Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Plantzer Checking In....
No, that is NOT a typo. I both Plot and Pantz; hence my word 'Plantz'.
When I first began writing, I'd start with a basic idea and write whatever the muse/characters whispered in my brain. My version of childhood fairy tales, English assignments, my year-long foray into Sci-Fi followed.
I soon branched into my alter-ego's series and soon discovered the issues dealing with a time-span of five years, plus the lives of six characters. Add to this confusion the fact I wrote the first four books out of order, and suddenly I had a severely mixed-up timeline. I needed a calendar of events.
On a sheet of paper (okay; four sheets!) I listed a vague, month by month outline of what issues each character was facing. Nothing specific; just a one line phrase. For example:
Aug 1985:
E: Feeling hostile about alcohol counseling
A: Matt comes home; only sees her three times in 2 week period
K: Meets Kyle
G: Nothing yet
C: Back solidly with Bryan
S: Nothing yet
I wrote Wild at Heart and my NaNo project, Teacher's Pet, off the top of my head. I let the characters lead me.
Appetite For Desire and All She Ever Wanted were inspired by a cooking muse (can you tell I was watching waaaaay too much Food Network in 2008, lol?) and started with snippets of conversations and some of my favorite recipes. I knew how each would end; what I didn't know was HOW they would get from sexual tension to HEA.
Three years ago, I began six wips with nothing more than a slight character sketch. Guess what? They all stalled out on Ch 2, because I didn't have a clue where they were going and the characters refused to talk to me.
Edits and marketing for ASEW took over; writing took a back seat.
Off The Clock was a nice surprise, as was the morning a disgruntled worker demanded I write down his words. Model Behavior came to me during an insomniatic night (insomniac??), fully formed: The beginning, Chapters 2-5, and the ending. But before I could finish Ch 3, Class Reunion took over. I knew exactly where the plot was heading, but the details were fuzzy until they showed up at my fingertips. So is it considered to be 'plotted out'? I don't think so, since I didn't know everything my characters would do in order to get to the HEA. And now I'm having the same issues with my 1st attempt at a paranormal. The guidelines have been laid down; they have a week to fall in love or be forever separated. But now the hero has me bogged down with his family issues. I have no idea when my muse will return to sort it all out!
Same for my Zombie story; a character literally threw me a curve ball and now I have to deal with a surprise twist in their relationship. Why can't characters behave? Because then the story would be too boring and predictable? Geez.....
Detailed outline= Plotter
Vague idea= Pantzer
Vague outline+ Vague idea= Plantzer
That's my story and I'm sticking to it:)
I guess I'm a Plantzer too. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a plotter - can't write by the seat of my pants. My outlines are several hundred pages long - mainly because of all the research in them on the characters' backgrounds and what not, including photos of what I think everything looks like so I can describe it well. It may sound like a lot of work; however, it makes the actual writing so much easier as I've basically written the story in the outline. The next draft is for polishing. :)
ReplyDelete@Tina: (blinks) Several HUNDRED pages?? I tip my hat to you; I'd get bogged down and confused at that much research!
ReplyDeleteI usually start out with an idea that will carry me for about three or four chapters, usually to the inciting incident and then I have to sit down and figure out where I want everything to go but sometimes that doesn't work out either, lol!
ReplyDeleteUsually by the time I hit the mid-point I'll know if I'm on the right track and outline the rest. I try to get the important plot elements into the first draft and then polish the second. So far, it works for me:)
As newbie, I'm a pantzer. :)
ReplyDeleteMarika
My big thing is to make a list of characters with descriptions, any quirks, vehicles they drive and all that kind of stuff. That's after I have a basic idea formed. I always know the beginning and the end. I'm definitely a Plantzer.
ReplyDeleteTina, I could never write out hundreds of pages. Wow! You go girl. lol
I have to have a basic plot line so I have something solid to veer away from and return to.
ReplyDeleteXXOO Kat
I guess I'm a plantzer too. I get the firt few chapter down in a big hurry, and then sometimes get really stuck. Then I try to outline the rest of the book. Seems to be the only way I can write. But Tina, that long an outline leaves me struck dumb with admiration....
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI have an idea on my mind and play with it for days before writing down a short outline. I'm happy to have a muse to discuss my ideas and how I want the story to go. With a lot of coffee and cookies, we trim the plot, create the characters and find the special little things that a story needs to be entertaining, i.e. a tick the main character has.
Sometimes I write down two stories and work on each at a time, depending on ideas and my drive to write. :)
Have a productive weekend,
Ann Raina
Thank you so much for this! Now I know what I am - a plantzer! I wish I had coined the term so I could blog about it!
ReplyDeleteI have always gotten the idea for a plot and then outlined it, but then I create the characters and structure as I go along. I had never even heard the term "pantzer" until I went to an authors conference, and when I asked, they looked at me like I had a swastika carved in my forehead.
I don't judge other authors for being pantzers, but I have been derided often for outlining my plot!
From the reception of my novels, I must be doing something right!
I guess I do a little of both, too. I wish I could stick to an outline, but my stories always change. I'm kind of jealous of writers that can outline the whole story and know exactly what will happen. I have no idea until I start writing the story.
ReplyDeleteKelley