Confessions of a Former Pantser

I started work on the third novel in my series, The Memory Chronicles, the other day. Like I've done in the past, I dove straight in with just the vaguest idea of the overal story in my head, pieced together from what I've imagined it being over the last year or two. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough this time.

I've found that, lately, I've been less and less willing to just charge through a new WIP with so little preparation. Perhaps it's a sign of the lessons I learned while editing Locked Within, but I feel much more comfortable now when I have some outline of how my story is going to play out. Something more than having a climax and a few set-pieces in my head.

So I sat down and started planning out the different plot points for the book. I've got about the first quarter of the book planned in summary, and it feels great to have it done. Part of me, the old pantser who wants to get things done, complains that it's not "really writing," but it feels good that I can see the skeleton of the book take shape and know that this will help me reduce the amount of re-writing needed when I move on to edits.

Of course, what kills me is that I can't share any of what I have planned yet, as it'll just give away all the fun! Gah! Where are my beta readers...?

So have any of you recently changed how you approach new projects?