books

4 Writing Books Every Pantser Should Read

Editor’s Note: See Jane Write publishes guest articles by writers who identify as women, non-binary folks, and our allies. Learn more here.

By: Delany Diamond

I’m a pantser, also referred to as a discovery writer or intuitive writer. Unlike plotters, we write stories without an outline, “flying by the seat of our pants.” That means the story organically unfolds as we write.

Early in my career, I found it difficult to locate how-to books that aligned with my writing style. Typically, they encouraged me to become a plotter or offered advice from a plotting point of view.

The rigid structure and demand for planning left me frustrated and struggling to get words on paper. It didn’t help to hear about the many authors who started where I did and turned into plotters. I was certain that if I also learned to plot, I’d write faster and better stories.

The opposite turned out to be true.

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Your 90-Day Book Lauch Plan

If you’ve been rocking with me for a while, you know I nerd out about book marketing. I know, I know — most writers would rather revise a chapter fifty-leven times than talk about promo. But to me marketing feels like a creative challenge. It’s a game of seeing how many fun, authentic ways I can say, “Hey friend, buy my book!”

So today I want to share the 90-day book launch plan I’ll be using for my next title — and the exact plan you can use for your next book, too.

Now, confession time: I haven’t actually finished writing my book yet. In fact, I just settled on the idea a week ago. But I’ve already written thousands of words, and that momentum has me thinking ahead. Let’s pretend this book will be ready to release in 90 days. (It won’t, so please don’t hold me to that!)

Still, here’s what I would do three months before publication. And more importantly, here’s what you can do to prepare for your next book launch, whether you write memoir, self-help, or another form of nonfiction. And for each month, I’ve also included mantras to keep you motivated.

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An Open Letter to Romance Author Kennedy Ryan

Dear Kennedy Ryan,

You are coming to Birmingham — my hometown — for the first time ever this weekend, and I won’t be there. You’ll be in town on Saturday, September 13, for the Behind the Ink book festival hosted by Me Time Book Club. But I’ll be in Orange Beach, Alabama, for the Alabama Writers Cooperative Conference. The irony is not lost on me that I’m missing a chance to meet one of my favorite writers because I’m attending a writing conference.

I wrote an article about the event that’s bringing you to the Magic City and the woman who worked hard to make all this happen — K. Reshay Williams. But I also wanted to write this blog post, which is really an open letter, to say all I would try to say if I had a chance to meet you this weekend.

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How to Finish Writing Your Book — Finally!

If you’re struggling to finish writing your book, you can be sure you’re not alone in this plight.

This summer I finally finished writing my book – a book I’d been working on since 2017.

During the early process of trying to write my book, there were times when I felt the project was literally, physically fighting me. My body was sore. I found bruises and scratches on my skin that I couldn’t explain, and I was always so tired. Jacob wrestled with an angel. I wrestled with words. 

Four years later, the book is complete, and I can’t wait to share it with the world next year.

In case you’re also struggling to finish your work in progress, I want to share with you the three things that I think helped finally complete my manuscript – clarity, commitment, and community.

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