I’m a planner, a plotter, not a panster. I can’t write without some kind of vague plot, at least, hovering in the distance.
When I say I can’t, I probably could if someone held a gun to my head, but other than that, I’ve tried it, and it’s not very productive for me personally. The more I know about which writing direction I should be heading in, the quicker and more efficiently I write.
So although I’m editing a project now, I’m already trying to outline my next book. The next one is something I’ve actually been working on for years – though mostly in my head. Most of my ideas are years old now, because I come up with them quicker than I write – but only the good ones (I hope) stick around. (It’s the Tea book, if anyone reading remembers that.)
Sometimes I worry whether it’s a book a bit too close to my heart – have I been carrying it around for too long? Will I write it too slowly? Care too much if someone criticises it?
I think I have to write it either way. This one isn’t going to let me go.