TT: Catching up

Today is the day I get back into the swing of things!

What a crazy last few weeks it’s been. With NaNo and the holidays and all the stuff that just happens, I’ve really been busy. Things are starting to somehow settle down now, despite the fact that Christmas is looming. I have almost all my Christmas shopping done! And NaNo is over.

I miss it already! I liked having writing buddies and a little meter that pushed me to write no matter how tired I was or what might have been happening that day. I liked that I finished! It was such a good feeling.

NaNo taught me that I really can sit down and write my way through a rather long book in just a few short weeks. And that I don’t have to edit as I go, I can finish the book and do the editing later. Even though I consider myself a pantster, I also worried about plots and editing and all that good stuff. And it slowed me down. I’m not saying having a plan is a bad thing! I’m just saying I really don’t think I’m a writer who’ll become a plotter anytime soon. And that it doesn’t dismay me quite as much now.

When I sit down and let it flow, it flows. When I try to get a plan and a plot and an idea, I agonize and feel stifled and it seems nowhere near as fun as just writing! That’s so weird, but it seems to be me.

And I got my story, despite having gone into it with not so much as a name for my h/H. Just did it! And it worked.

I do think I’ll probably still work on trying to figure out how I can become a baby plotter, because I really do love being organized. I love character sheets and plotting workshops (thanks, Jacquie) and lists, index cards, and seeing the end. I love knowing where I’m going. Why then, does it just not seem to work for me? I don’t know. I’m some sort of deviant. Haha:)

I know plenty of pantsters like me, but it seems like they enjoy being pantsters. They’re happy to be pantsters. Me? Not so much. I have plans to plot. It just seems like it’d be so much easier. There’d be no halfway point where you’re like, hey, where the heck am I going now? Because you’d already have figured that out, written it down neatly, or not so neatly, and it’s all good.

Anyway, NaNo. I loved being part of NaNo. I’ll do it again next year and really am looking forward to it. It gave me permission to stop worrying about not being a plotter. I was supposed to just sit down and write and that’s what I did. Loved it!

I’m off to start work on next weeks TL post. I had nothing planned for this week. Time to start doing interviews again! Or tutorials. Or maybe something about Christmas. 

Anyway, I’ll see you all next week. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and will have an amazing Christmas.

Happy holidays, everyone!

~Jane

Tags: Catching up, Happy Holidays, NaNo, Pantster, Plotter