Friday's Interview - Me Janet Lane Walters Are You A Plotter or a Panster #MFRWauthor #Writing #Interview

Since this is my blog, I really can't be a guest but each time I do an new type of interview for others, I usually try it out. This time I've used it several times. Since the person I had penciled in for the blog today never let me know if he wanted a spot, I decided to let others know my way through this world of writing.

1. Are you a panster or a plotter or perhaps a bit of both?
      I like to think I'm a plotter but I'm really not. I kind of slip from one style to the other.  Take my latest work. I did what I usually do and plotted out the chapters and what would happen in them. I then began to write. I reached chapter 8 and discovered I had strayed so far from my initial plotting for the book the last five chapters would not work. They were so far from the way the story was evolving I had to stop and and start over again. I didn't really start over but had to read to discover the new additions and see where they led me. You see while I have the outline for each chapter when I start to write I go into panster mode. Took some thought and I redesigned the last five chapters so they would encompass the new material. This is usually the things I have learned about the characters.

2. Which comes first - characters or plot for you?

      The plot and the characters come rather quickly and close together. I know the general plot. The current book is a romance, the fifth in a series of astrological opposites in love. The characters mainly come with a name and an occupation. Since these are medical romances This isn't hard. They are people I'm familiar with.

3. What are you working on now? Is this a book in a current series or something totally new?

      As I said what I'm working on is book 5 in a series of medical romances. This one is titled the Leo Aquarius Connection. Is this something new, not really but there are several new elements in the book. The hero has two problems. He acted like a jackass with the heroine about four months ago. He also must deal with a woman his parents want him to marry and his never have felt he belonged to his family. It's been fun though I have a long way to ge before it's finished.

4. Do you have some kind of object or place that figures in most of your books? I use gems a lot, hospitals and caves.

      Here I talk about things that follow in many of my stories. In the murder mysteries, mint tea is frequently seen. All varieties of mint. My real one is gems, seldom diamonds but stones of color. Dark caves and dungeons are often seen in my fantasies, along with swords. Comes from once studying fencing.

5. Do you write everyday or just when the spirit hits?

      I am an every day writer. We'' most every day. Usually several thousand words but there's a catch here. I write my first few drafts by hand and then type them into the computer. Some days I can only find a hundred new words but writing must become an obsession if one wants to write a lot of books and I always have three or four in the background crying for their turn.