Goals . Sparks in Time . Writing

Sparks in Time Episode 9: Confessions of a Pantser

On August 17, 2020 by

Crying Uncle (aka Giving Outlining a Whirl)

For those superfans who were anxiously awaiting Episode 9—yes, I’m late in posting! Baby #4 made an early appearance in July, so as you can imagine, I’ve been quite busy. However, as is always the case during major life events, they offer a time for reflection and evaluation. For me, among other revelations that can only come when you are feeding an infant in the pre-dawn hours, I’ve finally cried “uncle” when it comes to writing.

Maybe it’s that I am getting old and tired, or maybe it’s because 2020 has been so emotionally and physically exhausting. Either way, I am ready to go to the dark side and give outlining a sincere effort. Yes, I am going to walk a mile in the shoes of a Planner.

Confessions of a Pantser

As a lifelong Pantser (not just in writing, but in absolutely everything I do), I struggle with adhering to a recognizable plan for anything. Travel, long runs, cooking, you name it…I don’t like to plan ahead. My favorite vacations involve buying plane tickets into one country and out of another, with no identified path to get from A to B, but just a knowledge that I have to find a way if I want to make my return flight. Hotels? Restaurants? I don’t care to reserve ahead of time. I’d rather just have an adventure where I don’t know what comes next. (This pretty much sums up my writing journey as well, for better or for worse.)

Long runs? I just run and eventually, turn around. Weave my way back. Sometimes I get lost when my mind wanders, but when I make it home I can usually figure out the path I took and learn how far I went, how fast my miles were, etc. (This behavior is also embedded in my writing…again, for better or for worse.)

Cooking? I hate having to follow a recipe. I just combine ingredients that I think will go well together. The down side of this is that when I come up with a concoction that the fam likes…I usually can’t recreate it. All of these behaviors drive my very organized husband absolutely bonkers. He won’t even grill chicken without a step-by-step plan and it boggles his mind that I don’t pay attention to time or temperatures when I grill. I just grill until it looks done. And almost always, we have the same outcome.

A Commitment to Outlining

However, things have changed. I always thought I was operating at max capacity and then 2020 hit. And now, I’ve got to figure out how I am going to work, conduct remote learning for two school-aged kids, watch two younger ones, and get some writing done, all in a 24-hour day. So, I’m caving. I have committed to outlining my next novel.

Years ago, my husband gave me K.M. Weiland’s Outlining Your Novel: Mapping Your Way to Success as a Christmas gift. I know if he were to write, he probably would be a fantastic outliner. He’d spent the requisite weeks or months prepping his roadmap. So naturally, he thought Weiland’s book would be the perfect gift. Except that he married someone who just does not like to plan. I read the book, understood the premise, even wished I could be so organized…and then put it on the shelf.

Well, in the days since Baby #4’s arrival, I’ve re-read the book with a new perspective and am ready to give it a whirl.

Taking the Outlining Plunge

The decision was actually quite easy. I have limited time to write and I am very slow to finish WIPs. I can’t always commit regular hours to writing projects. But I want to keep writing.

I also get interrupted 70,000 times a day. And this is just during the hours when I am home, and not commuting or working my day job. I am out of hiding places where I can get work done without a trail of children wanting to know “whatcha doin’?” or who have very sincere questions about butterflies that must be answered immediately. (And all the coffee shops I usually escape to are closed.)

I need to make every writing minute matter and I need to finish projects. A structured approach might just help me get my writing done and be free for other just-as-important things… like chatting about butterflies with a seven- year-old.

Outlining My Next WIP

My current project, Forever England is off with the editor for a month or so, and my goal is to make progress on the third and final book in the Shadows in Drab and Green trilogy while I anxiously await comments. I’ve been spinning this story in my head for years, so I know a lot about where I want to story to go. But instead of free writing, I am going to give outlining an honest go and I’m going to use Weiland’s book as my guide.

Book III, (working title Wherever Green is Worn) already has some built-in parameters that will at least help me to focus my outlining and my storyline. It has a known beginning (Summer 1915) and end date (April 1916), the characters are already developed and clear in my mind, and the culminating event is already defined. Therefore, my objective over the next month or so is to sketch out my chapters and tie them to the book’s timeline. I want to identify the major points in the story, outline ideas for twists, details, etc, and identify areas that need more research.

That seems like a reasonable objective, and something I can accomplish over the next several weeks. I’ll keep you updated as I go!

Recommended Reading

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success by K. M. Weiland. Like many how-to guides, this book didn’t spark any major revelations for me. But, it did spark dozens of mini-revelations that I know will give me some concrete tools for organizing myself. Lots of successful writers can get away without outlining, but there are just as many non-outliners who have given outlining a whirl and who have liked the results. This book is one example of a series of methods that can work. The power in the book is combining the tools with the processes you already use to make your pre-writing process better. I’m excited to give outlining a whirl and see where it takes me.

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