The Stalling Queen...and then her subjects

Logan A. Mason

 Pants           

+

SIR (Issac Newton)

=

Le moi.

 

Yes, I am a Pantser.  I've been writing "by the seat of my pants" for as long as I can remember.  This method of writing has its pro's and con's of course,  from the exhilaration of not knowing what will come next for your character to being like, "I have no idea where this is going and could turn out to not make any sense, whatsoever, crap."
HOWEVER.
I may or may not have two different distinct personalities inside me.  And by may or may not,  I mean may.  And by two, I mean at least five.  This however, if it concerns you, has nothing to do with multiple-personality disorder.  I am completely aware of all the different parts of me and why they come out at certain times.  This helps tremendously with my characters.  Even tremendously, in life.   I am very open-minded due to all these different view-points.  This is what has drawn me to act.  To read.  To write.  The more I learn about who I am, all of me, and what I can accomplish with them, the more I write with a continued passion and understanding of who the heck these characters are and what they will become. 
SO THE POINT that I am getting at is the different persona's inside all have different agendas.  And about four of them are Pantsers, and one of them is a Plotter.  All the Pantsers make me late to class. Or work.  They make me put off homework, cooking food, doing laundry, cleaning my room.  They make me write slow, then write fast, all the time not knowing what is going to happen next.  Writing by gut, emotion, drive of a feeling.  And then of course, the one PLOTTER inside will be like, "HEY!"   And then suddenly I will make a list for that day and a block of time and finish my homework beforehand, have multiple batches of cookies baked and fresh, fold all my clothes, clean every inch of the house, and then write out a good four pages of solid plot. 
I suppose this makes me 4/5th's crazy, 1/5th sane.  My dominant sides love the crazy, adore the process of making things up, and revel in the dreams.   And then the little control freak inside me will pop out once in a while and clean up the messes, organize the words, and straighten out the paragraphs.
And So, beginning to write a novel has led me to question all the parts of me and which path would be best to take.   I hope at least my Plotter will be up for many more future visits this semester.  Pantsers...settle down.

    

The sides tend to argue. Oy Vey!