Write F*cking Words Now

Finding Your Process Part Two - The Pantser

At the other end of the spectrum lies this process! This is the process of zero organization, coined by flying by the seat of your pants. No pinterest, no outlines, no character profiles, sometimes not even character names. The Pantser just opens a blank document and writes, fast and furious.

This process works well in the sense that it feeds off of the excitement of starting something new, and not necessarily knowing what's going to happen next can keep that honeymoon phase going all the way to the end of a novel. The difficulty arises when the original idea is too premature or too vague, and the plot well runs dry.

I'm a Proud Pantser. I find as soon as I write down notes about an idea, it just sits there forever, out of my head never to root inspiration in my head ever again. I just can't get excited about those ideas anymore, because I already wrote them down. The things that I chew over in my head enough to come to light are ones that I know I can run with, and keep that honeymoon phase going all the way to the end.

So my process pretty much goes like this. A plot bunny hops into my head, and starts chewing away at my brain stem to get my attention. I get excited about the idea. It usually starts with a character, and that character starts to flesh themselves out in my head. I spend a lot of time talking out conversations and dialogue, and looking like a crazy person while I'm driving by myself.

If I'm still excited about the idea by the time I can dedicate actual writing time to it, then it comes out of me. I start at the beginning, and just go at it. If I run out of steam and can't finish or become disenchanted with the idea, then the doc gets shoved into my WIP folder to collect dust. If I finish it, then YAY! I have a story!

How can I get started with this process?

Throw out all of your organizational material. Just kidding! Well, sort of. You don't need to literally throw out your stuff. But where we're going, we don't need roads. To dip your toes into pantsing, I'd start with a short story. Pluck an idea out of the air, maybe an old one or a new one, as long as you've never outlined or planned anything out for it before.

Now, start writing. If you're really intimidated by pantsing, just give yourself a 100 word minimum. Go for a drabble, and see what happens. Start anywhere you want! Just take the idea and see what comes out of your fingers when you start going. Maybe you'll keep going! Maybe you won't, but it'll inspire you to think about a different idea that will keep you going. Either way. Give it a shot!

What if this process isn't working for me?

If this process isn't working, I have two main thoughts as to why. The first, and nicer one, is that you might need to approach your idea in a different way. Maybe you need to tweak your original idea. Maybe you need to do a bit of prep work, like research or a loose outline. Basically, you love this idea and you can see it finished in your head, but you just can't manage to get those words out.

You might need a little bit of an Organizer tickling your inspiration button. Check out Part Three - The Hybrid for some different ways that writers balance the two methods.

The other thought—and this might be tough love—is that maybe your idea isn't right for you. Maybe it's just not the magnum opus that you thought it was going to be. Now, I'm not saying your idea is bad—NO ideas are bad. It just might not be a fit for what you want to actually write. If you can't seem to visualize what you're trying to achieve and consolidate that with the plot bunny you have right now, then it's possible that it's just not what you should be spending your energy on. Take a deep breath, eat some chocolate, and move on to the next plot bunny. There are always more plot bunnies to be had! They breed like fucking crazy.