It was uncomfortable at first…
Writing without my pants on, that is…
Usually wearing pants is what inspires me to write.
Today however, I wrote sans pants…
And it was new, it was different. It was great!
But just so you don’t think I’ve gone nudist…
Let me explain.
As a writer you know there are two types of us...
Plotters and pantsers.
For non-writers, being a pantser is writing by the seat of your pants…
Unlike plotters who, well…plot.
I’ve always been a pantser and enjoyed the process…
Letting creativity flow into my head…
From who knows where…
And then letting my fingers type away.
But not anymore.
Why?
For awhile I’ve been working on a manuscript…
One that had been critiqued and somewhat edited before…
But something felt off, just not right, and I didn’t trust.
“Enough!” I said a few months ago…
“I am going to find out what in the hell is wrong with it.”
And so I researched, found a respected editor…
And sent her my manuscript.
The other day, I got the manuscript back.
“You are rambling,” was one of her remarks.
“Portions of the story are going nowhere,” she wrote.
“Get rid of the first eighty pages.”
Now, if you know me…
You would have bet I headed straight for the tequila bottle…
Or a container of mint chocolate chip ice cream…
Or worse...
Threw myself on the bed so I could sleep my insecurity away.
But not this time…
It was if the universe (respected editor)…
Finally gave me the answer I’d been searching for…
And the answer I got back was clear:
While my story was unique, my humor entertaining…
The manuscript wasn't working.
Summary?
I am in the process of rewriting this story…
But unlike the first go round (pantsing)…
This time I am plotting...
I am thinking through to the end of the story…
I am writing an outline…
Then a synopsis…
The story will remain mostly the same, also the characters…
But before I write another 87,000 words...
I will know if the storyline works.
Oh, and I know you pantsers out there are shaking your head…
Oh, and I know you pantsers out there are shaking your head…
But maybe being a pantser works for you…
It just doesn’t work for me.
So, from now until the end of the holidays…
And on into the new year…
I’m dedicating my writing hours to this rewrite…
I will be blogging sometimes, but not much.
I’ll see you next year…
And in the meantime have a fabulous holiday season.
So tell me?
Have you ever written a manuscript from scratch—again?
Always, Em-Musing
Leigh Caron writes humorous women's fiction.
She lives in Akumal, Mexico and will host a
Spiritual Energy Writer's Retreat in Mexico in 2014