How do you write your best novel? How do you be your best self?
My feelings about plot vs pant is that my feelings don’t matter when it comes to how anyone else wants to write. My feelings only matter when I am writing.
I think of plotters like my friend who is a planner for everything in her life. She plans ahead when she’ll see me, researches all the venues ahead of time, chooses the path we will walk, the restaurant, her choice on the menu, all in advance. She thinks she’s living her best life. Who am I to say she isn’t? I think she’s missing out on all the things that cannot be planned, that aren’t on a website or map, the things she doesn’t yet know and so cannot plan, the fun and joy of living in the moment. But what I think has no input into what is her best life. She values a sense of control over fun, so, doing her planning, (which she says she loves to do), she is living her best life. I can respect that.
I live my best life by being open to what the Universe sends me, accepting that some days are better than others, but at least every day starts with a possibility of fun and surprise. I value bliss in the moment over control. Am I living my best life? Most of the time I think I am and that’s all that matters to me.
So it is with writing. Who can tell you how to write your best novel? Only you know.
I do wish there was more respect for us pantsers, though. I think more teachers and editors of writing craft fall into the planner type of people in general, because how do you teach anyone how to dream? So, there’s an assumption that if you are not a plotter you want to be. There’s an assumption that you have a long synopsis written before most of the words are done. There’s an assumption that you know your character’s needs and desires before you’ve gotten to know them. There’s an assumption you know the ending before you’ve written it. This makes it difficult to get full value from workshops and critiques before I’m several drafts deep with a story.
I think other art forms value the creative process - the pantser mindset - more than the writing field. In learning metalwork and painting and fiber, I’ve been told, you learn all the techniques, you have your materials, tools, and your inspired design, but you have to listen to your instincts, your intuition, in the moment of the creative process to create something that has your own voice. The maker’s mark - the imperfections- the broken rules- are valued because they show the humanity and passion that no machine or AI can create.
Novel writers can learn from the other arts, especially those that technology has already duplicated, how to bring value once AI is writing novels.
This Is Not About is written by Ada Austen, the author of Better Late Than Never, a multicultural second-chance romance set on the beaches and boardwalks of the New Jersey Shore. It is the New Jersey Romance Writers 2021 Golden Leaf Winner - Best Book by NJ Author.