Writing wednesdays: when a pantser becomes a plotter (temporarily)

Last week, I mentioned the editorial feedback that sent me into a wee bit of a tailspin and a not so wee rewrite. What happens when a pantser who learns about her story through writing the draft has to write a new draft in one month? She tightens channels her inner nerd and plots.

Step 1: Take notes on the editorial letter. I highlighted the feedback that jumped out and waved a "me, me" flag. And I prioritized the big changes and the not so big but still important ones. 

​Step 2: Decide what stays. There were scenes or details in the original that I wanted to keep so those pages got marked. Whenever I pulled a scene from the old version, I'd mark what new chapter it went into. By the time I'm done with the rewrite, all of those stickies will have been discarded. 

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Step 3: Planning Boards. I pulled out the lovely W-plot chart that, honestly, I haven't used in a couple of manuscripts. Each yellow sticky is a finished chapter. Because my story revolves around a specific timeline, I printed calendar sheets and used the pink stickies to help track when things are happening. The blue and green stickies are chapter/scene notes that are still to be written and when I think they'll happen. Once the become real scenes, I transfer that information to a yellow note and up on the W graph it goes. 

And that bottom calendar is to keep me honest on progress. It's insanely satisfying seeing the number grow. Bonus, it's given me a far better appreciation for what I can achieve and and what affects my productivity. 

What have I learned from this process?

• Anything is doable with the right motivation.
• Deadlines!
• I love getting nerdy with visuals and planning but a card-carrying plotter I will never be!

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