Plotter > Pantser: My Writing Process
Writing Inked Magnolia (book one of the Bright Ridge Six Series)
I’m sure you’ve heard countless people say they have the best idea for a book or movie, but they just don’t know how to write it - maybe you’re even one of them. If having an idea is Point A, and the finished manuscript is Point B, do you know what method of travel works best for you?
If you’ve seen the terms plotter and pantser when it comes to writers, I’m here to make it simple - plotters like to plan and outline while a pantster, well, they fly by the seat of their pants. I’ve always had a deep love for writing, and I’ve tried a lot of different things over the years to bring my stories to life. Finally creating the exact process that works for me has made a huge impact on my progress and allowed me to write two books in one year - with many more on the way!
My hope is that shedding light on what works for me, it might help other aspiring authors to bring their characters to the world. As my favorite Tiktok tarot readers say - “take what resonates with you and leave the rest”.
Step One - Ariel’s Secret Grotto
Remember in The Little Mermaid when Ariel is singing and swirling around in a cavern surrounded by all the thingamabobs she’s collected? That’s what my notes app is - a collection of things that stand out to me for some reason I don’t know of yet. I collect names, photos, quotes, ideas, songs, and scenes that might end up in a book. This is the step I start with, but one that I keep throughout every other step.
If I’m Ariel, then the world is my ocean and all I want to do is look for things I want to add to my collection. I used to carry around a notebook for this, but I prefer my notes app because it’s on me all the time and I can add pictures and links. It also works when I want to copy and paste into a Google doc for the next steps.
If you don’t already see your surroundings as your ocean of ideas, here are some things I do (aside from maladaptive daydreaming):
Names - look at the names on every name tag, receipt, tv/movie credits, pet’s names
Songs - when you hear a song, imagine the soundtrack it would be on and what type of scene it would play during
Quotes - when you read a quote, what book would you put it at the beginning of? One of my favorite inspiration quotes is always - “Hell is empty and the devils are here.” - Shakespeare
Places - I grab photos of places all the time! Creepy houses on the corner of the street, ads for open houses, abandoned houses, etc. Just looking at a house, you can imagine who lives there
Paintings/Art - find art you can stare at and get lost in - Goya, Fuseli, Delaroche, Caravaggio, etc. are just some of mine
Step Two - Selfcare Sunday
Once per week, I like to go through my collection and scroll through without any interruptions. Consider it part of a selfcare routine, but not for your face. It also helps the ideas not feel forced. When I read through them and nothing stands out strongly, then I go another week and revisit again. I don’t rush this part because I want the right story to happen when it’s meant to happen, so I let it set the pace on its own.
Step Three - Post It Puzzle
At this point, I can imagine pieces and/or scenes to the story, and the plotter stage starts. I don’t get to this step unless I can see a couple of scenes including the ending. I’ve done this step before with post its, index cards, on a timeline, etc. Use whatever works for you, but I’m a very visual person so seeing the moments on post its helps me.
Write the scenes you have in your mind, each on one post it, and lay them out in the order that makes sense to you. Once you do that, then go one by one and ask yourself what needs to happen in the story for that progression to make sense. This process of questioning creates more post its to add to the lineup. When you’re finished, you should be able to see the story being told. This is also the point where I call my husband in the room and have him look to see if it makes sense to someone other than me.
Step Four - Chapter Outline
Once I have the progression of events placed in the order I want the reader to experience them in, I assume each post it is a chapter. In Google docs, I start with a prologue (if there is one), and then for each post it, I put the scene and then a hyphen followed by the idea with more details.
It would look like this (don’t judge me, this was off the top of my head for an example):
*no prologue
Ch 1 - Jessa drinks too much at the bar - Jessa’s POV - After a long day of work at Clairmont’s, Jessa dreads going home because of the unresolved fight from last night with her girlfriend, Mel. She didn’t intend on stopping at the bar, but pulled into the parking lot on impulse at the red light. When she walked in and eyed the quiet booth in the back, she thought a little doomscrolling and a beer might be the tiny selfish pleasure she could indulge in for a while. All it took was another angry text from Mel before she ordered the first shot, and before she knew it, she was numb in all the worst ways with no safe way to get home.
Step Five - Fan Cast
When I have the whole outline written, and the progression makes sense to me, then I indulge another bit of fun for visual planners like me - the fan cast! I’ll open another Google doc for reference photos to help me see the scene better in my head.
For each character, I’ll find and add any pictures that remind me of them. I also choose one celebrity I would cast if it was made into a movie. When I write, I see it in my head like a movie, so it helps a lot to have that person’s mannerisms and facial expressions to be more descriptive in my storytelling. This is always SUPER helpful to have when you commission character art too because you usually have to send the artist reference photos.
Step Six - The Soundtrack
The final part of my writing process is the playlist. This doesn’t necessarily mean the songs you list in the beginning pages of the book (if you choose to do that), but they’re the songs and sounds that help you imagine the scenes. This could be anything from viral songs to a youtube channel of what it sounds like to sit at a cafe in Paris on a Saturday. Anything that makes the places and scenes in your story feel real to you, that’s what I include.
TIPS:
Don’t push yourself. The story will tell itself at its own pace. If you sit at your computer/laptop and it doesn’t happen that day - it’s ok.
Another small sense of accomplishment you can give yourself is to highlight each number on your outline after you finish writing the chapter. It’s fun to watch like a progress bar.
Take progress pics to look back at when you’re finished. I take pics of the word counter at the bottom of the screen every so often and it makes me feel proud to look at how far I’ve come.
Don’t set your pacing goals with anyone else. Some people write faster and some don’t. You can’t judge how fast your book comes together against other authors. It’s not apples to apples - your books are different and so are you.
Be kind to yourself. It’s very easy to look back on something you write and pick it apart. There’s a big difference in proof reading and editing vs letting your imposter syndrome feed you lies about your talent. When you read something you’ve written - imagine yourself as a kid because that’s who you’re talking to. Be nice to you.
Make an aesthetic Pinterest mood board for your story. When you’re having trouble seeing the scene - scroll through your board. It definitely helps.
That’s my process and what has worked for me. I hope it helps you get your story out into the world! No matter what, the most important thing I’ve learned is that you should always write it. Always tell your stories because as The Doctor says (yay for fellow Whovians) - “We’re all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?.”
Happy Writing!
