Into the Fire

The expression "flying by the seat of his pants" points to unplanned indulgence. Whether it's attacking a responsibility, task, or hobby, it connotates a bit of whimsical engagement without real foresight or research. When it's used to describe writers, it's been shortened to "pantsers" or "seat-of-the-pants" which reveals the author does not set out with a strict outline or other means to dictate exactly how the story will be plotted, written, and concluded.

While the term brings a general anxiety to those who outline, pantsers don't exclude certain means of organization if their story demands it of them. Many authors have developed a hybrid capability which fluctuates somewhere in the middle of either extreme.

Not that I think "pantsers" are even close to being extreme since I am one. Having said that, at times I make notes of what needs to be included farther into the storyline. When I wrote my first novel, I had to keep a notebook of all the races and horses' names in order to keep them from coming back to a race too soon.

Writers are as prone to rituals as any creative types. But pantsers? They "fly by the seat of their pants" and wouldn't do it any other way.

Father, you make us in so many ways. We're different, and it makes for an exciting variety. Thank you for all the many ways we can choose to honor you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.