This is not an accurate definition of a plotter lol. People who plot don’t lay out every detail and I’m sure y’all who tell people you pants every time you blink think at least a little about where your story is going. GUESS WHAT? THAT’S PLOTTING!
If you make notes or have an iota of where you wanna go with your story, you’re plotting. And people who plot don’t have some huge notebook or files of notes on notes of every single detail of their story.
Personally, I have my acts laid out with the overall points of what I want to happen. Then I add bullets of how I want to bridge them. Then I outline and write. Most of the time I deviate from it and sometimes I move things around. I constantly think about where the story is going and as I think of me things, I adjust. I don’t like sticking to something so strict, so I like the freedom of writing at will but knowing what track in on.
Regarding your outline you gave, I’d say you need to add an inciting event between the hook and first plot point. And a climactic moment after the climax and before the resolution. Also, I think you need to spread out your chapters. As you write, you need to sprinkle in some subplots and more plot/character development, or else your story will come off as rushed and you’ll probably end up jamming so many things in they won’t have time to flesh out.
There are a lot of resources on act structures and character arcs that are helpful. They benefitted me when I planned out my story.
I prefer organic writer
because the idea of being associated with people who pull other people's pants down is a little bit cringey to me.
Also, I'm a strong advocate for doing what works for you, when it works best for you, however that works for you.
Personally, I tend to sit down and write until I have enough material that I can organize in a better way. I use that rough material to "plot." It would be most accurate to call myself a character driven writer, because my character's conflicts, motives, and personality often dictate what happens at any given moment. Essentially, I am at the behest of the numerous imaginary bullies who reside in my head rent free.
there are three reasons I make any notes,
I'm on the toilet and a piece of dialog occurs and I've got a memory like a sieve so there are notebooks and pens allllll over my place.
I'm out for a walk or on my treadmill or doing something away from my computer
I wake up in the middle of the night when the muse sits on my bladder, scribble some note and realize I can't read them in the morning.
but truth be told, I'm not at my computer 24/7 and sometimes I go sit on the back landing and write a whole chapter long hand because I like to write longhand and then I come in and transcribe it.
Thanks for sharing this video with us. I liked his metaphor about the fire, sometimes I just need more light to fully be able to see my characters.
What I like about pantsing, or organic writing as I prefer to call it, is that you can apply as much logic as you want to your writing process. George R.R. Martin describes the two "groups" as architects and gardeners. Architect writers need everything to be perfect for their product to work. Gardeners let stuff grow. And if you've ever dabbled in gardening, you know that to have a successful garden, you do have to put a lot of thought and yes, planning into your work to get a result. The same reaction and development won't happen everytime, and sometimes your little plants surprise you and grow into something more fruitful than you ever planned it to be. The key is letting nature take it's course.
I'd have to say I'm a mix between both, but have tried them all out. I like having the basic idea plotted out then write the rest by the seat of my pants, as you put it. Just try what feels best for you. I'd encourage you to try writing out some basics first, but if you think pantsing will do best for your story, then go for it. Lots of trial and error will be the way to figure out how you write best.
After I got everything else down, I thought of what could happen between my, for example, inciting event and first plot point (that’s where I’m writing in my novel now). You can think of your sub genres and how those come into play. Since you have a murder mystery, you can add how Joseph interacts with people in town (or whatever the setting). What setbacks does he have tracking down the murderer. Are there any red herrings?
You mention Sampson being murdered and he’s close to Joseph. Explore their relationship more and what leads him to be murdered. Little things along the way that make your story as cohesive as possible the subplots don’t have to be every x chapters, though. Also, the stakes for Joseph not finding the murderer, which I’m assuming will be someone else close to him dying. You can also look into mystery conventions and that can help you come up with subplots
Sorry I didn’t mean to write that much