Hi SE Readers. Joan here today on this last week of January. The holidays are behind us. We’ve had time to make and break New Year’s resolutions. It’s time to get back to some serious writing. (Talking to myself with that last sentence.)

In the publishing world, you’ve probably heard there are two types of authors—plotters and pansters.

Plotters take time to delve deeply into their story before they write the first word. Many plan meticulous outlines. They know what will happen in chapter one as well as the final chapter. Some of them create detailed character sketches, conduct copious amounts of research, and develop the setting down to exact details.

Pansters, on the other hand, don’t plan at all. They may have a general idea such as, “I’m going to write a murder mystery that isn’t solved until twenty years after the fact.” A few character names and a…