Ever wonder what style of
writer you are? As a reader, have you asked
yourself, gee, I wonder where they came up with that idea? Everybody seems to have their own technique or
ritual or personal voodoo they go through before they start a new book. Here are a few.
PLOTTER: A writer who needs to know from beginning to
end exactly what is going to happen in the story. This seems to be especially important when
you're writing mysteries or suspense.
After all, you need to know who the hero and heroine are as well as the
villain. You need to have a firm grasp
on what needs to happen each step of the way, where to lay the foundation of
the story, exactly where to feather in all the red herrings to keep the reader
on their toes. And you especially need
to know exactly when, where, why and how the "big black moment" takes
place, because that's where you wrap up everything with a nice big bow and can
finally write the end. Plotters have
been known to write up complete character descriptions for each person in the
book, detailed maps of the city/town/village where they story takes place. Any and all details that are important to
their story all get written down. We may
even write a long synopsis of the entire story, pages and pages of outline,
before the first word ever appears on the actual manuscript page.
PANTSER: A pantser is a writer who is the complete
opposite of a plotter in every way. A
pantser doesn't write down an outline or a synopsis before they start. They basically don't have a clue where the
story is going to go. Instead, they sit
down at their keyboard (or pull out their writing pad) and away they go. They fly by the seat of their pants—hence the
name pantser. A kernel of an idea will
begin the pantser writer on their trek, and like the reader, they don't know
where the story will take them until they've written it. It can make for a bumpy but oh-so-worth-it
ride.
HYBRID: A hybrid writer is generally a combination of
the two types listed above. They need to
know the basics or bones of the story and the story line before they start. They know the main characters; the hero,
heroine, and the villain and probably know where they need to end up. With a much smaller amount of foreknowledge,
the hybrid writer weaves the basic structure they've constructed from a few known
facts and begins their travels along the path to a completed story, very
similar to the pantser writer. Some
structure goes a long way to keeping the hybrid write on track, too.
I'll admit, I'm a hybrid writer. Especially with my romantic suspense, I find
it imperative that I know a fair amount about my main characters, and where I
want their journey to take them. I have
a general outline of the very beginning of the action, a few key points that
need to happen, and what the big climax of the mystery/suspense/resolution is. The rest is written wherever the characters
lead. And believe me they can lead to
some really unexpected places. J
So, what type of writer are
you – a plotter, a pantser or a hybrid.
Or do you have a completely different that you use. I'd love to hear how you get from the beginning
to the end.
Kathy's latest book, Connor's Gamble, a romantic suspense is available now.
CONNOR'S GAMBLE BUY
LINKS:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1d1MZzx
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1dUdwde
B & : http://bit.ly/1p92tUp
2 comments:
Started as a "pantser."
Although, I liked to call myself a "method writer." I feel my way into the characters like a method actor?
But I've learned I need to see the end to write more efficiently. So I'm a converted hybrid!
Add me to the hybrid group. I generally know my characters, and where I want to end up but my characters often change things and I follow.
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