A How-To Guide: from Pantser to Plantser Pt 1

Or, how I stay vaguely organized and don't rewrite my book 3 times

Once upon a time, I was a dedicated pantser—I’d sit down with a blank page and just start typing. But four books in, and more coming, I’ve found that knowing some of what happens—or what I think will happen anyway (I always end up changing things) allows me to write a cleaner, faster draft that I’m usually much happier with.

So, here is how I do that.

Getting Started

Starting a new book is my FAVORITE. I’m always scribbling notes in my Ideas Notebook or saying, “Hey Siri, take a note,” and disclosing my freshest inspiration to my phone.

When it’s time to start figuring out what this next book will be—and indeed, it often feels like its own thrilling puzzle—I dig out these notes and skim them, writing down anything that speaks to me in that moment.

Sometimes, this is how I come up with book ideas. They are often a mash-up other two or more random thoughts I’ve had over the years—maybe a character I dreamed about with a bit of a random news article, combined with a plot twist that seemingly came from nowhere. Other times, I start with a character doing a thing, and sort it out from there.

Regardless of where the idea comes from, these are my steps to writing a book that more or less makes sense even from the rough draft:

1. I attempt to write a 1-2 line elevator pitch that nails the hook and is hopefully high concept. I’ve found for me, this helps me stay on the right path as I’m figuring out what the book will be. I highly recommend picking up Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody—there’s a Pitch It to Me! section that talks about how to write a good pitch and this has transformed my novel writing. Also, I’m a huge fan of having 2-3 comp titles.

   1. The hook is that main thing that is interesting. So, in my debut, Make Me Disappear, it’s that a woman wants to arrange for her own kidnapping. Who does that? Why do they do that? It immediately makes you wonder what the heck is going on.

   2. High concept is an idea that is easy to grasp, marketable, and has a strong/unique premise that can be summarized in a line or two.

   3. Comp titles! For Make Me Disappear, I have a creepy 2nd person-type POV for the male character, so I used YOU by Caroline Kepnes. I also used Sarah Pekannen/Greer Hendricks, because they had several psychological thrillers in a similar vein.

Example from Make Me Disappear: A woman desperate to escape her narcissistic, sociopath boyfriend arranges for her own kidnapping, but nothing goes as planned, and she decides to turn the tables and try to beat him at his own game.

1. From there, I try to write a 1-2 paragraph summary of the book, which includes who I think the character is and what she wants, the big twist, and a vague idea of what the stakes and ending will be.

   If you’ve been around any social media in the author world, you’ve likely heard the advice to write the query first—well, that’s effectively what I’m doing here.

AND THEN I STOP.

Yes, I stop. I stop working on the plot (which I only have a vague idea of), and switch to… Character.

I’m a firm believer that character is everything in books. So once I have a vague idea of what I think the book is going to be (and I’m always open to this changing), I do a couple different things to work on character.

1. I write out character sketches of every character in my book. For main characters, these tend to be long—5-10 pages. For smaller characters, they may be as short as a page. I talk about how they grew up, what they want, their goals, their aspirations, how they feel and view other characters, wounds from the past, etc. Sometimes this includes scene sketches of moments that had a huge impact on them. Above all, I make sure I talk about what they want and why.

2. THEN… I pull out Story Genius. And I do more character work. Lisa Cron has amazing activities in this book that help you develop both character and plot together, as well as establish the “third rail,” (which is what holds everything together) and I’ll work through them using all my main characters. If you haven’t read this book, you’re missing out! Here’s a sample question that I always learn so much from:

The question is, why does your protagonist want what she wants? What will getting it mean to her? What does she think it will say about her?

Cron, Lisa. Story Genius (p. 79). Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. Kindle Edition.

What I love about these questions Lisa Cron poses is that they go beyond favorite color or beverage or any of that random stuff that doesn’t really mean anything. They dig into the character’s essence—not only what does she want, but what will getting it mean to her? It’s fabulous. Read it. I swear it transformed the way I write!

Okay, once I have my characters down pat, I go back to my pitch and my summary. Do they still make sense? If not, I may change things up.

Then I take my summary in a new document and start making it longer. I go back to Save the Cat Writes a Novel, making sure to hit each main plot point in my new and improved summary.

Here is a great article by the author herself, illustrating each plot beat and where it falls. This is the visual representation (on pg 27, where my book is permanently creased) of the plot points I sort out ahead of time.

from Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody, pg. 27

Over the course of several days (so coming to it “fresh” each morning), I expand and revise the synopsis until it’s 6-8 double-spaced pages. Along the way, I find I have inspiration for characters who will need to be in the book, and sometimes, specific scenes. I add in as much detail as makes sense/I can think of in that moment. When I’m happy with it, I print it off! And ignore it for a day or two. Then go back and mark it up with a pen. Note where things don’t make sense, or where I want to add or subtract a character.

I also like this extended planning period because having a couple weeks to let it cook in my brain means which there’s plenty of time for random ideas to pop into my head. I always write them down, then look at the synopsis and see if it makes sense. Sometimes it does—sometimes, in fact, it totally transforms the book for the better. Other times I wonder what I was thinking and Delete! Delete! Delete!

Next steps:

1. Send to critique partners for feedback. Let them poke holes.

2. Send to agent for feedback. More holes poked.

3. If a book is on contract, I send it to my editor next.

4. After any revising, I start… writing!

I’ll talk more about how I start writing a book in an upcoming article. Please drop any questions you have in the comments, and I’d love for you to join me here on my Substack if you found this article helpful!

Some quick housekeeping while I’ve got your attention! I have a library event coming up in Gig Harbor, WA, and I’d love to see you there. I’ve been told a ton of local authors will be in attendance and happy to chat all things books + do signings! I’ll be the one eating chocolate (I’ll share!) and discussing all things books:

Jessica Payne is a psychological thriller author who has probably spent a little too much time studying the dark intricacies of the human mind. An expert coffee drinker, she loves to go on long runs to manage the resulting caffeine jolt. Jessica lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, daughter, and their many (many!) cats and dogs. Her novels include Make Me Disappear, The Lucky One, The Good Doctor, and Never Trust the Husband. You can learn more at jessicapayne.net