Like many areas of my life, I find myself in the middle of two extremes. Many writers are what the writing community refers to as “Planners”. This means that they meticulously plan out their books. Detailed outlines, plot notes, character development strategies, etc. Then there are writers referred to as “Pantsers”. These are the authors who fly by the seat of their pants and write their stories off the cuff. Plots go where they may, characters do as they please, and the author somehow brings them all together in the end.

I have coined my own phrase (though others may use this word or something similar); I call myself a “Plantser,”. This is a hybrid of the two. I begin my process with the concept of the book, think about ways to build the story, make general notes as the thoughts arrive, and then create a very basic outline. Perhaps just 100-200 words explaining what general plot points should take place in each chapter.

Upon completion of the cerebral task of creating the outline, that’s when the magic happens. My creative juices start to take over, and I experience the story almost the same way that a reader does. My subconscious takes the 100-200 word plan for each chapter in the outline and turns those into full chapters of roughly 3,000-4,000 words, where the characters, plots, and sceneries take on lives of their own. I literally laugh out loud or tear up or shudder as the words fall into place. I enjoy this style of writing because I get all of the emotions that I hope my readers will feel. It makes the writing process immensely enjoyable for me.