I’m working on something new. Something with bad boys and dark humor and I love it. It is going to be horribly fun. Actually I’m working on two something news. One is very new and the other is less new. Both are paranormals (surprise, surprise) and very different. The less new one is shaping up to be funnier than I intended. It’s also shaping up to be a bit of a mystery which I didn’t intend at all.

In case you haven’t guessed by now I really am one of those people that makes this stuff up as I go along. Oh, I have a general idea of what my story’s going to be about but usually I end up having things take me by complete surprise. I wrote a very detailed outline one time. The story ended up being almost nothing like the outline. Now I don’t bother. I write down generalities, a scene or two and let it go from there.

Like this blog post for example, it was supposed to be about titles and I haven’t mentioned them at all. Guess I’ll save that topic for another day and continue on with the path this seems to have taken about plotting vs. pantsing (yes, that’s a word. At least in the writing world it is). It seems this is one of the first questions you get asked when you meet fellow writers: Are you a plotter (someone who outlines and knows all the twists before you start writing) or a pantser (you wing it)? The pantsers inevitably shudder when confronted with a diehard plotter and the plotters get wide eyes of disbelief when met with a pantser.

Its not that we feel one has any more merit over the other, we just can’t understand how their brains can work in a way completely opposite from ours. Usually there’s some envy involved wishing we could do it the way they do. Because its always easier on the other side, isn’t it? It must be, right? Cuz it’s incredibly hard on our side, whichever side that is.

Pantsers are the ones you’ll find saying their character did this or that and they couldn’t believe it.

Plotters are the one that say their character wanted to do this or that but they didn’t let them.

Yes, both sides hear people talking in their heads. Why do you ask? O.O

There is absolutely no point to this post other than to share a bit more about how my brain works. And to live up to my personal desire to blog more often.  So what about you are you a plotter or pantser? Even if you aren’t a writer you’ll fall more on one side than the other. Do you like everything planned or just go with the flow?