BLynn Goodwin, a multiple book award winner, is our guest today. Her latest book, Disrupted, came out in late January and is doing wonderfully in sales. BLynn has also written a guest post for us about the difference between being a writer pantser and plotter with a quiz so we can easily tell what we are. I know for sure I’m a plotter but that doesn’t mean it’s the best choice.
Here’s BLynn with her pantser and plotter thoughts.
Pantser or Plotter? Does It Matter?
by BLynn Goodwin
A professional writer I’ve worked with, a woman who’s published by the Big 4, posted that she was starting her ninth book and asking herself, “How do I do this?” She even googled How to Plot a Book. If she’s having problems and you are too, you are in good company.
The experts say to write what you know, but they don’t tell you the best approach to take. It depends on who you are, how your brain works, and what kind of manuscript you’re working on.
I found this wonderfully entertaining quiz filled with clues at Plotter or Pantser Quiz
Chances are you already have a general idea of where you fall on this spectrum, but it’s nice to confirm where you stand.
- Do your characters surprise you with what they do?
- When you travel, is your itinerary already figured out?
- Do you have trouble finding in your notes details about the world in your story?
- Are you generally organized in your non-writing life?
- Do you enjoy being lost?
- Do you go through your “to read” pile in order?
- Do you often improvise dinner based on what you find in the fridge?
- Is your library alphabetized?
- Is emotion more important than structure?
- Do you often know the purpose of each chapter before you write it?
- Does your dialogue often make you laugh out loud?
- Do you spend more time outlining a book than writing the first three chapters?
- Are you capable of doing real work on your novel without your notes handy?
- Have you ever created a wiki or other resource file for your novel?
- Do you dislike outlining?
- Is “plan your work, then work your plan” a mantra you sometimes repeat?
- Are you more creative than you are disciplined?
- Do you know your characters’ backstories before you write them?
- Is dealing with continuity errors a major part of your revision process?
- Is engineering your story as important as other elements?c
The secret to good writing is to write. As Anne Lamott says, “Give yourself permission to do a shitty first draft.” Get your story down. If there are holes in the plot you can fill them in later. If you’re working from an outline, be flexible enough to make changes.
When I get stuck, I journal as my main character. In Disrupted that’s Sandee Mason. Sometimes I get into a conversation with her. I ask her questions, then I quickly switch to her font and color, slide into her thoughts, desires, and voice, and let her answer. If Sandee were a writer, I’ll bet she’d be a plotter if she’s writing about putting on a show and a pantser is she’s writing about losing her brother to an IED or her school shutting down. Like many of us, her approach will depend on what she’s writing.
Bottom line: Explore your options. Being a pantser or a plotter doesn’t matter, but knowing which one you are will go a long way towards making you a productive writer.
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Book Summary
The San Ramos High students are busy rehearsing their performance of Our Town when the school and the surrounding towns are rocked by a 7.1 earthquake. As a series of unusual aftershocks disrupt the town further, their school is deemed unsafe, and the show is postponed indefinitely unless they can find a way to turn that bad luck around. Dealing with their own personal difficulties and led by the stage manager, Sandee, who is working her way through the loss of her brother, they attempt to bring the community together, make the performance a success, and do their share to raise funds to rebuild. Both the show and life must go on!
Publisher: Olympia Publishers
ISBN-10: 1804393487
ISBN-13: 978-1804393482
ASIN: B0CTKPM735
Print Length: 238 pages
Purchase a copy of Disrupted on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You can also add it to your GoodReads reading list.
About the Author
Lynn Goodwin is the owner of Writer Advice, www.writeradvice.com.
Talent was short-listed for a Literary Lightbox Award and won a bronze medal in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards and was a finalist for a Sarton Women’s Book Award. A second edition came out on November 1, 2020 from Koehler Books. She also wrote You Want Me to Do WHAT? Journaling for Caregivers.
Her memoir, Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62 won a National Indie Excellence Award, a Human Relations Indie Book Awards Winner, a Dragonfly Book Award, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Best Book Awards Finalist & NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Award Winner.
Her latest book, Disrupted, came out on January 25th.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I really appreciate it. You have a wonderful blog here.
Lynn
B. Lynn Goodwin