I’ve reached the part of my next book that is always my favorite. I’ve set it up and spent some time angsting on what to do next, ultimately concluding that I should do what I’ve always done–Pants It!
For those not in the writing community, pantsing isn’t about pulling someone’s pants down and displaying their undies to the world, but about writing by the seat of your pants. Sure, I have a vague idea of where these guys are headed, and several scenes I know I have to hit, but just how they get there is still up for grabs.
Right now I’m at my favorite stage of the game, though. It’s the part where characters, both main and secondary, have started to just take over scenes and shoulder their way through them without any concern for me. They say and do what they want, often surprising me and making me laugh, and even better often showing me very important things about their background and motivations.
It’s my favorite part because the thrill of discovering them can’t be denied, but the terror that maybe I don’t know what I’m doing and the chore of making all the bits fit into a whole hasn’t come up yet. Give me another 40k words and I’ll be biting my nails with stomach churning anxiety and fear that I’ve written something unfinishable and unsalvagable and wasted months of my life.
But for now I’m happy and having fun and hopeful. My favorite part!
