Problems pantsers avoid by Susan Sanderson

 

We often hear about the differences between planners and pantsers. I like to plan things in good time. Reacting to events as they occur can be difficult.

Recently, though, pantsers seem to have had all the advantages.

A case in point was the rearrangement of the ACW AGM and Writers’ Day less than two weeks before the date. The announcement of a train strike on a Saturday perhaps came as a surprise to everyone. I had been planning from almost the moment I received an email advising that the venue was to be in Wigan – a place I have travelled through countless times on intercity trains. The train app on my phone advised that no tickets had been released for that date. Maintenance work might be taking place.

Perhaps that only affected passengers travelling from the North. Anyhow I signed up for email alerts about tickets being released. About two weeks before the event I learned that no tickets would be released for that date. As I don’t drive and didn’t fancy travelling by coach, hubby kindly offered to take me.

A local train I might have travelled on

Many hotels in Wigan were booked up for the Friday night, but I made a booking in a nearby hotel with free cancellation until almost the last minute. Then I visited the ACW website to book my place. Lo and behold, there was an announcement that the event had been moved to Zoom!

I cancelled the hotel booking.

Of course, pantsers would have waited. They probably wouldn’t have taken any action even after receiving the email the following morning advising all the members of the change in plan due to the train strike.

I’m sure my disappointment about not having an in-person meeting and my regret over the effort I had wasted was nothing compared with the feelings of the committee and especially our events manager, who had researched the venue, found speakers and more besides.

Planners are needed. Events cannot happen without them. Pantsers are perhaps able to tolerate more uncertainty and the stress of having to act on a short timescale.

Having the meeting on Zoom had some advantages. There were people from at least three countries outside the UK, who would not have been able to attend a meeting in Wigan. Other people from the South of England were able to attend. Some might have made the journey. Others certainly would not. Andrew Graystone’s talk was very interesting.

I’m not sure what hubby would have done with a free day in Wigan. We hadn’t planned that far ahead.

In person events give opportunities to make and renew friendships in a way that online events do not. The first meeting of the Cumbria Christian Writers after months of meeting on Zoom was very special.

Not travelling reminded me of an earlier online ACW day where we did a writing exercise about an interrupted journey. Travel is certainly a useful topic for writing whether fact or fiction.

Are you a planner or a pantser?

Susan always wanted to be a writer.  In 2012 she revived her interest in writing with a blogging project to collect the kinds of sayings, which were much used in her childhood.

Susan experiments with factual writing, fiction, humour and poetry.  She does not yet have a book to her name. Her interests include words, languages, music, nature study and gardening  She has experience of the world of work, being a stay-at-home mum and an empty-nester.   She is active in her local community and Church. She and her husband live in Cumbria. 

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