EXPERIMENTING WITH PANTSING
For those who know me, either as a long time reader, or just out in the writing community, you'll know that I pants more than I plan. I know it's seen as the 'wrong' way to do things, but it's also a way that really works for me. I thought that today I would talk to you about how you can experiment with pantsing yourself.
Now I know it's not for everyone, and like I've said recently, there is no wrong way to draft (found here), but I thought that it might be something that spoke to people who'd never really considered pantsing, or just think it's a case of ending up with a book that doesn't make sense. It's never been that way for me, though I do find there are plot holes, or threads that get left behind, but I think even if I extensively planned, those would still happen. No first draft is perfect no matter who you are.
In truth, I'm more of a mix between the two extremes. I do some limited planning and then take myself off with my characters and experience the story that way. I rarely, if ever, have the ending all planned out in my head. And the handful of times I have, it has not gone that way. I like to basically see the story play out on the page, and take myself along for the ride.
Now, I don't see myself as superior to planners, I don't see either option as better or worse than the other. It's about finding what works for you, and your process. I will say that following as many authors as I do, I see a lot of what I do in the drafting process, happens for planners when making their outline and the like. So we all work towards the same goal, we just do it in different ways.
So what can you to to experiment with pantsing? I'm glad you asked, because I'm gonna try and give you some thoughts on how to try it out.
#1 STRADDLE THE TWO FOR A BIT
Like I said, I'm both a planner and a pantser. I just do more of the latter than I do of the former. If you're wanting to pants, even just to try it out, try and do a mixture of the two to start with. This way you have some goalposts for your story, but you're also discovering other parts as you draft. It's perfectly valid to sit in the middle of the spectrum and I truly believe that the majority of writers do this naturally whether they realise it or not.
#2 LEAN INTO DIVERSIONS
Whether or not you're a planner, I know that there are always parts of the drafting process when an idea pops up and you have the choice to follow it along, or just stick to your outline. Neither one is wrong, but if you're wanting to see where this diversion goes, lean into it. It might lead nowhere, I want to make that clear, but it also might bring you back to a point you'd planned later in the story, or it might bring about a part that you hadn't thought of, and is absolutely perfect for your story. It's all about making it work!
#3 LOOSEN THE OUTLINE
This is similar to both of the above points. This is basically letting the outline be more of a guidance if you get lost than something that you stick to religiously. It depends on how comfortable you feel with this as to whether or not it's an option, but if you can, try this and see what happens, you may surprise yourself!
So those are my three tips when it comes to trying out pantsing. I know if doesn't work for everyone and there is no wrong way to do this, but if it's something that you want to try, then go for it!
Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!
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