Hi Sonali, A reader wants to know: Are a plotter or pantser (not following an outline) when you tackle a new writing project?

Sonali Dev I’m neither and I’m both. A Panty-Lotter? Basically, I know my characters really well when I start and I know the arc they must travel and the conflicts they must overcome and I know what I want to explore through the story. I also know the big scenes that the protagonists are working toward and working through. But it’s all very nebulous. Like, I know that they will be breaking each other’s hearts but I don’t always know how. I know they will be changing how they feel about something at an intrinsic level but not how. So, I know what the paradigm shifts in their inner landscape will be but not the details of how things will shift.
And then I grit my teeth and get through the first draft. The blank page terrifies me. The magic for me happens in revision when I get to develop the story and give it form.

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