Have you ever wondered what being a pantser might be like? Or maybe you are wondering what on earth a pantser is! Let me define a pantser first.
Pantser:
Someone who writes “by the seat of their pants”. They don’t plan their stories ahead of time. They might have a basic plot, but it’s also just as likely that they won’t.
So, would you like to know what my writing life often looks like? Well, come with me and I’ll give you a glimpse.
Story A is being worked on and going quite well. Story B is waiting patiently in the wings for Story A to be finished.
Then Monday morning came. I was just starting to do my daily bathroom cleaning when an idea popped into my head out of nowhere. And it didn’t just stay an idea. It opened with the first lines of the book. A character’s name showed up before I could finish sweeping the floor. As soon as I could, I sat down at my computer and typed up the first line and the little bit of info I had. I wasn’t going to work on Story X until I got some other things done.
That evening, after I’d written 1k words in Story A, I did write the first hundred or so words in Story X. And believe it or not, Story X settled down patiently. (Very unusual for a story. Something must be up. *looks suspiciously at Story X*)
Story A got finished.
Story B got a lot written but since I’m a pantser, I don’t know what the ending of this story is going to be so I have to wait a bit and think on it.
So I started working on Story K because Stories C, D, E, etc. just weren’t catching my attention and I had no idea what to write next in them. One day I wrote on Story X just because I could. Then it was back to Story K.
Some days I go and reread what I’ve written in my other stories and do a little editing, or even write a few lines. Sometimes one story will just start to come together and I’ll work on that until it gets stuck again.
There have been stories that I thought were going to be short stories that ended up novels. Since I don’t have each story planned out, I get to experience them almost as a reader does. Only I have to write them to find out what happens instead of just turning the next page.
I had plans and hopes to finish Story B by now and no plans to work on Story K. But since Story K was moving and Story B was stuck, I figured I’d keep writing Story K. But then Story K took a break and Story D began to jump up and down and demand attention. So, off I go for an adventure with Story D. Sorry Stories K, X, E, B, etc. you’ll have to wait.
But will I be able to just write Story D until it’s finished?
I don’t know.
Do I ever wish I could plan a story and just write it? Yes! Have I ever tried it? Yep. And it was awful! I had to rewrite the story about three times and change the order of scenes and cut out parts and write new ones. Don’t want to do that again.
I do like just little ideas. Sort of faint vague somethings to reach for like a star you think you see in the night sky but if you focus too much it vanishes. That’s how it is for this pantser brain. A bit of a story here, a different story tomorrow. New stories, old stories, no idea what is coming, but I’m along for the ride.
If you are a writer, how do you write? Do you jump from story to story? Do you plan out your stories or just write them when ideas come?
This sounds very much like me! 😉
Really? How fun. 😀
And me!
😀 Fun!
It’s so good to know I’m not alone with my writing style! haha. I’ve done books both ways; no plan, and a detailed outline. I feel like the outlined one turned out better the first time and I don’t have to edit as much, but I feel like I wrote the book twice instead of just WRITING it. I do better with a basic idea/plan, making the characters, and going for it! My book I just did the WIP tag for, was written with only the first names of my characters scribbled down, and everything else in my mind only.
Oh, yes, do I ever jump back and forth between books! That’s why I have 60+ books started. 😉
I enjoyed this!
Wow! That’s a lot of started stories! I only have about 18. 😀 For now. 😉
This was so fun to read! If I was a writer, I’d probably do the same thing. I’m sorta like that with other stuff😉
Fun. It can become problematic when you want to finish the story and find out what happens but you don’t know what happens yet. 😀 But it is also rather exciting too.
Yes! This is definitely how you would write if you were an author!!😉
😀
I guess I’m a combination of plotter and pantser. Some of my stories insist on being thoroughly plotted, and others are content to come in bits and pieces whenever they feel like it. And yes, I do jump from story to story and have a hard time finishing any.
Ah, one of those mixed up authors, huh? 😉 Jumping from one to another is okay, but you have to finish some sometime. 😀
I’m almost there with one of them!
Yay! 😀
I’m definitely a mix of plotter and pantser!
Right now, I’m 8 chapters into my WIP (it’s going to be a novella), aaaaaand I have writer’s block. Very bad writer’s block. I’m going to be waiting till I get a flash of inspiration. Meanwhile, its prequel was fully planned out in my head, down to the ending and how the ending was going to occur.
Yeah. Just an example. 🙂
Oh, no fun to get writer’s block! Try writing something else and see if it helps.
That seems like a good idea. I should probably start working on a fanfiction I’ve wanted to start writing
Go for it!
I will
Lol. I loved getting a glimpse into how a panster writes (I’m actually more of a planster, though I lean more towards the plotter side, if that makes sense?)
Anyway, I really enjoyed this post, Rebekah!
That makes sense. 😀 Glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂
Me! 🙋
😀 So you’re a pantser too? Fun!
I call myself a plantser because I don’t plot or outline very much, but I also can’t “pants.” I tend to only work on one story at a time, but when I edit, I try to write short stories on the side so my creative juices don’t dry up… But I really can’t imagine writing more than one story at a time! You’re skilled 😀
I like that name, Kats. So you’re a good mixture.
Ha! I’m not sure if I’m skilled or just a little crazy. 😛
This sounds like me! XD
How fun.
Ha! I relate to the getting random story ideas but I’d say I’m more of a plotter.
Well, it’s nice to know that plotters are also afflicted with SSIS (Sudden Story Idea Syndrome)
Except for short stories. Then I just doing the planning in my head, and let the story find itself a bit more.
Yeah, short stories are different.
But if I did that with novels or novellas I would just lose my way so badly and never find it again. I have to know where I’m going or I simply don’t get there, lol!!
😀 It can take work.
But I know there is such a thing as over planning even for me. The first half draft of By This Shall They Know, which I ended up trashing somewhere after the halfway mark was planned within an inch of its life! XD
Wow!
I had a chapter-by-chapter outline that basically told me what to write for every half or quarter page. It was… a bit too much. Okay, it was a LOT too much! I’ve never planned THAT much again!
That’s crazy! I’d say that was too much!
This sounds just like me, that is, before my sister was like, “You should really have your whole story mapped out.” XD
Ha! I guess the question is, do you write better planning or not?
Thanks for sharing! It was cool to see what a week in the life of a pantser is like.
😀 You’re welcome.
I’m a mix of pantser and plotter. Some of my stories I just write off the cuff, but for some of them, I need to come up with the whole plot before I can actually write anything. And of course, some stories require a mix of both (such as my current WIP). 😉
That’s neat that you can do both ways of writing.
And I try not to jump from story to story too much. Usually, I only have 1-2 stories that I’m working on at a time, but sometimes I can’t be stopped from working on more. And my sisters can witness to the fact that I am constantly coming up with new story ideas.
Oh, I used to have only 1-3 stories going on at once. *thinks back fondly to those days* 😀