Pantstering my plot

I felt like I was pantstering even though I have an outline.

But it’s an updated outline on an excel spreadsheet clearly showing what currently happens in each chapter, and what needs to be changed. And as I created this spreadsheet ages ago, it felt like I was pantstering recently, giving the characters licence to delve into other subtext while I hardly remembered what I planned for them in upcoming chapters.

I created this spreadsheet because an assessor told me I concentrated too much on nostalgia for my manuscript set in the 90s. So, I went back to my character notes and used the Snowflake Method to delve deeper into their stories.

Before I began these rewrites, I was tempted to create a synopsis.

This would remind me of the whole revised story, but while sitting in front of my laptop, I was just keen to write. But this is where my freestyle will end.

I know there’s danger in introducing things which may conflict with what’s already written in later scenes, especially as this will be the ninth draft of this novel. And I’m not in search of beautiful prose or traits which further define the characters. Nor do I need to recreate a past decade. All this already exists.

It seems to be a speedy process.

Well, not lightning quick, but faster than my usual process of taking a day to write (or revise) a chapter. I’m currently rewriting two chapters on each of my writing days.

But during my last writing day, I couldn’t remember if a character had already passed on information to another character, or if this conversation was happening later in the story.

So on my next writing day, I’ll write that synopsis.

I need the memory jolt so I don’t waste time pantstering things which may trip me up later – resulting in more revision than necessary. Plus, it’s good practice for when I finally submit this project.

Making a synopsis sound enticing is often a challenge when going through the submission process. Creating it before the manuscript is completed will give you an indication of the strength of the plot. This is what agents and publishers look at before deciding whether to read the pages you’ve sent.

I’ve enjoyed this brief pantstering experiment.

But my sense of order is calling me.