Am I a plotter or a pantser?

For my last stop on THE DEVILISH MR. DANVERS Tasty Book Tour, I’m answering an important question 😉 at The Reading Wench: Am I a plotter or a pantser?

I’m posting the answer below; however, if you’d like a final chance to enter the Wallflower Bundle GIVEAWAY, be sure to visit The Reading Wench and Books & Spoons today.

Good luck, warm wishes and happy reading!

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I guess I’m more of a plotter with pantser tendencies. “Pantser” days are like taking a writing vacation. The beginning, middle and end of a story are mysteries. The characters are strangers. And the only thing I know is that the hero and heroine will eventually fall in love.  Anything can happen.

Being a pantser is freeing. It’s like having that movie-trailer voice in your head as motivation: “In a world where love conquers all and happily ever after is right around the corner…” And all I have to do is fill in the rest.

However, if I want to meet a deadline, then I must plot and work up character sketches. For me, there’s peace of mind in plotting. I know what’s going to happen. Sure, maybe not exactly what will happen from one scene to the next (those pantser tendencies occasionally lead me astray), but there is a guide, showing me the path.

I think of the plot outline and sketches as my own personal wilderness guide. He’s sexy, rugged, confident, and I really want to follow him, but he also knows about these beautiful vistas and the perfect places to have a picnic off the trail. And, in the end, he knows how to get me where I’m going.