Confession of a Pantser

I am a complete and total pantster. I don't plot, I don't outline. I just sit down and write and I don't always have the map of where I'm going or I just let the characters do their own thing and go along of the adventure.

But here's my problem. I notice that the number of projects that are stuck, problematic, or will never see the light of day keeps getting bigger. I don't have that one novel that is perfect and wonderful, yet.

I'm also faced with some interesting challenges at work. Mostly that there is less work than previous years and that means less money than previous years, a lot less money. I've had to make some tough choices about the time I have carved out for writing because I need to pay my bills.

It's been tough as I look for that part time thing that fill the huge gap in what I made the last couple years to what this year is shaping up to be because it feels like such a huge road block in my writing life.

But it is also a big wake up call. The fact that I've been writing all these years and I basically have a bunch of problematic WIPs to show for it means that something needs to change.  If I'm going to have less writing time then I need to make the most of it. I need to have a plan and not just sit down at my computer and write by the seat of my pants.

So I am going to change my pantser ways and do whatever it takes to become a plotter.

I downloaded the Storyometer app a while ago and I just haven't used it that much, mostly because I've been too busy panicking about money. I have a project that I'm not very far along on that I think could really benefit from some plotting. I feel like the story has legs and think it that plotting could really help it become something that doesn't end up keeping the other manuscripts company under the bed.


What about you? Are you a plotter, a pantser, a reformed pantser, or a reformed plotter? If are a reformed plotter or pantser(especially pantser) I'd love to hear how you changed to a plotter.