Top five things I love about NOT plotting
I have never plotted my books ever since the beginning. From being a child, writing little stories down on paper, to now – nothing has driven me on like not knowing what will happen next in my story. I want to tell you the top ten things I love about NOT plotting my books.
But first, perhaps, I should invite you in on what the process of writing an unplanned book looks like.
My writing process
When I get a story idea, it is a flurry of characters, events, and settings, that inspire me in some way. They usually don’t have much structure or meaning, but as I think about the idea, things start to fall into place. Perhaps saying I don’t plot my books at all is a lie. When I sit down to write the first draft, my idea has usually formulated into something of some substance. But I suppose what I mean by saying I am not a plotter is this: I don’t set out to organize my entire story.
Starting a first draft as a pantser can be a little daunting. I am sometimes unsure as to where to begin. But the words always come to me, and I hang on the hope of editing out my mistakes later.
The plot flows out of my original ideas, and the story slowly but surely grows. There are many times during the drafting process I have to stop and thing for a bit. It never leaves me stuck for long though, and often makes me see exciting plot points that I never would have thought of otherwise.
To me, writing without a plot is exciting and an adventure. I am not against plotting, and actually have come to utilize many aspects of it in my process. But plotting out my entire book chapter by chapter, scene by scene is not for me. (Trust me, I’ve tried).
So, what are my top ten favourite things about not plotting? Let me tell you.
1: The excitement
The excitement of not plotting has to be one of the first things that comes to mind. It feels like an adventure, to have a story idea, and simply explore what the characters might feel or do. I love coming up with multiple ways a scene could go, and then choosing the most interesting way possible. I am not a perfectionist, and not much of an organizer by nature, so what may be stressful to others, feels so fun to me!
2: The mid draft brainstorms
Although I sometimes ask myself why I do it, the mid draft brainstorms are one of my fond writing memories. When I get stuck in the middle of my story, out of direction and completely clueless as to where the story needs to go next, I have a think. Often this thinking time includes music, and swinging, and being dramatic. But that is what makes it fun. I always leave those times with new inspiration and fresh ideas. Ideas I could not have come up with all at once in a plotting stage.
3: The way I get to know the characters
I try to get a rough feel for how the characters work and feel before drafting. But nothing can compare to how it feels to get to know them through writing. It’s that feeling when I’m in the middle of a draft and I hear a song, or see something, and it reminds me of them. Writing myself into knowledge of my characters is both tricky and rewarding. It does make for some extra editing later on, but it’s fully worth the time.
4: Seeing the story grow
Seeing the story grow from something I thought it was, to something so much better, has to be one of my favourite parts of not plotting. The way I have an idea of what the book will look like, and it just takes shape of its own. I get to experience the story and characters forming their arcs, their surprises, and their unexpected turns. To read through the first draft after it is finished and think back to my first days of story idea and inspiration. It is just wild, and I don’t think it could be so special if I figured it all out before starting.
5: What I learn as an author
Not plotting has taught me so much about myself as a writer. It has pulled up the bad habits and shown me my negative tendencies. While I’m sure plotting would develop me as well, going straight into writing without thinking too much shows me how I naturally write. I have loved getting to grow from my downfalls. Nothing quite like reading a first draft and being utterly disgusted. But I have harnessed my imperfect writing and started learning about editing. Editing is going to change my life. I can tell I’ve just pricked the surface.
The downsides of not plotting
Of course there are downsides to not plotting. There are downsides to just about everything but Jesus! Things such as a longer editing process, and having to fix big plot holes later. Things like having to stop in the middle of writing because I don’t know what to write next. But all these things have grown me further as an author, not prohibited me.
Another downside I have found is how little writing advice there is for us “non-plotters”. Of course, I listen to all the plotting advice to glean what I want. But a LOT of writing advice online, on Youtube etc. is so focused on plotting, it can get hard to sift through.
That is part of why I want to create a writer community. So we can share advice that isn’t based on plotting, or structure alone, but also on writer voice, the depth of words, and more.
If you would like to learn more about writing, feel free to browse more blog posts, or contact me if you have any questions. You can also find me on YouTube at The Windy Wildflower, or the podcast at The Windy Wildflower Podcast. Another resource you may enjoy is my free e-book about creativity here. We talk about writing, songwriting, and being a Christian creative in all these places. Join me on the journey of learning to glorify God with our creativity and making dreams a reality.
