The Trouble With Writing Advice Once you Have Already Written Your Novel

I have to start by admitting that I am a pantser. Which means creative flow is at a maximum, but editing is a drag.

Pantsers creates stories without a formal outline. It comes from the phrase "flying by the seat of your pants". Instead of planning plot points ahead of time, a pantser discovers the story and develops characters organically as they write. 

I don't do outlines. I start writing with a blank page and a basic concept. This could be a character, the name of a character, a placename, as was the case with Rottnest. Or it might be a vague theme. I write spontaneously, letting characters make unexpected choices. This means I have the wondeful experience of

discovery: I find out what happens next at the same time the reader does.

The problem is, this can lead to plot holes, dead ends, or, rarely, mid-story block. The worst part though, is attending an event with writing coaches who offer a lot of, mostly, very good advice. Which is exactly what happened when I attended the Worldshift Many Worlds Speculative Fiction writing event (worldshift2026.manyworldswriting.com), during my fifth revision stage.

The event is organised and run by writing coach and editor, Heather Davis, and this was my second year attending. It is great for newbies and experienced writers, as there is something for everyone - you never stop learning. Or at least, one shouldn't. But I hadn't anticipated the depths which Heather Davis and K M Weiland would dive into, and I am left with a number of chunks in my narrative that need expanding, explaining, or worse - I haven't delved too far yet.

It's not exactly demoralising, but I wish it had happened before I caompleted my manuscript!