This week we have author Beth Prentice talking about Plotters and Pansters! She has a new book, Deathly Desire: Lizzie ~ Book 3 (The Westport Mysteries). And she has a Kindle copy giveaway for one commenter!
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I often get asked if I’m a pantster or a plotster. To be honest when I first heard those terms I had no idea what they even meant! Then someone asked me do I write by the seat of my pants or do you plot. It only took me a second to realize that I’m a pantster. I’ve tried to be a plotster as I love the idea of being that organised, and knowing what is going to happen next certainly makes the writing process a lot faster. But it doesn’t work for me, no matter how hard I try. I know the importance of outlining the story and working out the synopsis before starting to write, but I still don’t do it! Of course I know where the story starts and where it will end, but the bits in the middle can be a surprise even to me.
Do I recommend this method? Not really. It can cause a lot of hours rewriting. And after the editor has had their way with it, I will go back for even more rewriting. But for me, this way works. It allows my creative juices to flow freely without constraints and I love it. I don’t love it when I’m mid book and realize that I have missed a very important plot point in chapter three, and then have to go back and insert many paragraphs and make changes so that the story flows, but I still choose to work this way. For example, in Deathly Desire I started the story with a completely different idea in mind. In the story my MC finds an old china teacup in an abandoned old house. The pattern on that cup was going to be the basis of my mystery, but that quickly changed. What didn’t change was how the book ended. I think I knew that before I even knew the beginning.
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Plotster or Panster
Do I recommend this method? Not really. It can cause a lot of hours rewriting. And after the editor has had their way with it, I will go back for even more rewriting. But for me, this way works. It allows my creative juices to flow freely without constraints and I love it. I don’t love it when I’m mid book and realize that I have missed a very important plot point in chapter three, and then have to go back and insert many paragraphs and make changes so that the story flows, but I still choose to work this way. For example, in Deathly Desire I started the story with a completely different idea in mind. In the story my MC finds an old china teacup in an abandoned old house. The pattern on that cup was going to be the basis of my mystery, but that quickly changed. What didn’t change was how the book ended. I think I knew that before I even knew the beginning.
Being a pantster, it helps that I LOVE edits. Sure I will give that deep sigh when I see just how much needs to be done. But as I get through it, I love the feeling of how the book is getting better and better with every change. And by the time that it is finished my sigh becomes one of contentment. So should you be a plotster or a pantster? My personal belief is that is doesn’t really matter. Just write from your heart and enjoy the process!
Beth Prentice has a new book out this month:
Deathly Desire: Lizzie ~ Book 3 (The Westport Mysteries)
When the past comes back to haunt you.
Lizzie is ready for a new adventure in her life, and it doesn’t take long for her to find it. After hitting the For Sale sign in to the ground of her house of mysteries, she is quickly charmed by another old house that is in desperate need of some love and attention. Only the house has a secret of its own. Who is its owner? Why is he so hard to find? And why does he own nine other deserted homes in Westport?
Keen to start this new chapter in her life, and with the help of her crazy family, her drop dead gorgeous boyfriend Riley, and the super sexy policeman that has just declared his undying love for her, Lizzie stumbles from one clue to the next. But when her past reappears and mixes with her future everything she has ever loved is at stake.
Can Lizzie solve the forty-year-old mystery so that she and Riley can begin their next chapter together? Is her past really back to get her, or is there a copycat in Westport? Or will the star of her nightmares destroy everything before it even begins?
Lizzie’s next adventure may not be as much fun as she had hoped.
Lizzie is ready for a new adventure in her life, and it doesn’t take long for her to find it. After hitting the For Sale sign in to the ground of her house of mysteries, she is quickly charmed by another old house that is in desperate need of some love and attention. Only the house has a secret of its own. Who is its owner? Why is he so hard to find? And why does he own nine other deserted homes in Westport?
Keen to start this new chapter in her life, and with the help of her crazy family, her drop dead gorgeous boyfriend Riley, and the super sexy policeman that has just declared his undying love for her, Lizzie stumbles from one clue to the next. But when her past reappears and mixes with her future everything she has ever loved is at stake.
Can Lizzie solve the forty-year-old mystery so that she and Riley can begin their next chapter together? Is her past really back to get her, or is there a copycat in Westport? Or will the star of her nightmares destroy everything before it even begins?
Lizzie’s next adventure may not be as much fun as she had hoped.
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Now, I've always envied the pansters. You can just sit and write and let the story unfold. I have to know what I'm going to be writing before I start. If I don't know what scene I'm working on, nothing happens. And it takes a while to get a good outline finished before I can start writing anything. (And even then, I find scenes will go in directions I don't expect.)
ReplyDeleteYou see, I envy you Liz. I've read lots of articles and blogs about working from spreadsheets and I love the idea :) Good luck with whatever you're working on at present!
ReplyDeleteI remember the first time I heard the term "pantster" - I was clueless :-) I'm probably a bit of a hybrid between a plotter and a pantser.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great way to be :) You get the best of both worlds then :)
DeleteIt's interesting to see what works and doesn't with different methods. With blogging I'm a bit of a mix. I plan and organize before I jump into a month but I leave enough space for some seat of my pants blogging, too. lol
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun way to work :) I admire your organisation x
DeleteI didn't used to plot, but with each book, I do a bit more planning.
ReplyDeleteAn author friend has just tried working this way and she loved it. I wish I could make it work for me, but I end up being blocked. I envy you! :)
DeleteOnce I have the beginning and end worked out, it's not too hard for me to get ideas for what can happen between those points. I can't write a story, or not much of it, unless I know the middle.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! I'll admit that I never know the middle until I'm writing it. I always have the ending, then the beginning, but the middle often surprises me :)
DeleteI have come across many writers who pants and finds it hard to go strictly to plotlines. I guess it depends on what works for a particular person!
ReplyDeleteYes, that's so true! We're all different and that's what makes us all so unique :)
DeleteLOL! But rewriting is a joy! Hahahaha.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is - no matter how we do it :)
DeleteLove the cover!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely enjoying the editing process is helpful if you are a panster (or a plotter). :)
~Jess
Thanks Jess! This is one of may favourites too :)
DeleteHello, Beth. Good luck with your latest.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! x
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