The Pantser Resolution

“Life brings you a bold and dashing adventure.”

You know, I thought of myself as a plotter and not a pantser when writing stories. After completing a number of manuscripts now, I realize that I’m more unstructured than I thought. Sure, I still do research and have a general idea of where the story’s going. Nonetheless, my characters always surprise me and act in ways that I never thought they would. Endings also tend to shift around for me, based on the protagonist’s unforeseen actions.

Since I’m owning up to my pantser personality, I figured I’d transfer that attitude over to my New Year’s Resolution. Every time I’m pretty good about sticking to my goal in the first few months and then the determination falters. In the past, I’ve tried specific aims or even a condensed one-word resolution. This year, I’m going to embrace my pantser side. I’ll relish in the fact that:

Life throws you curves
Unexpected blessings can flow (like my previous contest win and publication in an anthology)
Enjoyment can come in the little moments (which you’ll miss if you have too many plans in place)

Do you have a resolution for the next year?