Insecure Writers Support Group (#8)

Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is a really awesome meme that you should be doing along with the rest of us writers. Unless you truly are happy with your writing and don't feel the need to vent about your insecurities because they don't exist for you. But, really.... Don't they?  
IWSG is hosted by Captain Ninja Alex at his blog, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

This month, my writing insecurity might be a bit unusual. I really don't know what to make of this one. My current manuscript is sort of forcing me to write it in an uncomfortable manner. 

I know--how can a manuscript make you do anything? It sounds preposterous, but my current WIP just won't let me actually plan it out before I write it. My usual way of writing is to mostly plan the entire story, sometimes as I go, but I "pants" very little of my stories. But, this one. This one. Will not formulate in my head before I sit my butt down to write it. I can only say that this is terrifying!

I'm not a "pantser" so this is really new and very strange territory for me and I can't understand why this story is behaving this way. It's like it's a jumbled mess of raw materials strewn about all over the place that is expecting me to just stick everything together at the last minute into an organized structure. I don't even know. It's all abstract. It's an abstract story in my head that has no shape or form, but it's there somehow. I don't even know how to explain this.....

Anyway, are there any pantsers out there who can give me some advice? I'm so freaked out that I'm going to end up staring at a blank page with absolutely nothing coming to mind. I mean, how can I write when I have no idea what to write beforehand? 


How do you usually write your fiction? Have you ever tried a method opposite to your usual and learned to be comfortable with it?