As a now professional author, I love to debate about using outlines vs. not. In the writing world, you may have heard this called the planner versus pantser debate and I can tell you that wholeheartedly, completely and with no apologies, when it comes to Paranormal Protection Society and other books, I am a pantser. And I will not change.
Wait…Pants? Paranormal Protection Pants? What?
Right. Good question. what is the planner vs pantser debate and why are pants involved?
Those who study writing tend to break the world into two groups: people who want to plot out every detail, keep a meticulous outline, etc. (planners) versus those who fly by the seat of their pants, planning nothing (pantsers.) The reality of the situation is that most people are some combination of both, but I think it’s fair to say most of us tend towards one over the other.
Pants-ing Through Paranormal Protection Society
First, let me say that I have ultimate respect for those who can outline. I think it’s a great skill and planners probably produce tighter fiction than pantsers.
However, I learned a long time ago as a Dungeons and Dragons GM, that I could spend days developing detailed plans, only for the PCs to decide they wanted to go down some rabbit and absolutely eradicate all that precious work. Similarly, had I plotted out Paranormal Protection Society, then Merlena might not have ended up in the final battle in Book 2 (it wasn’t in my original outline.) Similarly, if I were a plotter, all my work might have been for naught when my editor said “I know you have plans for the dragon, I just don’t know what” and suddenly I needed plans for the dragon.
Did I Outline Paranormal Protection Society at All?
Of course. Like 5%.
I have plotted the entire series out at twenty-five books and I know, in general, when the major events of the world are going to happen. I know when Mark Strong is going to achieve his destiny. I know when Vance is going to kill Courtney and Kolchan is going to turn her into a vampire (not really, just checking if you’re still reading…) But that outline is basically the book number, the time passed between each book and around three ideas of what the major events are.
When I sit down to write each book, I write about twenty sentence fragments that are my “outline.” I am kind of lucky. Each Paranormal Protection Society volume follows a similar outline: the initial encounter where Vance has to step in and protect a paranormal, introduction of the main mystery, Vance gets himself into trouble, some paranormal stuff happens, there’s the final fight and the wrap up.
Still, those twenty or so sentences are pretty open to interpretation, full of typos and sometimes are inscrutable in their meaning. In more cases than one, I have forgotten what, exactly I meant. That’s okay. I get to spend time figuring out and the book is probably better for it.
Ultimately, though, what I am looking for is a scaffolding or a map that keeps me going. I find that I can’t keep an entire book in my head without writing something down and if I get lost, I can’t keep writing. For me, just a few sentences is enough. If I meander or go off topic, well, that’s what editing is for.
What’s Right For You?
I can’t say. Try both. At my day job, I am definitely a planner (maybe like 65% planner, 35% pantser) but for my creative projects I pants about 95%.
When you start to write, if you don’t know if you are a pantser or planner, start by creating an outline. If you find yourself bored or feeling like adding more bullet points is an obstacle to actually writing, welcome to Pants Town. The streets are crooked and some don’t go anywhere, but we get stuff done!
Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay