by Mindy Obenhaus
Plotting.
Some writers are meticulous about it, while others get heart palpitations at
the mere thought. I’m a pantser at heart, however I’ve learned that I’m more
productive if I have a good chunk of the story plotted prior to writing my
proposal.
Most
pantsers think of plotting as rigid and constraining. So the first thing we
need to do is change our perception of plotting. Instead of approaching it as a
hard-and-fast outline that you cannot deviate from, what if it’s simply a
guideline to help keep us on task? That was key to turning this pantser into a
plantser.
What
does plantsing look like?
You
have your story idea with your main characters. Perhaps you know how the story
is going to end or you have a few scene ideas. Great! Write those down. I’m a
visual person, so I use a very simplistic Word .doc with a chart that is broken
down into the number of chapters with two boxes (scenes) per chapter. If I have
an idea for the ending, I fill that in. I also add any other scenes I have in
mind wherever I think they might occur in the story. Since it’s on the
computer, whatever I write is easily moved to another chapter/scene later on.
With
those things out of my head and on the page, I ask myself where the story
begins. Every story starts with an inciting incident. That event that
upends life as your h/h knows it and sets them on their journey. Like when a
single mother runs into the father of her child. A child he knows nothing about.
Or when a woman offers to help her neighbor who’s been thrust into the role of
guardian for his five-year-old niece.
Great,
we have an opening. Now what?
What’s
at stake?
When
the story opens, even before the inciting incident, your character has a goal
(what they want), a motivation (why they want it) and a conflict (what keeps
them from their goal). But what will happen if they don’t achieve their goal?
That’s what’s at stake. Example: My heroine who learns her rancher neighbor is
now guardian of his niece owns the local hardware store. Her goal is to
expand her store before a regional building supply company moves into the area
so she can establish her store as the go-to place for home improvement supplies
(motivation). But her store is landlocked, so the only way to increase
the footprint of her business is to purchase the building next door, but the
owner has no interest in selling (conflict). Her business is what’s at stake. If she can’t
expand her store, she’ll lose business to the big box store.
Stakes
are important and sometimes overlooked in the pantsing process. But if the
stakes aren’t clear, an editor will likely pass on your story. I speak from
experience. 😉
What
happens next?
That
single question is key to my plotting process. From one scene to the next I ask
myself, “What happens next?” Then I write down whatever comes to mind.
Sometimes it’s dialog, other times it’s just a matter-of-fact statement to
prompt me later. However, there are those times when I have no idea what comes
next. And the best way I’ve found to overcome that is with another question.
What’s
the worst thing?
In
his book Writing the Breakout Novel, Donald Maass says to think of the
worst thing that could happen to your character in that particular moment and
then find a way to make it happen. I blew that question off for years. Until I
realized that it really works. It creates automatic conflict and ups the
stakes. The downside is that it’s not always easy. Sometimes the worst thing
takes us down a road we don’t want to travel. Been there, done that. I’ve
ignored those nudges God kept giving me. It resulted in multiple rewrites. When
I finally relented and gave in to God’s prompting, my editor loved the story.
Working
backwards.
If
going forward becomes a struggle, try working backwards. If you know how the
story is going to end, work backwards from that point. Ask yourself what
happened leading up to the ending.
By
taking the time to think through my story, I’m able to fill in most of the
blanks on my chart with at least some basic information (like scene goals,
motivation and conflict and what’s at stake). Then that aids me in writing the
synopsis and allows me to write the story faster because I know what’s
going to happen.
Of
course, the pantser in me cannot be ignored, so I usually write my first three
chapters before I start plotting. And, when working on my chart, I
always allow myself the freedom to write whatever comes to mind. Sometimes I’ll
write entire scenes or big chunks of dialog. Then all I have to do is cut and
paste. And yes, sometimes things change as I’m writing and that’s okay. Because
plantsers don’t like rigid.
Are
you a pantser who would like to be more productive? Consider trying something different.
Even one thing that makes you more productive is worth a shot. Plotters, do you
have any tips for pantsers that will still allow them the freedom they love so
much?
I’m
giving away another copy of my July release, A Father’s Promise, to one
lucky commenter (U.S. mailing addresses only, please).
Is
he ready for fatherhood?
He doesn’t think he deserves a family… But now he has a daughter.
Stunned to discover he has a child, Wes Bishop isn’t sure he’s father
material. But his adorable daughter needs him, and he can’t help feeling drawn
to her mother, Laurel Donovan—a woman he’s finally getting to know. But can
this sudden dad overcome a past tragedy that has him convinced he’s not meant
to be a husband or a father…and make a promise of forever?
