Ah, the perennial debate of plotting your work versus pantsing it (i.e. writing by the seat of your pants for those who are unfamiliar with this term). There are benefits to each and, in my humble opinion, times where one may be more appropriate. One aspect of pantsing that makes me more inclined to plot is the sheer number of words I’ve had to delete simply because I wrote myself into a corner. One of my goals is to be a prolific writer like Carre and writing for a few weeks and then having to delete 50,000 words sucks. I really admire those who are able to successfully and efficiently pants their way to novels, but I’m pretty sure I will never be one of them. I pants for exercising my imagination and creativity, but I plot for writing my best and most marketable work.