Book excerpt: If you've spent much time in the writing community, you've probably run across this question: "Are you a plotter or a pantser?" Plotters plan and organize their books ahead of time, while pantsers "write by the seat of their pants"—or, in other words, wing it. But how? How does that work? How is it possible to just sit down and write a book? The short answer is: it's not. There is a lot more that goes on in a writer's brain than just sitting down and writing a book. Even if that's what it looks like from the outside. How To Pants A Novel is an explication of my experience as a lifelong pantser. It explores what the process of pantsing a book might look like, delves into the intricacies of crafting a story on the fly, and answers a few common questions often posed to pantsers. Pantsing is a less frequently discussed method of writing a book, but for many writers, it’s the only way that works. And if you’re one of those writers—or if you’re not sure what kind of writer you are—hopefully this book will help you better understand and refine your own process into something that works the best for you.