From Panster To Planster

I take a long time to write a book. So, when I do find time to sit down and bleed onto the page, it needs to count. 

I have been a full-blown panster for as long as I can remember. Not just in my writing, but in life. I fly by the seat of my pants and am generally a disorganised person. Being this way is not only annoying at times, it can also be a downright hazard.  

I lose things all the time. Important things. I get to the supermarket and have no idea what I came to buy in the first place because I didn’t write it down. If I didn’t put reminders in my phone, telling me what I need to do as soon as I think of it, nothing would get done.

You get the picture? So, you can probably guess why my first and second drafts read like a messy road map with no clear path and dead ends at every turn. Look, don’t get me wrong, it can be a fun adventure not knowing where you are heading, but constantly deviating from the path and having to haphazardly find my way back was getting rather tiring. 

When I entered one of my works in progress into the Richell Prize last year, I had to write a detailed synopsis. To do this, I needed to have a rough idea where the story was heading and what was going to happen along the way. I always know how a story will begin and how it will end. It’s that pesky part in the middle that always makes me come unstuck. 

Once I got over my initial state of panic, I sat down and thought about all the things that could help my character get to where I knew she needed to be at the conclusion of the story. I thought about where these things would take place, who would be involved, and what conflict would occur, for example. 

Having to come up with a rough idea of what was to happen in the guts of the story made me sit back and think, huh, that’s really helpful. 

Now, there are some plotters out there who meticulously plot every detail about every scene and every character, right down to their eye colour before ever putting pen to paper. That level of detail will never be me, and those little details will pop into my head as I’m working my way through. 

But, if I can continue to outline a rough paragraph detailing what happens in each chapter, it will give me some guidance, so I don’t end up lost in a maze of chaos and ensure I can find the exit. So, if like me you are a total panster with no direction, start small. Lay one brick at a time and eventually you will build a house.