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Thursday, August 1, 2013

Disorganized Chaos

Welcome to Romance Books 4 Us everyone. I'm your tour guide for the day, Nicole Morgan and as some of you may have noticed I drop by with a new post on the first of every month and either ramble like a fool or amaze you with my intellect. LOL. Okay, yes that last one was a stretch, but...I've got you smiling now, don't I? Now that you're good and loosened up, go ahead and kick your shoes off, sit back, relax and enjoy!

Happy August everyone! I can't believe we're already in the eighth month of the year. I was fairly certain that my to-do list I wrote out in January had me slotted for accomplishing much more than I have. In fact, I don't think I've made much of a dent in it at all. Pffft... fizzle sticks. Planning is over rated anyway. Isn't it? At least I hope so. Because that sort of brings me to my topic today. Pantsing. Hmm... is that the right word? Is that even a word at all? LOL 

We've all been asked the same question in various interviews around the world wide web. You know the one, "Are you a plotter, or a pantser?" It seems every where we go these days people are asking us this question. I often wonder why this is so commonly appearing on interview sheets, mainly because I always end up admitting with embarrassment that I am the quintessential pantser. Why do I feel so much shame in this admission, you ask? I guess it's because I feel like I should be able to sit down in front of the keyboard and type out my great American novel merely by following the neatly inscribed notes that I collected while traveling the country side researching for very such novel. Isn't that how it is portrayed in the movies anyway? You know the ones, where the writer takes a year off of work, rents some cabin in the beautiful mountains while she spends her day drinking tea by the lake and writing a chapter here or there until she's ready to hand her book over to her big time agent.  Then once it's handed over all she has to do is sit back, wait and look pretty as her book skyrockets to the top of the best seller lists. Right? *sigh* If only! 

I could never portray such a life of luxury. My life is not just different than that. It's the exact polar opposite. There is no planning in my writing, no weeks taken off of work while I roam the countryside researching my next great masterpiece. It's usually me sneaking in a chapter here or there. You can usually find me wearing mismatched t-shirts and sweat pants, you know, because I'm classy like that. LOL. I'll probably have my hair pulled up in a pony tail as I defiantly ignore my cell phone which vibrates it's way into Annoyanceville. And did I mention, I'm no where near a beautiful lake or gorgeous countryside. Not to mention that I am not just a pantser, I am a chronic pantser. Picture someone with a thousand thoughts running through their mind and voices to match the internal struggle. I'm sure you're all thinking...oh, so Nic is crazy. Well, not exactly. At least not that I've been diagnosed. Although my fiance does say that I suffer from a severe case of BSC (clinically referred to as Bat Sh*t Crazy). I'm not sure where he gets such ideas. I'm really a sweet and harmless little thing *bats eyelashes at you all innocently* Regardless, my point is, that while I am not insane, I merely have too many thoughts running through my head to ever jot down notes and stick to them. I like to call my writing method, disorganized chaos. My stories tell themselves. Sometimes I don't know what's going to happen from one chapter to the next. I let my characters speak and grow as their story evolves around them. And while this may not be the most ideal way to write a book, I can tell you that when I'm doing it and in my zone I am having one hell of a time! 

To keep in theme with the content of today's post, tell me...  "Are you a plotter, or a pantser?" Muahaha... oh come on. You know I had to ask!  XOXO 

Nicole Morgan is an author of erotic romance novels, which more often than not have a suspenseful back story. Erotic romance mixed with good old-fashioned whodunit. While she's written everything from contemporary to paranormal her leading men will more than likely be wearing a uniform of some kind. From military to police officers, she has a love for writing about those who protect and serve. From her very first novel (which turned into a four book series) about Navy SEALs to her more recent releases you will be sure to find a few twists and turns you were not expecting.

She also has a recurring monthly column in Book & Trailer Showcase's eMagazine, and is a proud member of the Romance Books 4 Us Gold Authors. 

Find out more about Nicole and her books by visiting her websiteblogGoogle + PageTwitterFacebook and her Yahoo Group, Nicole’s Think Tank.

Until next month my lovies ~ Nicole 

7 comments:

Tina Donahue said...

Welcome to RB4U, Nicole! We don't bite (well, not too much). :)

Melissa Keir said...

I love your posts Nicole. You're good for a chuckle or two. :) I'm a pantser.

Honestly, where did they get this word? I didn't even know what it meant the first time it showed up in an interview. I've decided there should be a new category- blended. I'm not a typical pantser either. I have a general beginning and ending, it's the middle that gets squirrely. But I'm glad to see that I've got friends in the crazy camp. :)

Paris said...

Great post, Nic! I think I tread middle ground on this one. I start out with the basic idea for my story and main characters and happily make my way to the "inciting incident". This is my "BSC" phase, lol!

Then I start to plot, get to the middle of the middle (maybe BSC extends a little farther than my II)and write the ending so I know which threads to draw. Sounds crazy, I know but that's my process. Whatever works!

The Reading Frenzy said...

Great post. I'm not an author but I'm definitely a pantser in all the stuff I do :)

Rose Anderson said...

Enjoyed the post Nicole! I love my disorganized chaos. I'm like a hamster comfortably surrounded by chewed bits of paper and cardboard. You never know which bit will come into play in a story. I fly by the seat of my pants all the way. :)

jean hart stewart said...

Loved your post!! I start out a pantser, get pretty well into the book, generally a spot where the hero or heroine is in an unsolvable spot, and then have to resort to plotting to get them out. Probably not the easiest way to write...

Cara Marsi said...

Really enjoyable and funny post, Nicole. Welcome. I start out as a plotter. I write a loose outline and character sketches. Then as I write, I throw everything away and let the story take over. By the time the book's finished I'm a panster.

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