Know Jack #477 My Master Plan

“To fail to plan is to plan to fail.”

I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of guy, always have been. That’s not to say I’m incapable of creating a detailed plan and seeing it carried out. Been there, done that, and did it well, if I do say so myself.

For my money, planning is like beauty—it’s in the eye of the beholder. When I set out to write a new book, I have a plan. My plan is to throw the characters into some particular trouble, be it with vampires, outlaws, or spirits inhabiting alligator-infested swamps (Ed’s current problem).

How they go about getting out alive is up to them. Dating a rougarou has got to be tough, and I never planned for it to happen or for Ed and Jazz to marry, but here we are killing it. The characters must adapt, improvise, and overcome as I throw wrenches into the mix along the way. That is kind of how life works.

At least that’s how my life as an aircraft mechanic trying to launch planes on time and working the ER has been. I write them, but I never preached a series of sermons. I read a lot of military history in my private moments. If ever there was a place in which planning was important, battle would seem to be it. But so many battle plans failed due to events that could not be planned for or predicted. The failure was a result of being locked into a plan and not being able to adapt on the fly.

I learned when taking nurse exams (and dealing with people) that any answer that includes the word “always” or “never” is likely the wrong answer. Some people make doing the unexpected a kind of sport. My plan for people is inspired by another old adage, “Hope for the best, plan for the worst”. The best way to plan for the worst is to be ready for anything.