My Writing Process - I'm a Plotter To The Max

Plotter or Pantser?

Writers can easily describe themselves as one or the other.

Plotters... well, Plotters plot. There's a plan, a grid, index cards, a spreadsheet, something that holds a list of all the events or scenes that will appear in the novel in loose order. Detailed character descriptions are created before one word of the novel appears on a computer screen.

A Pantser sits down to write with an idea of who the characters are and what will happen to them and writes.

If you are a writer or are contemplating organizing words so that they tell a story, you will probably read the two descriptions above and immediately gravitate to one approach or the other. There's no right or wrong; one approach is not more successful than the other. There's only preference.

Plotter or Pantser? Writer's Choice

Plotter to the Max

I freely admit that I'm a PLOTTER. I use index cards, plot grids, a conflict table, and detailed character descriptions. On the software side, during different times in my process, I use Writer's Dreamkit, Writer's Blocks, MS Excel spreadsheets, and Scrivener to view the story from several angles. I have most of the story line worked out before I start writing. I like to know the beginning and the ending before setting out on the journey.

How does my writing process work?

I start with what grabs me: a conversation, a place, a character, an event. Usually one or two scenes form in my mind, and I'll write those down. After that, I turn on the PLOTTER. I create character sketches for the hero and heroine using a template that I've drawn from several sources. Those sketches are full-blown biographies, so I'm already doing research as I go. Then I start plotting, starting with a Conflict Grid and the Book in a Month system by Victoria Lynn Schmidt that help with story line. Finally I create a plot grid using Writer's Blocks which allows me to keep scenes, settings and timeline all in sync. I write the first draft in one long gulp, usually over a month. Then after another round of research and plotting, sometimes using different tools, I begin rewriting and editing, rewriting and editing, each time looking at another aspect of the novel, such as dialogue or repeated words. Then it's ready to send out to my core of first readers. Whew! Every step of this journey strengthens my writing and the story. You get to enjoy the results!

Why do I write what I write?

I write sweet romance (light on the sex and violence) because I like the tension between people who are caught in social or life situations that keep them apart without the complicating layer of physical love. Elinor's pulsing emotions under the surface in Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" are what I want to reproduce. Other than that, I write what I write when a subject, a character, a scene or a setting grabs me and won't let go. Elsewhere in this blog, you can read how that happened for each of my books.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

My contemporary novels have been described as "delightful slices of life" and "uplifting", and my writing as "eloquent".  These novels often feature a librarian in some way, in honor of my training and second profession. One of my historical romance series, THE HATHAWAYS, is set in Regency England, a popular time and place. My second historical series, THE STORM WARRIORS, is set in the 1880's and the US Life Saving Service, the forerunner to the US Coast Guard. The setting is located on the shores of the Great Lakes, a less known location, but full of opportunities for romance. In all of my writing, I add the touch of the Spirit by exploring life's options. For many of us, the choice that lies before us is not between Good and Bad, but between Good and Best. There are plenty of things we can do, judged as Good by society, our parents, our church, our peers. But what is Best for us? What will match our talents and joy to the world's needs? I like exploring that kind of choice through my writing.

How Do Other Authors Work?

A fellow author from Clean Reads, Ariella Moon writes about magic, friendship, and love. She shares her home with family and a dragon, so be prepared for magic. She's made some writing magic with her trilogy The Teen Wytche Sage.

Visit with Shirley Kiger Connolly. Shirley, daughter of a 1940s mystery writer, enjoys penning inspirational historical fiction romances and books filled with lighthearted devotions and reflections.  

Cindy K. Green is an award-winning author of more than 10 titles both in print and out of print. She's a fellow member of the Heart of Carolina RWA chapter here in North Carolina  A previous middle school history and English teacher, she now writes Inspirational Christian and Sweet Fiction for Adults and Young Adults.

Visit with Lynne Stringer. Lynne has been passionate about writing all her life. She wrote her debut Young Adult sci-fi romance novel, THE HEIR, in 2010. THE HEIR is the first book in the Verindon trilogy and has now been joined by THE CROWN and THE REIGN.