They say there are plotters and pantsers when it comes to writing. The plotters outline the book carefully and have the novel in place before writing. Pantsers just let the writing flow. I can honestly say that I am betwixt and between the two. I do some plotting. There are more notes than outlines – everywhere – in journals, on bits of paper, and online in a notes file to accompany the book. But I am a pantser in many aspects. I love the building of a story. As I write, the layers of characters and plot build and overlap. Watching, or rather, writing, becomes magical. And, as the writer, you have the freedom to play God and make changes.
As I have said before, I am a bibliomaniac. I wish I could soak in books through my skin as I breathe. I love books, and I love falling in love with books over and over and over again. Sometimes, I feel the need to flit from book to book. I don’t know what I’m searching for in the reading, but there’s something. I enjoy the bits but am unsatisfied. And then, the lightbulb blinks in my brain, and I realize I want to be writing my own stories. That’s when I berate myself for wasting time. Why am I doing anything else but writing? I need to, want to, must write every millisecond. I can hardly wait to see what happens in the plot and with the characters.
“Those books!” I sigh happily.
Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash
