By Kimber Chin

There are two main schools of romance writing.

There are those writers that outline or plot the entire book before sitting down to write. There are very detailed plotters. They sketch out everything from character builds to action points. They knew exactly where the book is going.

At the other side of the spectrum are the pantsers. These writers write by the seat of their pants. They simply sit down at the keyboard and start typing. They don’t know what happens next in the story until they write it.

Most writers are a combination of the two. I work out a very brief outline of what I would like to see happen in each chapter, where it will begin and end. I also draft rough character sketches of each key person so I ‘know’ them before writing. After that is done, I let the muse take over. Sometimes my characters go where I want them to go. Sometimes they don’t and I have to rework the outline.

Much of the decision about which style of writer you are depends on your personality. Do you make a list before going grocery shopping? Odds are, you’re a plotter. Do you forgo the instructions when building Ikea furniture? You might be a pantser. I tried a variety of methods before settling upon my current technique.

Another factor is your writing schedule. If you only have time to write a page a day, a plot greatly helps. It allows you to pick up the story quickly.

There is no ‘better’ way for everyone. There are many best selling plotter authors and as many best selling pantser authors. There is only the better way for you.

Kimber Chin writes romance novels based in the business world. Her first novel, Breach Of Trust, was published in May. Every week, she offers a free read on her site http://businessromance.com/

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