Any given night, when I lay down, I can have six to eight characters vying for my attention to think of their story lines as I try to fall asleep. It’s only a queen size bed. With the dog, it’s crowded place on the average night.

My head doesn’t stand a chance.

Now, before I went to The Writers Institute last month, I simply thought that’s how my brain works for the plot – creating scenes with my characters. I had no idea they now have a name for it – blueprinting. All this time I thought I was a pantser (plotting by the seat of my pants).

Blueprinting is going into a trance-like state to have your plot come to you scenes at a time until you have about 150 scenes that may or may not work. You write each scene down on an index card after each trance, and organize them, eliminate the ones that don’t work – which means save them for that other book – and voila, you have a plot.

Now, to be fair, as the presenter said, blueprinting should take six months before you even begin writing the manuscript. So from this workshop I left realizing I am a hybrid – a blueprinting/pantser.

I also learned about beat lines. Interesting. I’m sure I’d like to spend a month writing lines before I write the manuscript. The author promoting this style of plotting says it prevents writers block. You know your destination and the route you’re taking.

I like the idea, but my characters have always come first. They are formed in my head. I then I develop the inciting incident, which usually brings the characters together, or at least setting them on their path.

Maybe in Pollyanna in me (I’m sure my psychotherapist friend Jim would have lots to say about this) wants my characters to determine what troubles and adventures they will have. I prefer to think of them as setting themselves up for their own lives – kind of like we do. We say ‘I’m going to be an accountant’ and we wind up being a teacher for thirty years – Life stepped in and said, “Not so fast!” Because pushing a pencil and reading numbers wouldn’t nearly be as rewarding as molding the minds of children for thirty years, Life had other ideas.

Yesterday at Writers Guild, three – three! new members arrived!We are SO excited! One young writer brought his hand written novel to read from, and the others had stuff. We are excited to read their works as well. We hope they return.

One of the new writers, without reading his work, just with his ideas, my mind is already buzzing with what he’s written. He’d like to get published, and we’ll be here to support him.