If you read a lot of writing blogs, or articles about writing, or visit writing messageboards, you’re bound to see discussions about Plotting (ie creating an outline or list of plot points before you start writing) versus Pantsing (ie, writing by the seat of your pants, and seeing where it takes you).

I’ve always called myself a Plotter. All the books I’ve written (the trunked and the published alike) have started with a plot idea, which I’ve then expanded, found characters for, and outlined prior to actually writing. That may sound like I go into writing a book with everything figured out, but it’s not really that simple.

For example, just today I was writing a scene about midway through my current book (the sequel to CIRCUS GALACTICUS) and suddenly – like, as I was writing his dialogue the realization hit me– the Ringmaster revealed his secret plan. I didn’t know he had a secret plan up until that point. And actually, it was kind of bothering me because I couldn’t figure out how certain things that happen later in the outline were going to make sense. So maybe some part of my brain has been brewing this secret plan all along. But it definitely was not in the original outline, and it definitely took me by surprise. But I am also pretty definitely sure it’s the right thing to have happen.

Those surprises are one of the best parts of writing — when the story feels like it is alive and making decisions and moving, not just being prodded and shaped and directed. And they happen even when you are a mostly-Plotter.

So that’s today’s writing epiphany. Now here’s some cool space stuff I found while researching something for the WIP:

Check this out: four women astronauts! All in space at the same time! And a diverse group, too. How cool is that?

And this is the answer to the question I was actually trying to answer (for sekrit, book-related purposes).

Tags: circus2, writing