Pantsers and Plotters

MITES was the most inspirational six weeks of my life.  Such a simple sentence that tells a truth, but does not convey enough.  It does not convey that my MITES 2012 family continues to inspire me.  It's in every Google+ hangout that lasts into the wee hours of the morning.  It's in every Facebook post about completing college applications or a scholarship/award won.  Igniting inspiration?  Definitely.

This past Sunday I was inspired at and attended, for the final time, the Connecticut Children's Book Fair. Going to the Book Fair has been a tradition for my mother and me for at least 8 years.  Every year, authors for children and young adult come to the Fair to present (~20 minutes each) and autograph books for young fans.  This year, during the Q&A session of the teen panel, a boy around my age asked if they (the authors) outlined the story before actually writing a novel.  One of the panelists, Kim Harrington, stated that there are "pantsers" and "plotters," but many times it depends on the novel.  Overall, she believed herself to be somewhere in between.  

The comment resonated with me and I started thinking about my life.  I used to plan things to the extreme.  I would outline my night's homework, even including approximate durations of time for each assignment.  Sometimes my plans went haywire, but after those numerous hiccups, I would go back to my old planning ways.

At MITES, my perspective changed.  I loved being able to go on a spur-of-the-moment 10:40 PM LaVerde's run with a friend.  Or even being able to text a friend about meeting for a vanilla-coffee coolatta in 10 minutes.  As for PSets?  If I understood the idea, then maybe it would only take 4 hours or so.  Many times, I would THINK I mostly understood, go to Office Hours and finally finish about when the TA was going to call it quits for the night.  Humanities?  I don't even want to think about how many times I revised a thesis statement.  A thesis statement is not just any sentence.  Trust me.

I'm still a little neurotic at times (who isn't?), but I've found the balance between obsessively outlining and living.  There are still many things I need to plan for including college application deadlines, but it is in every break from work that I realize how wonderful life is.  These breaks are spent with friends.  They are spent on the couch reading my new (autographed even!) book with a mug of coffee precariously perched on the nearby table.  They are spent embracing life and all forms of inspiration.

Until next time,

Katie