Apparently, I’m a pantser. Technically, a Lawful Panster (see alignment chart). I did not realize this until I was already into a couple of completed manuscripts and someone asked me how I planned chapters, word count, etc.–and realized that I absolutely did not.

And apparently, this means I:

– write everything in order

I am chronically chronologic. I legitimately don’t understand this idea of having specific scenes that need to be included in a story before the rest of the story is written as I genuinely do not even know what scenes I’m going to write until I’m like, actually and actively writing them. I write Ch. 1 to end, do not skip, have no idea how people do skip, and realize this is also why I can’t skip scenes in tv shows or films either. Linear brain is linear.

source. I’ve been shared this comic quite a few times, and I’ve never understood the idea of having a “cool scene” and then plotting to include it. I don’t have any idea what a scene is going to be until I write it, and I don’t really get the “hit” until it’s completed, and usually only after multiple edits.

– uses the flashlight method to get to the end

I’m a massive “spoilers first” person (I wiki or imdb or google everything before getting too invested in a show/film/book; it drives my family crazy). Writing is one of the only places where I genuinely don’t know what will happen next–and that’s the sincere enjoyment of the thing for me. My plots run into corners constantly, and I love the challenge of figuring out how to climb over the walls and close the plotholes and bridge the gaps. Those solutions usually come super early in the morning/late at night, or, most often, in the middle of a long run, but that’s another blog post.

– ends up strange places

Do other people generally know where their stories are going? My ideas are never fleshed out until at least the end of the first draft, sometimes not until drafts 2-6. I rarely start writing with more than a character idea, maybe a theme song, and a rough question of something I’m trying to explore. Plans and directions and steps are for other people.

This is also probably why I get lost driving a lot. Hmm.

– knows random details no one else cares about

Oh gosh, the depths of the random details I think are fascinating (The priests dye their fingers different colors to match their local deities! The food in this city is heavily spiced to hide the rot! Each of the memories is shaped like a folded star to layer the way our senses record different stimuli!) that have zero to do with the plot or setting or pacing or characterization but stick in my imagination forever. Maybe saved for a future story. Maybe they’ll just stay in my brain bank forever. Who knows.

I still have a whole encyclopedia of random facts about a city-state-magical-culture I built for years that have never been written out. Maybe one day.

Seriously though, someone the other day was discussing gen-AI allegations, and how the easiest way to prove your work was yours was to show your outline, notes, previous drafts, etc. I panicked. I didn’t know people outlined. or had notes. or previous drafts. I genuinely just start with “chapter one” and then go. So if I ever get asked to produce receipts, I guess I’d  screen capture me typing on MS Word and include the 20 times I go back and forth about a single adjective that doesn’t quite work right but I decide to go with the original anyway.

Pantsing makes editing a process, but iIm also one of those that sincerely does enjoy that process, which is also another blog post.