I am part of a great writers’ group that meets weekly to critique members’ work and to support one another in our writing journey. We recently started a podcast to discuss writing craft. Our fourth episode is now live on YouTube.
Our most recent question was: “Are you a Plotter or a Pantser?”
In this episode we discussed the differences. A number of great writer resources were mentioned, and I’d like to share those with you now.
No discussion of plotting would be complete without reference to “The Writer’s Journey. This amazing book explains Vogler’s myth-inspired plotting method used in many, if not most, novels and films today. I was fortunate enough to take a Master Class from Vogler a couple of years ago that covered the intricacies of plotting with this method. You can’t go wrong by checking it out.
Another amazing plotting reference is Jessica Brody’s “Save the Cat Writes a Novel.” Like Vogler, Brody has studied the structure of story and teaches it to you in a way that you can immediately leverage in your work, whether you are a plotter or a pantser. I have taken a Master Class with Brody also, and it was so helpful for my plotting.
One of my colleagues mentioned Stephen King’s “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.” I have read this book as well, and you can’t go wrong reading what King has to say. He is a lion in the industry for a reason, and has great wisdom to impart.
Another book mentioned by a colleague was Anne Lamott’s, “Bird by Bird.” I have not read this, but have added it to my “to read” pile. If my friend is so inspired, I know I will find this of great value.
One resource that I recommended myself is K.M. Weiland’s “Creating Character Arcs.” I credit this book with saving my novel and helping me tie plot and character together. I highly recommend it.
Many of the references discussed have something to do with plotting. The podcast also mentioned and recommended the pantser’s dream, although plotters can benefit as well. NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo is an organization that sponsors National Novel Writing Month every November, among other events. It gives participants the chance to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, with the support and cameraderie of others doing the same. If you are a pantser, sitting down and just writing as many words as you can, and getting the backbone of a novel, is just the project you may be looking for.
Check out some or all of these great resources, and join us soon for our next episode.
My partners on the podcast include (in alphabetical order):
- Avis Adams, an amazing published poet and YA writer whose novel is under consideration by an editor
- Carl Lee, a writer of paranormal fantasy – his first novel has also generated interest from an editor
- Melanie MacDonald, a mystery writer editing her first novel
- Wendy Kendall, the author of a published cozy mystery
Watch Episode 4 on Pantsers and Plotters now at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TadkdAVFKzU
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see our subsequent videos! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj5RZS7tkuPKB4rvfWuER9Q
The Facebook page is at: https://www.facebook.com/flamingoswritenow/
First off I want to say fantastic blog! I had a quick question which I’d like to ask if you don’t mind.
I was curious to know how you center yourself and clear your head before writing.
I’ve had trouble clearing my thoughts in getting my ideas out there.
I do take pleasure in writing however it just seems like the first
10 to 15 minutes are generally lost just trying to figure out how to begin. Any recommendations or hints?
Kudos!
Also visit my website http://www.intercp.org/forums/users/clarence6106/edit/?updated=true/users/clarence6106/
That may just be your process, and if so, I wouldn’t fight it. That’s similar to mine. I just take a few minutes to decide what the goal of my writing session is and outline it in my mind or on paper. Then I can start.