Niki Chanel: I once was a Panster

I always thought I wrote ‘by the seat of my pants’ – even before I knew the slang for such a writer. I will forever remember the day I first heard the term ‘Panster’; sunlight ebbed into the windows of Encino’s Barnes & Noble book store, bathing members of the Los Angeles Romance Authors in golden morning innocence.

A lively discussion was taking place… and a poll: “Which camp do you belong to, Pansters or Plotters?” A show of hands volunteered information that changed me - I belonged to the in-crowd! I was on the ‘right track’!

I continued to hone my skills with classes, how-to books, and every inspiring lecture by literary gurus. My pieces grew in word count and complexity. Until last month.

I had a break-through during a week long challenge we call SPEW, which stands for Stop Procrastinating, Everybody Write. The characters of my WIP (Work In Progress) morphed into alternate beings. It occurred to me that these new actors might take over the roles of my existing players. That would be a problem because I had worked hard to flesh out these players and was not willing to give them up to a new cast. Maybe these new characters belonged in another manuscript. The next thought “I have to discipline my characters” paralyzed me. The sudden realization that I was actually NOT a Panster scared me. OMG! I’m NOT a natural writer – I’m a sham. This was not a case of character failure – this was a ‘me’ failure.

That day I saw myself for what I really am - a plotter – an organizer, a planner, a maker of lists. *Sigh*, these are not Panster traits. What do I do now?

I had been thinking it would ALL come to me. I thought Plotting was too rational to write a fresh novel – not creative enough to make my stories sing. I clung to the idea that the best way was the Panster way. I had changed and it chilled me to the bone.

After a glass of wine and some staring at a wall, I decided I had come this far and I had to see it through. I began to list and organize my characters, putting them into their separate stories, dressing them and their scenes, sketching out time-lines in Excel and fitting them into pre-existing stories… then a pattern emerged. The story spines (or follow-throughs) of my various story ideas were always so clear to me – and easy, but putting people into them was the opposite - tough as titanium.

Many meditations later a compromise was reached; it turns out that I am a plot Panster and a character Plotter, and the two can work together. It’s ok to write the way I do, and knowing how I do it only helps me cut down on the struggle.

Just one thing: if tomorrow someone asked me, “Which camp do you belong to, Pansters or Plotters?” should I raise my hand for both or not at all?