I used to be an unapologetic pantser. To plot was to lose momentum. But as my stories grew more complicated, it was clear my pantser ways had to go by the wayside.
The last book I wrote without a set plot was IN THE COUNTRY DARK. It was the fastest book I had written end-to-end, though it had the benefit of being revised and amended over the four years that followed.
What changed? The incubation period I had after my first few books disappeared once I found a publisher in Cressen Books. Having a publisher shortened my incubation time post-manuscript, plus it gave me a built-in mechanism (editors!) to give me suggestions and tell me if the plot didn't make sense.
This was the case for the books in the Echo Suite Saga and Light up the Holler series of books. For A GHOST CHASES THE HORIZON and QUANTUM CROSSING, I do not have a publisher. What these books do have are complex narratives told from multiple points of view from different times and/or places. It was a requisite to have something on paper.
I take solace that my pantser spirit still thrives in the nitty-gritty of writing. While I have an outline for each chapter, a lot of them are quite vague. The discovery still comes in the finer details. Character often emerge who I did not foresee moments before. They bring with them plot advancements and opportunities that were not there before, and that's where my joy in writing still lies.
January has been a rough month for writing. I did eke out two chapters of Quantum Crossing. Maybe a third, if the week that follows blesses me. All-in-all, I'm on track to finish the entire story by July of 2026. That does not count editing, mind you. Despite outlining, there are surely still holes that will need patched.
Below is the current chapter changelog:
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