A painful post to write

Guys... Alliteratus...

You've been here for me through thick and thin. You've watched me struggle with my writing, celebrate joy, a new job, a marriage, and been great friends. That's why it hurts me so much right now to admit that . . .

I've made the switch.

When I started this blog, I was a die-hard pantser. You could pry my keyboard out of my cold dead fingers when I was writing, but I spent most of my free time trying to think about where I would write myself next.

Now, though, something has changed. Something I'm afraid to admit-- ashamed, even. It's not that I think plotters are in any way shape or form inferior, just that I was so proud of my pantsing for so long, and now--

I'm one of you, plotters.

This manuscript I'm currently working on has an outline. A detailed, thorough outline. It's handwritten, which maybe made it a little less painful for me to do, but it's an accumulation of thought all the way through the story's climax. I know sub-plots, secondary characters, conflicts, motivations, scenes, and settings.

And I freaking love it.

Why did it take me so long to make the switch? Well, a large part of me was afraid that knowing where the story was going would take all the fun out of writing for me. But the fun's still there. I still look forward to writing the awesome scenes, but now I have structure for the ones I'm not-so-excited about. I still have some surprises cropping up-- like a whole new character that appeared out of nowhere, but solved my secondary conflict issue. But the best part is that I'm motivated, and I can keep going and going and going as long as I want because I don't have to stop and take long breaks to figure out where the story is going next.

And I LOVE drafting. It's my favorite part. I love letting the story surprise me-- which it's still doing-- and I really, really love this world that I'm crafting.

Ah! I'm getting the itch even now!

What do you think? Are you a die-hard? Would you consider making the switch?