{"id":4232,"date":"2022-05-17T17:55:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T00:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/?p=4232"},"modified":"2022-06-20T13:30:49","modified_gmt":"2022-06-20T20:30:49","slug":"plotting-pantsing-progress-trackers-w-reed-mingault","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/2022\/05\/17\/plotting-pantsing-progress-trackers-w-reed-mingault\/","title":{"rendered":"Plotting, Pantsing & Progress Trackers (w\/Reed Mingault)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Reed sat with me in my quiet kitchen over muffins and tea. We talked about creating structure and putting in the work. She needed to go upstairs and pack her suitcase, but I kept her at the counter asking more questions and taking notes…\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(I love talking with writers about the craft. I have so much to learn!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Different approaches to writing:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We all come to writing with different experiences and with different goals. I find it fascinating to learn about how other people approach getting words on the page. The craft of writing is wildly diverse. In my conversation with Reed she shared these terms that were completely new to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Pantsing” – flying by the seat of your pants, jumping in<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is just sitting down to write with nothing but a vague idea in your head.  They jump in and discover it all as they go. They write their way into the structure and discover the story as they write it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is fascinating to me. I would say in most things I am more structured. I enjoy organization, spreadsheets, and outlines. Reed shared that when she began writing fan fiction she approached it with this style. Nowadays, she leans towards a more structured method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Plotting” – creating structure before you write<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Plotting is any prep work you do for your novel. It does not have to be a detailed outline like a college English class. You do not need a thesis. It is simply doing structure work before you start writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tolkien is a great example of a plotter. He wrote complicated languages and did extensive planning ahead of time. He wrote with such detail about the structure of the world that Christopher Tolkien was able to finish the work after his father’s passing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by conner bowe<\/a> & Liam Truong<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/sub><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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More Resources about how to Plot –<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Save the Cat – an excellent site with lots of resources<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

STORY GENIUS: <\/a><\/em><\/strong>How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Snowflake Method<\/a> is methodically expanding each scene (or one chapter) at a time. Like the fractals in a snowflake, you expand outward with detail. Reed talked about how she uses this method to slowly build out the structure of a fantasy story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Plantsers” – a combo of Plotting & Pantsing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The middle of the road can be using the planning as a loose guideline. In this method the writer outlines and sets some directions for the work to go. Just an overarching list of where they are headed. Then they write their way in and see where it takes them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article shares more about these ideas: thewritepractice.com\/plotters-pantsers\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is another way to approach it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s What Both Pantsing and Plotting Miss: The Real Story<\/a> By Lisa Cron<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Elena Mozhvilo<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

We all want to make progress in our writing no matter our tendencies.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how can we do that without getting caught up in performance and outcomes?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reed has two brilliant solutions for you: Progress Trackers and Accountability<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Progress Trackers!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Progress trackers can be used to track progress without having an expectation of a specific outcome. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reed fills in squares on a page for each chunk of 100 words written. She has a separate page for squares for novels and pages for all other short fiction. A page can also be for tasks and work that are not specifically writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n