Post on July 15, 2026: Someone recently asked me, "Do you outline your books?" And I laughed.  The answer is definitely not "yes." But the answer isn't exactly "no," either. I'll explain. There are widely considered to be two types of writers: plotters and pantsers.  A plotter creates rigid outlines and sticks to them.  A pantser flies by the seat of their pants, a.k.a. they have no idea where the story is going until they're done writing it.  Some plotters stick so closely to their outline that they don't even need a second draft.  Some pantsers are so scattered that only introduce things like logic and consistency and, er . . . sometimes even coherency . . . in the rewrite. Both are totally valid processes, and many wonderful books have resulted from both. My process involves a little of both.  I tend to start with a core: the reason I want to tell the story in the first place.  It's often highly detailed, and it rarely changes.  If I decide the core is untenable, it kills the entire story.  This has happened before: I have a "Dead Books" folder on my computer for stories I stop caring about before I complete them.  That happened a lot when I was a teenager.  It still happens occasionally now.  The last time I put a book in there was in 2020, when I realized the core of a book had a really easy solution that I was an idiot to not have noticed quickly.  (Laugh.)  I sometimes make silly mistakes! Along with the core, there are often a few really cool ideas that are part of the plan.  These rarely disappear, but they often change form or get moved around until I find just the right way to use them.  If one of those ideas has to be nixed and I'm bummed out about it, it usually becomes the core to a sequel, a spinoff, or a tie-in short story.  Occasionally, this may inspire a whole spinoff series!  (Laugh!) The thing about the core is that it can be almost anything: a character, a plot twist, a theme, a worldbuilding idea, etc.  Most of the time the core contains all those things mixed together, dreamed up and interwoven as part of a whole.  So when it comes to the core, I usually know precisely what I'm doing, which is why I might, say . . . sneak in a hint about a massive plot twist in the first chapter of a comic ten years before I actually get around to revealing it.  You know.  As a random example.  ;P I almost always know why I want to tell a story: I rarely know much when I start about how. I virtually never know the solution to a story's central conflict when I start.  The core usually involves a conflict that I'm trying to learn how to solve, and in the process of writing the story, I figure it out, and I grow.  Then I move on to another story. This is why I tend to go through many drafts, and I tend to throw out a lot of good ideas because I come up with something better.  I don't try to demand perfection — given that I'm imperfect, that is currently an unattainable goal — but I want to look at everything I've created and say, "That was the best I was capable of at the time.  By working hard on that thing, I got better.  I am pleased with what I accomplished when I was at that level." In general, I start out tidy, I make a great big mess in the middle, and I end up tidy.  I think this is a good description of how most of my creative processes work.  Whenever I don't understand something, I just sort of wade in and start trying random things until I find something that clicks.  Then I start organizing from there. I wonder if that's something a lot of us do.

About the Author Hi!  I'm Emily Martha Sorensen!  I have a wonderful husband, seven kids who are often a handful, a madcap eccentric swarm of characters in my head, and I'm a devout Christian who always prioritizes loving God and loving my neighbor. I write fantasy and science fiction that is full of whimsy. I write clever characters who charge straight through my plot and spend it spinning wildly off the rails.  (Those brats.) I write magic systems with strict rules and surprising limitations. I write plot twists that will make your jaw drop. I write romance after the happily-ever-after.  That's where the relationship starts! I write darkness that exists only to help characters grow towards greater light. I write — Wait, where did those uncooperative protagonists put the plot this time?  They just ran off with it, cackling maniacally! Well, I hope they'll leave you grinning.

Can I write to you? Sure!  If you want to talk to me about something (which does not involve buying your marketing services), fill out this form, and I'll probably reply fairly soonish.  :)                       If you've enjoyed anything I've done, I'll be thrilled to hear from you!  I love hearing from people.  ^_^