I’m a pantser and proud of it. Here
is one reason why.
I was working on a lengthy manuscript
the other day. The scene had the heroine trying to escape a boring party and
being harassed by a dull male until she eventually shooed him away. At that
point he was just inserted as part of the scenery. I began to wonder if he had
an ulterior motive. What was his real purpose? Maybe he was up to no good.
If I was a serious plotter I would
already know the answers, having decided he was simply a walk-on, throw-away
character passing her by in the night. But being a pantser, I wondered if I
should find something useful for him to do and employ him a while longer.
The heroine was going on a trip.
Would anyone be curious about this? I have it! My throw-away character is a
bumbling spy who must continue to pursue her. Gives me someone to keep her busy
while she is in transit. I can use the action around this hapless male to
explain the how and why of a few other things going on rather than use a boring
info dump. So I did.
Might never have come up with this
angle if I was a meticulous plotter. While not a character who will become a
main player, he did get to play an expanded part.
I often create characters I know
little about at the time, only to learn more about them as I create. Sometimes
they become major players. In this case a simple walk-on player earned at least
two more scenes and probably made enough extra to cover his groceries and beer
for the next week.
R.J.Hore
The Dark Lady Trilogy (Volume 1,2,3)
The Queen’s Pawn (Volume 1,2,3)
The Housetrap Chronicles (Volumes 1 to 8)
Alex in Wanderland,
Knight’s Bridge
We’re Not in Kansas
Toltec Dawn Trilogy (Volume 1, 2, 3)
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