Activity

I think I’ve figured out that I need to find a balance in between… Like become a plantser. I thought I was a pantser, but I just can’t do it for the whole entire draft of a novel… Not right now, anyhow. I love letting the creativity flow, but not knowing certain things about my characters and the world that they live in is holding me back from creating the story I see in my mind. So I, too, am entering the realm of learning about outlining. Even though I’m pretty organized in most every other aspect of my life, writing (and crafting, for that matter) seems to have become an outlier. I’ve realized that it isn’t the blank page that phases me, but the scattered documents over multiple computers and actual paper, along with other ideas that simply haven’t been written down… All of that can be overwhelming. Being a a full on pantser has inhibited my creative process by creating unnecessary stress. And that’s just how I am wired. But I also cannot plot every single scene before writing it out in full. That would drive me crazy! Sometimes, when you have an idea you just have to roll with it and see where it takes you. If you set it aside, it can get lost in a pile of notes. Character backgrounds, world building, and a general plot structure will keep me sane (and typing!).

For those who do outline, what methods/programs to you use most?