Last week, I attended my first ever writer's conference: the RWA National Conference. The Romance Writers of America have some spectacular ladies; I don't think I've ever seen a better organized, better run event. And I've been to a lot of events.
I spent most of my time wandering from workshop to workshop, constantly having my mind blown by new tips and tricks. (It never even crossed my mind to pause my timer when writing. Sometimes... I just don't know. Anyways.) But I think the most mind-blowingly-awesome thing I learned was that I still need to discover my own writing process.
I (obviously) love writing. I do it all the time. But for some reason I have a ridiculous amount of anxiety every time I sit down to work on a new project, whether it's for a blog, my job, or a new manuscript. (Should I plot it? What if I write it and then it doesn't make sense? I need to get organized. I need to know exactly where I'm going. I need to do more research. I need to on and on and on.) I always eventually write, but it can take me days--weeks--to finally start working on the project. Believe me, it's an inefficient way to work.
During the conference, I attended The Secret Life of Pantsers: Magic Tricks and Delightful Games for Pantsers and Plotters, taught by Kathleen Baldwin, on Julie Benson's recommendation. What a life changer. Or at least, a writing life changer.
According to the "quiz," I have hard plotter and pantser tendencies. I've always attempted to make a very thorough plot before writing. I usually do not follow my plot, and I usually have a manuscript full of plot holes that I have to go back and fix. On my most recent WIP, I decided to do my most detailed plot ever. I've been slaving over it for almost 3 months (part of that is because I have a 6-month-old child). And honestly, I just finished it today. I was on chapter 13. Three months. Thirteen chapters plotted.
After taking this quiz, I tried to really think about why my answers were all over the map. I wasn't just a plotter. I wasn't just a pantser. I wasn't even a little bit of both. I was all over the place, with six answers reflecting plotter and eight reflecting pantser.
But, after some soul-searching (as one does after a writing conference), I think I've come to the conclusion that I'm a pantser who was forced to be a plotter in law school. The law school process has been ingrained into my brain. In law school, you plan. Nothing is just done.
So, next week, I'm starting a little experiment. I'm going to write a novella... with absolutely no plotting. I'm going to completely pants it. It's a little scary, but also invigorating.
As a new writer, now is the time to experiment. Eventually, I have to find what process actually works best for me, and I have to try new things to figure it out. Wish me luck!
I spent most of my time wandering from workshop to workshop, constantly having my mind blown by new tips and tricks. (It never even crossed my mind to pause my timer when writing. Sometimes... I just don't know. Anyways.) But I think the most mind-blowingly-awesome thing I learned was that I still need to discover my own writing process.
I (obviously) love writing. I do it all the time. But for some reason I have a ridiculous amount of anxiety every time I sit down to work on a new project, whether it's for a blog, my job, or a new manuscript. (Should I plot it? What if I write it and then it doesn't make sense? I need to get organized. I need to know exactly where I'm going. I need to do more research. I need to on and on and on.) I always eventually write, but it can take me days--weeks--to finally start working on the project. Believe me, it's an inefficient way to work.
During the conference, I attended The Secret Life of Pantsers: Magic Tricks and Delightful Games for Pantsers and Plotters, taught by Kathleen Baldwin, on Julie Benson's recommendation. What a life changer. Or at least, a writing life changer.
According to the "quiz," I have hard plotter and pantser tendencies. I've always attempted to make a very thorough plot before writing. I usually do not follow my plot, and I usually have a manuscript full of plot holes that I have to go back and fix. On my most recent WIP, I decided to do my most detailed plot ever. I've been slaving over it for almost 3 months (part of that is because I have a 6-month-old child). And honestly, I just finished it today. I was on chapter 13. Three months. Thirteen chapters plotted.
After taking this quiz, I tried to really think about why my answers were all over the map. I wasn't just a plotter. I wasn't just a pantser. I wasn't even a little bit of both. I was all over the place, with six answers reflecting plotter and eight reflecting pantser.
But, after some soul-searching (as one does after a writing conference), I think I've come to the conclusion that I'm a pantser who was forced to be a plotter in law school. The law school process has been ingrained into my brain. In law school, you plan. Nothing is just done.
So, next week, I'm starting a little experiment. I'm going to write a novella... with absolutely no plotting. I'm going to completely pants it. It's a little scary, but also invigorating.
As a new writer, now is the time to experiment. Eventually, I have to find what process actually works best for me, and I have to try new things to figure it out. Wish me luck!
