Do you know any pantsers?

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How cluttered is your workspace where you write?

I like my office organized. But a small part of me is okay with the mess. I can say the same for any WIP I am working on.

I attended a local writing conference a few years ago. The speaker asked if there were any pantser in the room, and a writer raised her hand and pointed at me.

I, to that point, never heard what this word meant. Looking it up, I liked it. I liked it a lot. Granted, this has gotten me in some bit of a jam on certain WIPs, making me go back and do a brief outline to get myself unstuck.

Did I learn my lesson? No, I did not. I am the writer who likes to sit down and go for it, writing page after page, knowing there will be work to get done on getting the timeline correct.

So, why don’t I bite the bullet? I love the freedom of writing. My juices flow better, and the ideas come faster. It works for me. I know very few pantsers. Wait, that isn’t right. I can’t think of a single writer that, like me, without an outline. It would be cool to find some so we could have that connection.

An outline gives you direction, a timeline that will be adjusted and adjusted as it gives you focus on the material. It can help you with plots, characters, and scenery. It might help you look up in the air less as you try to work out a problem that you are having. From everyone I have talked to, this is the route they feel flows.

And that is what it is what flow works for you.

I never knew my style had a name. I like it because it describes my writing style to the letter. It works for me and my characters. Why change that up now?

Jasper, Amazon parrot’s latest review:

I posted here recently about hearing from your readers. After that I received a review for volume one of my Jasper, Amazon parrot series. 

Woohoo! What a way to start the day.

Here is a bit of the review, followed by the link.

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Review: Jasper Amazon Parrot

I have raised birds and have talked with many owners of Amazon parrots and all express how talented their avian friends are.

I learned that the background to creating this book was the author looking around her home to see if she could locate anything to write about. She landed on her rescued Amazon parrot, Jasper, and decided to create a book series of Jasper’s adventures.

In this short children’s story, Sally’s eggs hatch. Shortly thereafter, Jasper jumps out of the nest with his brother Willie and both fall to the ground. They are separated for a short time and meet Al. Sally appears and they head back home with her. She exits and they find themselves in a precarious position when ants threaten them. With the help of their mother, the brothers survive and when fully fledged they attempt to fly and plop to the ground again. This is when they come upon a spider monkey named Charlie. 

Mom returns and reminds them of the importance of flying practice. Mom leaves to scavenge and the two brothers report in to their neighbor, Mrs. Peabody. Soon after the brothers begin a thrilling adventure with Charlie and along the way they meet a sloth named George. 

This is a wonderful story about exploration and observation of the nature of the Amazon. I feel the best thing about this detailed adventure is it may help young readers gain a greater appreciation for the most biologically diverse place on Earth.

Link:

https://lorisbookloft.blogspot.com/2024/02/a-rainforest-adventure-jasper-amazon.html

Do you hear from your readers?

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Do you ever hear back from people who read your books? It could be in a review, purchasing more than one of your books, or perhaps they tell you whether they like it.

One of my favorite reviews came from a grandfather who told me about his grandson who had read the first volume of my Jasper, Amazon parrot series. He told me his grandson put down his electronic device and started to read. When he finished the first volume, he asked his grandfather where volume two was. It makes me happy.

One will not always get five-star reviews, and you might even get a one or two-star review. It happens. We need to evaluate how to keep going.

Writing for our target audience, whoever they are, must be kept at the forefront of our minds when writing our books. It is so easy to veer left or right during the writing.

Writing for children is hard, or so I have been told. You have to write in a way that is not over their heads or below their intelligence. Adults will read a book, and if they are not a fan of the book, they will still read a bit more to see if they can salvage it to finish the book. A child doesn’t give that kind of commitment. If they don’t like your book by the first few pages, they will look for another one. Parents pay attention to what their kids like.

I had a mother who wrote what her son told her about the first volume of my Jasper series.

My kid: it made me feel happy, calm, and emotional in some parts. 📗🦜🦜

 I enjoy reading this book to my kid.

That made my day, and it still does.

Kids are enjoying what I write. And I try to make sure I always write for the target audience. Insulting your readings by not doing so does no one any favors.

Here is to the next book and hopefully more happy readers.