Carbone / Mad Honey, Jodi Picoult
Hurry! The Contest Runs until June 8!
GOOD LUCK!
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And Now For Something Completely Serious…
How to prepare for potential mortality…
Clean your f@#king closet!! What? You’re going to vanish from the face of the earth and let your family see the mess you really live with? Imagine the yappers at the funeral, “who knew she was such a slob?” “Gawd, she always seemed like she had her shit together,” “So disorganized, tsk, tsk.” All the warnings about being sure you have on clean underwear in case you’re in an accident? Let’s be real, I’ve had babies, if I’m in an accident, no chance my underwear stays clean. But the cluttered closet—so much worse!
Once you have that task behind you—no cheating, it must be done—you can revel in the fleeting illusion of control. Muster what’s left of that energy and pull out all “the” papers. Yes, those life (or post-life) determining documents that you carefully and responsibly crafted so your family won’t have to worry. Take a second to congratulate yourself on taking care of them in your afterness. Now make copies and sort into folders: one for the hospital, one for the family, one for the lawyer.
Be as methodical as possible so you don’t think about the why of the activity, for if you do, your emotions will ooze through and seize their opportunity.
Good, you’re making progress. Let’s check the list. We’re diving into the things people never consider but should column. Things like passwords and usernames. You’ve got a system or an app for where and how to keep these little secrets that guard your bills, your bank accounts, your work, your <insert everything here>. Someone is going to have to access your accounts and to do that, they will have to find and understand your clever system. Get a flash drive and copy all that sensitive data so your family has it in one place.
You’re going to have to tell one person where to find all these important and most private elements. Whose your person?
Pat yourself on the back when the project is complete. Now go grab a spoon and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.
Last Licks
I loved this, such a delight. My first novel was written over 20 years and was a pantser by default. My second was a plotser and felt much easier to write. It may have been the 6 months vs 20 year thing.
Oh Zelly! Me too! I've tried numerous outlines, but the fun and catharis comes when I go on a detour. Then I have to retrofit to make sure things are where they're supposed to be.