Monday Miscellany-SemiPantsers
Last week during #YALitChat Wednesday the forever lasting question about the Pantser v Plotter came up. I wrote: "I'm a SemiPantser." And guess what? Several others on the chat said they were too. So that started me thinking (Oh, no. Not that!). But what makes a SemiPantser? My guess is a lot of different writing approaches that don't involve setting out a plot, character bios, etc. before starting a book.
In my mind, a Pantser jumps right in. They love the excitement of coming up with a new idea, meeting those characters, and then bringing them to life on the page. All of that sends them full steam ahead into the W.I.P. With this approach there's the danger of running out of that steam about half-way through. Maybe the story simply fades or the characters become inconsistent or flat. On the other hand, that impulse to create something new and fresh without "over thinking" it can propel a story through a first draft.
But what if you straddle the P v P writer life? What if you use some of those Plotter devices to support your Pantser instincts?
I guess I wanted to know, so I started a #semipantser group on Twitter and I created a semipantser circle on Google+ in hopes those of us who aren't in either camp 100% would share what they do. If you're one of us, hope your join and add your voice to this middle-of-the-road group.
The Creepy Cake N Bake has taken over this week. Here's Michelle Zinc's entry and it so good. Rats! Double Rats! I wanted so much to win and with each entry my hope fades.
A NOT SO CREEPY, BUT DEFINITELY SWEET SPIDER
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
In my mind, a Pantser jumps right in. They love the excitement of coming up with a new idea, meeting those characters, and then bringing them to life on the page. All of that sends them full steam ahead into the W.I.P. With this approach there's the danger of running out of that steam about half-way through. Maybe the story simply fades or the characters become inconsistent or flat. On the other hand, that impulse to create something new and fresh without "over thinking" it can propel a story through a first draft.
But what if you straddle the P v P writer life? What if you use some of those Plotter devices to support your Pantser instincts?
I guess I wanted to know, so I started a #semipantser group on Twitter and I created a semipantser circle on Google+ in hopes those of us who aren't in either camp 100% would share what they do. If you're one of us, hope your join and add your voice to this middle-of-the-road group.
The Creepy Cake N Bake has taken over this week. Here's Michelle Zinc's entry and it so good. Rats! Double Rats! I wanted so much to win and with each entry my hope fades.
A NOT SO CREEPY, BUT DEFINITELY SWEET SPIDER
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
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