As a fellow pantser, I hear ya! Increasingly, my characters are taking me down roads that lead to surprising places, but places that are remote and disconnected. I have to weed and prune as I go, tossing long passages into my “Cutting Room Floor” file, and pushing my characters down more fruitful paths. It’s like herding cats. It’s also like throwing ideas against the wall to see what sticks. I’m still having a good time with it, though, and I’ve got some ideas in that “Cutting Room Floor” file that may yet see the light of day in one form or another.
Your process sounds very much like mine, though you might have more discipline. The first part of your excerpt sounds a lot like the way I write: a night drive into an open landscape, a few triangular rocks and stars to guide me. Hope you punch your way out of the "The Box" some day.
As a fellow pantser, I hear ya! Increasingly, my characters are taking me down roads that lead to surprising places, but places that are remote and disconnected. I have to weed and prune as I go, tossing long passages into my “Cutting Room Floor” file, and pushing my characters down more fruitful paths. It’s like herding cats. It’s also like throwing ideas against the wall to see what sticks. I’m still having a good time with it, though, and I’ve got some ideas in that “Cutting Room Floor” file that may yet see the light of day in one form or another.
Your process sounds very much like mine, though you might have more discipline. The first part of your excerpt sounds a lot like the way I write: a night drive into an open landscape, a few triangular rocks and stars to guide me. Hope you punch your way out of the "The Box" some day.