Madeleine Maddocks from Scribble and Edit is hosting a Plotting Blogfest next month, and for those of you also participating in the A-Z Blogfest, she has conveniently scheduled it for the Letter P — April 17th.
You can sign up at Madeleine’s site. On the day of the blogfest, share your methods of plotting. Pantsterers (like me) can share how we manage to write a manuscript without plotting much of anything!
Believe it or not, despite being a dedicated pantsterer, I’ve been trying to outline a future WIP while I work on the editorial revisions for THE CAGED GRAVES. The revisions have left no time for the WIP I put aside in February. It was kind of a mess when I left it, so if anything needed outlining it was that project! But for some reason, my mind started wandering toward a different story … something outside my comfort zone. (wrote about that here)
I’ll have to report back on how outlining works out for me. So far, I keep adding more and more details to the outline — up to the 50% mark in the story. After that point … I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENS.
Which is pretty much the way it works when I pantster. LOL.
:)This sounds like a fun blogfest and I love that pic and headline! lol. I can’t seem to start a book without a detailed outline. Things just don’t work out when I try:)
Let me know how that outlining works for you. I would love it if I could get outlining to work for me — it seems like it would be a great time-saver if I could — but so far I just stall when I try it.
Must outline. 🙂 I get far too sucked into pointless details, or I forget where I was going with something…which is never good.
I like the idea for that blogfest. Lately, as I edit my unweildy WIP I’ve been wondering if I couldn’t benefit from a little more outlining.
Dianne, you know, pantsers really DO plot. We just plot while we pants along, writing that first draft. And once we have completed that first draft, we have a beefed up outline, complete with dialogue, narrative, and description. Then we go back and write the book. 🙂
I do a little of both–I plot the major parts of the story but pants the scenes. That way I get the best of both worlds!
Well, you may do more outlining and planning on your new work, but you’re probably always gonna feel more comfortable keeping your “pants” nearby.
I have to have an outline before I write my first draft. Doesn’t mean I don’t stray from it from time to time. 😀
I’m off to check out the blogfest.
Plotting? Plotfest? What?
Seriously, I’m more of a panster than a plotter. But now I’m planning a trilogy from a book I have mostly written, so I have a couple of paragraphs of notes. I’ve got to be ready when I’m offered that big figure deal, right?
The Plotting Blogfest sounds interesting. I’ll have to try and check out the blogs that are participating in that one.
I’m looking forward to reading the posts on that day – I like to hear all points of view. I’m not sure I have a ‘regular’ method yet 🙂
the more details you add the easier it will be when you start writing 🙂