Author Tara Chevrestt - Plotter or Pantser?

I would like to welcome Tara Chevrestt back to my blog! You may remember she was a guest poster here not too long ago, and I hope to see her back! She's good people! Now let's find out if she's a Plotter or a Pantser? 

Am I a plotter or a pantser? For those of you who don’t eat, breathe, sleep, and crap books and writing, let me explain what that is... A plotter is an author who sits down and makes an entire outline or synopsis before they begin writing their story. A pantser just sits down and writes, making it up as they go.

I’ve done both. *sheepish chuckle*

When I first started writing, I just knew I wanted to write, that a story was itching to be told. The first book I wrote (not the first published) was Ride for Rights. I tried my best to base it on the real life women who rode their motorbikes across the U.S., but only had so much data to go on. So, keeping the real life facts in mind and incorporating what I could, I made the rest up. I even went so far as to close my eyes and place a finger on a map of the U.S. and that’s where the ladies went next!

My following works, A Facebook Affair, Sinful Urges, Afterburn, I knew where I wanted them to go, but didn’t need to write the ending down. I had a beginning, an end, and I filled the middle. Sinful Urges was plotted, but only in my mind. I knew I wanted the characters to do something dirtier, riskier with each scene. Afterburn, I had a conclusion and knew what moral I wanted to inject, but no outline was necessary.

Deaf Isn’t Dumb... well, it feels weird outlining one’s own life. I just wrote the stories in chronological order or placed them where they fit.

The first time I outlined a book was with Maiden Behind the Mask. I submitted it as a pitch to Ruby Lioness Press. A pitch is when you sum up your book, its beginning, characters, middle, and ending in five sentences. I had to make them very long sentences, but I did it. And that was my first time plotting. When it was contracted, I sat down made a list of scenes I needed to add to it.

Yes, I don’t do an outline, just a little list.

Here is what the list for FemDocs looks like:

-women dr, all nations. Men are ruled by *edited*

-man excited. Hands on help!

-seduction/pole scene

-lure of greed

-rapid dwindling of male species.

-visit from the agent.

Course, there’s more, but it was bits I ended up panstering.

FemDocs is a Sonia Hightower book, my sexy alter ego. It releases May 3, 2013. I recently had it contracted by Ruby Lioness Press. I do not have cover art yet, but there is a Goodreads page (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15763461-femdocs) if you would like to mark it as to read so you don’t forget about it. It’s a scifi/femdom/fantasy thing. I expect it to be quite controversial.

I have do have a 2013 release by plain ‘ole Tara releasing April 19^th. It’s called Opening Up and again, I did a list. It’s a pretty long book so I’ll just show a part of the list. And my lists are barely legible... I’m pretty sure no one can read them but me.

-Dr.’s office. Kim. Dr. Williams. *gasp!*

-Carlos rushes to her house.

-Bathtub scene.

-heart-to-heart

-bull riding

And the rest of the list gives way too much away, but I had you at bathtub scene, didn’t I? LOL

Find out more about Opening Up here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15707644-opening-up

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Tara Chevrestt is a deaf woman, former aviation mechanic, writer, and an editor. She is most passionate about planes, motorcycles, dogs, and above all, reading. That led to her love of writing. Between her writing and her editing, which allows her to be home with her little canine kids, she believes she has the greatest job in the world. She is very happily married.

Tara also writes as Sonia Hightower. Sonia writes the racy stuff and argues that she was here first. She just wasn't allowed to be unleashed until the last year.

While Tara and Sonia continue to fight over the laptop and debate who writes the next book, you can find buy links, blurbs, and other fun bits on their website: http://tarachevrestt.weebly.com/index.html or their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tara-Chevrestt-Sonia-Hightower/218383211513877.

Which are you? Plotter or Pantser? Let us know in the comments!