I have to admit, I’m a wing-it kind of creative. I love jumping into a project without a defined plan to see what happens. Yes, I do a lot of research beforehand to understand the craft, but having a rigid outline can feel stifling. In the writing world, this is often referred to as a “pantser,” or someone who flies by the seat of their pants instead of following an outline/plotting. (To learn more about this idea, check out this awesome article by my friend Linda.) However, while I may be a pantser at heart, I’m finally starting to understand the limitations of this approach—not just in my writing but in my creative life more generally. And I have cinnamon rolls to thank.
Over Christmas break, I got really into baking homemade cinnamon rolls—the ooey, gooey Cinnabon copycats. For all my fellow bakers, you know that following a recipe pretty precisely is important to achieving a consistent, successful result. However, with my first batch of cinnamon rolls, I took a lax approach. Sure, I looked at the recipe, but I eyed the salt and didn’t level-off the flour quite right—and worst of all, I didn’t look ahead to the end of the recipe, which meant that I hadn’t anticipated melting the butter beforehand and other key actions. Needless to say, those cinnamon rolls turned out less-than delicious (think dry, flat, and generally bland).
And so it can be with our creative life. While there is certainly room for play and experimentation, sometimes, following a plan/outline/recipe can help us discover the delicious outcome we’re hoping for.
Finding a recipe that works for you
We’ve likely all tried recipes that were amazing and became regular go-tos, while others were disappointing. And our creative life is the same way. While following a plan can help us get to where we want to go, we must also find the plan that works best for us.
About threeish years ago, I jumped into writing a novel with nothing but an idea. As a pantser at heart, I knew that the characters and plot would develop as I went along. And for many chapters, this was true. Until it wasn’t. Eventually, after countless hours poured onto the page, I came to a dead end and realized I didn’t know how to move forward without changing most of what I had already written. Since most of these hours had been precisely budgeted into my already tight schedule, realizing that I’d have to redo most of what I’d already done was painful. This wing-it approach clearly wasn’t working.
After this disappointment and feeling stuck, I took time off from my personal writing to regroup. And it wasn’t until recently, when I started a 90-day novel writing challenge, that I found a recipe to move forward. While this challenge is really just an excuse for me to get writing again, what’s been most life-changing is the idea that a novel requires more than just a big idea—it takes a plan to put these ideas onto paper from start to finish. So, I’ve started a new novel, and I’ve been mapping out each chapter through an in-depth outline so that I can get a general idea of where I want the novel to go. By doing so, I know that my idea will work, from start to finish. And while I’m not plotting, there is still plenty of room for my pantsing self to explore.
If there’s anything I’ve learned amidst trying to juggle a busy family life and creativity, it’s that time is precious. While I will always be the type of creative who loves to discover through experimentation, I’ve come to realize that having a plan—a recipe to get from point A to B—helps give shape to my big ideas. And it also helps me stay on track, be creative each day, and avoid dead ends.
How to create your own creative recipe
In your own life, what are your creative goals? Whether you want to write a novel, refinish a piece of furniture, crochet a blanket, restore an old car, etc., making a plan for your big ideas will help you be more productive and avoid getting stuck.
While everyone’s creative recipe will look different, here are some ideas to help you get started:
What is my big idea?
What is my end goal?
How can I get from point A to B? (For my novel, this required plotting out my chapters from the beginning of the story until the end, but for other non-writing goals, this might look like thinking about what days/times you will work on this project.)
What will success look like for this project? (This will help you determine if you’re feeling stuck and need to tweak your recipe.)
As you put your ingredients together to make your own creative recipe, it’s important to know that you can always refine something that’s not working. And as you work through your own plan, I’d love to hear what ideas are working for you!
May your week be inspired. Until next time, stay creative, my friends!
Oh, I resonate with this—as you know. (Thanks for the shoutout!) Where are you taking the 90 day novel writing class?