Joani Plenty

“Working backwards and loving it!” should be my Facebook page job title!  The word “backwards”, going forward (<— see what I did there?) for the sake of this post, is most definitely a positive thing.  There is never any rhyme or reason (that’s visible to the naked eye anyway) to my creativeness and I love that!  It’s like working out a really hard math problem in your own way and coming up with the correct answer.  Though, to explain how you got your answer is another story.  You couldn’t possibly explain it to anyone else but the proud feeling that you get because you understand it (and slight boastful feeling because no one else can fathom how you did it) is awesome to me.  Talk about motivation!

To give you an idea as to how backwards I really am (remember, the definition of “backwards” here is “creatively awesome”), I’m working on a trailer, for a book that isn’t even written, with a director as well as my musically talented son .  Why?  Because I’m a proud “Pantser” and that’s how we roll!  Traditional writing techniques would have you complete an outline before starting any writing project.  This is to help organize your thoughts and supposedly make the writing process easier.  I, on the other hand, dread the dreaded “O” word.  For me, and most Pantsers (read: All Pantsers that I’ve ever met), outlining does the exact opposite, causing me to procrastinate on starting the story to begin with.

As a matter of fact, there are a lot of things that are better backwards:

• Stressed = Desserts (Dessert always makes things better)
• Snoops = Spoons (would you prefer someone who’s cold and nosey or who “spoons” with you when it’s cold?)
• Warts = Straw (this one is a given)
• Stink = Knits (my Grandmother’s perfume has the ability to make fish float, which connects her to both words)
• Gnats = Tang (cool refreshing drink or bugs that float in your cool refreshing drink?)
• Pees = Seep
• Nova – Avon (go ahead and choose smelly fish over fresh smelling bubble bath…whatev.)

Pantsers are visual creatures.  We write with more of a moving image or movie in our heads rather than reading a written story.  Instead of outlining a story from the beginning to end before starting, as the traditional writer does, we “just start”.  Pantsers just  go with the story as it comes, sometimes being as surprised with the ending as the reader will be once the book is complete.  When working on a paper in high school or college, the outline literally ruined my story. This, I know, sounds crazy to the traditional writer, but I felt as if it limited my creativity.  By taking me away from the flowing-creativity and pulling my eyes/mind back to this white piece of paper, to confirm that I didn’t “forget” anything, is too mechanical for a Pantser.  Instead, we use our 5 (sometimes, seemingly, 6) senses to guide us.  Ideas randomly written on the back of a colored note card, images kept in a special folder, and music from the past and/or present are all tools used to help the Pantser-process sail effortlessly and more enjoyably.

Doing research and choosing trailer music is helping me with new story ideas that I may not have thought of had I written it the traditional way.  For instance, the trailer that I’m working on surrounds the murder of a 7 yr. old slave girl.  Initially, I was defining the trailer by the effect that her murder had on the story but, after further research, I’ve chosen to focus on what happens to her instead.  Enter “creepy nursery music”.  I also learned a few interesting things about coded slave songs; something I never even considered adding to the story but found so fascinating that there’s no way that I can leave it out now and consider my novel complete.

The word “traditional” is more of a style than a correct way of doing something now.  Just like that math problem in high school, the finished product is what matters most.  As with any skill, we learn the basic way of doing then add our own “flavor”.  You build on a skill-set to make the work your own, sometimes using only the tools that work best for you!

So, if you’re a “Pantser”, whether a writer, musician, or any other type of right-brained artist, celebrate your uniqueness!  Own it, love it and be confident; refuse to be any other way.

Disclaimer: This article refers to the noun form of “Pantser” and does not, in any way, shape or form coincide with the verb “Pantsing” giving you the right to walk around pulling other people’s pants down then laughing hysterically at their expense.  I felt the need to include this information as my spouse now uses the word as a derogatory term when I ask him to take out the trash, yelling, “Screw YOU Pantser!” then yanking my pants to my ankles, laughing, well…hysterically.  Reference: The Trash