#WIPJoy Day Twenty-Four

Day 24: Are you a plotter, pantser, or hybrid? What do you enjoy most about that style?

Depends on the day.

Some days, I make the most progress by writing nothing but scene outlines. Then I know what must happen.

Some days I put the characters in a place and write about what they would do with no idea what will happen. Then I know their choices and challenges will resonate.

And some days I do both – I write a scene with nothing but dialog. Just the characters talking and reacting to what is not yet written. It’s an outline of the scene, but one driven by how the characters would react and express themselves. This is the easiest way to write (for me) and, I believe, creates the most genuine scenes.

Of course, I do the leg-work of outlining story arcs, rising tension, major and minor plot lines, interesting character relationships, and the dramatic intensity of the scenes so that it all fits into a structure that works. But the actual writing… that varies.