Until
the first time that I participated in National Novel Writing Month
(NaNoWriMo.org), I didn’t actually know that I was a “pantser” (a
seat-of-my-pants writer) as opposed to a “plotter” (a writer who works out the entire plot before
beginning to write). But, that year, I wrote my first complete novel without ever
trying to decide beforehand what would happen.
Before
then, I had sketched out probably hundreds of stories that didn’t get
written—in part because if I already know what’s going to happen, I get bored
with the story. I didn’t know that about myself until I wrote without the
safety net of an outline.
What
I love about the way I write is that often my characters surprise me. They take
off in unexpected directions, changing the story and, in the process, reveal
more of who they are and why they do what they do.
The
problem with this method (or lack thereof) is that I write mysteries—books that
require carefully developed plots with clues designed to both help the reader
figure out the mystery and allow the reader to be surprised at the end of the
novel. Mysteries require careful planning.
I’m
not a planner.
This
can be a problem.
But
I’ve learned to compromise. For example, I wrote Waking Up Dead when I lived in Alabama for a few years. I remember
driving to work one morning and seeing just a wisp of fog move across the
statue in the middle of the town square. The statue was of some Civil War
figure, and thought that it looked oddly ghostly. In between teaching classes
that day, I started writing Callie’s story. About halfway through, I figured out
that I was going to need to solve the mystery before the characters did! So, at
that point, I decided where I was headed, generally—but I let the characters
take me where I needed to go. Much the
same thing happened with Fairy, Texas—I
saw the sign for the cutoff to the town (it’s a real place!), figured out the
basics of the story, and let the characters guide me.
That
has become my standard method of writing: I start with just the barest idea,
letting the characters set up their problems for me. Then I figure out what the
overall issue is that needs to be solved. I try to stay out of my own way while
the characters move from point A to point B. And then I go back and do a
reverse outline to see what’s missing.
But
I’m fascinated by writers who can plot out a whole story from beginning to end
and still finish the novel.
Maybe
one day I’ll try that again.
Then
again, maybe not. I’d hate to plan that far in advance.
Guest Blogger Bio
Margo Bond Collins is the author of a number of novels,
including Waking Up Dead, Fairy, Texas, and Legally Undead (forthcoming in 2014). She lives in Texas with her
husband, their daughter, and several spoiled pets. She teaches college-level
English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys
reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of
her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and
other monsters.
Connect with Margo:
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/margobondcollins
Email:
MargoBondCollins@gmail.com
Website:
http://www.MargoBondCollins.com
Goodreads
Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/vampirarchy
Facebook
Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/MargoBondCollins
Facebook
Novel Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Waking-Up-Dead/502076076537575
Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/mbondcollins/
Manic
Readers: http://www.manicreaders.com/MargoBondCollins/
Book:
Coming Soon:
Be
sure to add Fairy, Texas to your
Goodreads bookshelves: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19502285-fairy-texas
