A Pantser’s Writing Life

I love the holiday season, prepping home and hearth and gathering My Everyone around me. The baking, cooking, decorating, shopping, and events fill the month with happy anticipation. There’s a lot to do. 

My to-dos lists piles up exponentially during December.  They scatter across paper scraps, reminder apps, and several dog-eared notebooks. My pantser writer traits show up in my daily life. Pantsers approach and create by instinct (the seat of their pants). In contrast, plotters rely on outlines and structure. Imposed timetables help keep me organized, but, since retirement, schedules are very fluid.

My stories, blog posts, emails, and social content often begin on sticky notes, used envelopes, or in one or two notebooks. Eventually, something breaks through and gets written. It usually works.

Right now, I’m finishing a picture book sequel to Famous Seaweed Soup and drafting my YA epic, The Eyes of the Strega. The series builds a magical world within a historic period, following characters across a century. For that, I need more planning guidance.

The new year feels like the right time to get The Eyes of  the Strega on track. I’m testing programs to cut down on paper clutter and get a handle on the flow and pacing. I hope to evolve as a left-leaning “plantser” (plot+pants=plantser) Also, I will soon seek beta readers for the picture book sequel. 

During December, I try to coral my list into piles, so it doesn’t look too messy. It’s a matter of remembering which list is piled where. How do you juggle all of your to-dos?

I had a lovely interview with Andrea Peponikas, a fellow children’s book writer and a Spotlight on Long Island columnist for The Three Tomatoes ezine. The article came out out on December 6th. I hope you like it. 

That’s it, for now. Great BIG thanks to Natalie the Explorer who keeps The Weekend Coffee Share percolating.

---

---