Pantser or Plotter?

I learned some new terms while learning more about the writing world. Two that stuck out were "pantsers" and "plotters" (or "planners"). 

Some authors write by the seat of their pants. These "pantsers" have an idea or concept of their story but use their intuition and subconscious to write it out. On the plus side, you get started quickly and feel/see progress; from what I understand, this process also helps with writer's block. On the negative side, it could be less efficient and often requires rework when adding, removing, or modifying story elements. 

"Plotters" or "Planners" prepare outlines before they start their story. They work out all (or most) of the story before they write. There is often a high upfront cost in time, but they can make it up in the writing stage. 

I attended a workshop hosted by Martin Wilsey. He was gracious enough to answer some of my questions. I learned that he is a plotter who can write a novel quickly after spending about three days creating an outline (about 30 pages). Here is a link to his process:

https://wilseymc.blogspot.com/2016/04/tips-outline-hell-out-of-things.html

Some other well-known "plotter" authors include J.K. Rowling and John Grisham, while famous "pantsers" are Stephen King and Margaret Atwood. 

Up to this point, I've been a pantser. I am not sure that is what I want, but I felt a lot of pressure to write, write, write. The thought process seems to be, "Just write if you want to be an author."  That feels counter to my project management brain of "plan ahead," so I will attempt to outline "The Double Murder of Dr. Flynn." 

The downside is that my daily word count will be zero until I finish the outline. I simply don't have the time to plot a story and write to random prompts to keep a daily word count. 

We shall see how I feel and evaluate the return on investment. 

Daniel

I have a publicist?

Words I never thought I would hear myself say: my publicist reached out to me last week. To be more exact, she is the publicist for the Writers and Illustrators of the Future, but that seems less impressive in a conversation. She is asking for a photo since they already have my bio (thank you to those who helped me with that little project). She provided no due date, but I imagine I am supposed to do it immediately. I am not too keen on my photos (often joking that each picture takes away a little piece of my soul), so this will be another fun exercise to test my anxiety. As always, thoughts and suggestions are welcome. 

You may notice that I am working my way back into Facebook. I am unsure how I feel about that, but I've learned that many friends and family want to know more. We shall see how this goes. 

Finally, I have three stories in various stages of development:

• Clarkesworld passed on "Last Era of Mankind," so I am on to the next magazine.
• I am proofreading "Tomorrow's Failsafe."
• I am rewriting "The Double Murder of Dr. Flynn" by altering the POV and the motivations.

As always, your support keeps me going.

Prompts and Challenges

Look up good habits for authors, and you will see something like "write every day." Conventional wisdom from instructors to established authors is 500 words daily for beginners and 1,000 words for the more advanced. That can be daunting, particularly if you don't have anything in mind to write about. Enter the daily prompts.

 

I found a nice little app that provides daily prompts when I am not working on a project (or just taking a break from it). I don't edit the prompts since they are designed to be fun exercises, but I like the results. Please take a look and let me know what you think. 

https://app.dailyprompt.com/profile/kleIziFWDDf21OhLA8NWZBDjF0R2

I also look for challenges. I am notoriously bad about needing a goal to motivate myself. I found one on my habit gamification app. The goal was to write a short story in a week. I had much success!

The story is called "One Choice" and asks whether you want to change your past or future. It still needs some editing (and feedback), but I hope you like it.

I made a website

In April, I will meet many writers and sci-fi fans who may want to know more about T.R. Naus. I suspect that means business cards and some social meeting presence, but I am starting with a web page. 

I am using Google Sites because of its price point (free!) and ease of use. It is a start, so any suggestions are welcome. I will be adding a headshot and bio, but at the moment, it is an excellent place to consolidate links to my various activities. I am a massive fan of the cyberpunk aesthetic, so I always look for images to incorporate. 

I spent more than a few hours proofreading and reworking "Last Era of Mankind" (or "Thank You for the Art"). I am still waiting to receive votes on which to use. Meanwhile, I will start submitting it on 3 December, so there is little time to incorporate much-appreciated feedback.

I Hate My Story

OK, I don't really hate my story, but it is a catchy title. I needed to go through a few rounds of editing and proofreading for the story that will (hopefully) be published in Writers of the Future, Vol. 41. Everything (the story, the logline, and my bio) has been submitted. I think I am good. Maybe.

It was the proofreading process that led to my half-joking title. After reading and rereading (and rereading and rereading) the same story, I started to see the plot holes, weak dialogue, and dull passages. I was also so done with the story that I didn't want to make any more changes (that would require me to restart the process). I also started doubting everything (was I being too hard on myself? Did I need to rewrite the whole thing?) Sometimes, however, I thought it was great. Man, what a roller-coaster. 

I want to thank Dusti, particularly, for some last-minute proofreading. She caught a few things that both the editor and I missed.

The experience has me rethinking "Last Era of Mankind." I am about to go through the proofreading process with this story to see if I can improve it. There is no looming deadline, so I have some time. The only downside is that I have a few stories I really want to get to. 

I have a poll (if you have a minute): "Last Era of Mankind" or "Thank You for the Art"? Take a read here and let me know which you prefer (or do you have a better one in mind?).

I am still shopping "I Will Save You." Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine also passed on it. I just submitted it to Apex.

Thank you again for your support. 

Daniel

 

An Update

I have a few updates to share. There is no "good news," but I am not inclined to think that I have "bad news." 

• Writer's Digest did not select my story for the "Your Story #131" competition. You can find my entry here.
• Uncanny Magazine passed on "I Will Save You." I just submitted it to Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. The turnaround is about five weeks.
• I also submitted "Hiding Inside" to the Kurt Vonnegut Speculative Fiction Prize. Winners will be announced in January 2025.
• There has been some movement with the story publication. I submitted my bio to Galaxy Press and started working on incorporating editor feedback from Jody Lynn Nye.
• I am going through another round of editing for "Last Era of Mankind." I missed my self-imposed deadline of 31 October, but I am still committed to getting out quickly.

I am now in the editing process for a story that I am calling "The Time Ripping Incident." I've changed the name a few times. It is a novelette-sized tale told in ten small chapters. I thought I could send this out as an old-fashioned weekly serial. If you are interested, please let me know.

In the meantime, thank you. This journey would not be possible without a fantastic support structure.

Hurry Up and Wait

There is a lot of waiting in the writing business than I imagined. On August 19, I submitted a very short story to Writers Digest. Sixty days later, they still haven't revealed the five finalists. I also submitted "I Will Save You" to Uncanny Magazine on 31 August. I am still waiting to hear back 48 days later. Submissions are due for the F(r)iction contest on 1 November, but winners will not be announced until 18 April. 

To be clear, I am not faulting any of these magazines for the length of time. I get it. There are so many entries that reading and reviewing must take forever. I am sure losers or rejected contestants do make the job easier.

I raised this because it was something I was not expecting. I've read a lot about preparing myself for rejections, but I've not heard that those rejections often come after a lengthy hold. I can see the buildup of anticipation deepening the emotional investment. In many cases, the stories can only go to one publisher at a time, focusing authors on a single decision at any given time. Pieces will also take much longer to go through the rounds of all the possible publishers and restart the cycle of submit/reject each time it is submitted. 

I am not deterred. I will be cleaning up plenty of material to run through this process.