Weekly Writers: Plotters Versus Pantsers

Which are you?

This is a sample of the Weekly Writers posts I plan to do every Monday, for paid subscribers only. These will mainly be of interest to authors. As the About page explains, I’ll compile short articles about writing, craft, publishing, and occasional writing prompts. I’ve made this short one available to everyone so you can see the kind of thing that would reach your inbox on a Monday if you threw in a few quid to support me. On with the show!

The Two P’s

Enter a room of writers and raise the issue of plotters versus pantsers, and you may also raise people’s temperatures.

Some authors plot every point in minute detail, so that when they come to write the story they have a good idea of what will happen in each scene. This prevents dead ends, and helps authors to get words written, because they always know what they are going to write. This is plotting, or outlining.

Other authors prefer to let a story flow and make it up as they go along, asking “What if … ?” and creating new scenes out of how the characters react to events. This is known as pantsing – “flying by the seat of their pants” (an idiom meaning “playing it by ear”). The characters drive the story. It can lead to exciting and unexpected twists for the author and reader, or it can lead to wasted time and dead ends and more need for rewriting. Note that for pantsing to work, you have to already visualise strong and believable characters and interesting situations for them to exist in. Some authors refer to this as discovery writing.

So, are you a plotter or a pantser? Think about your process for a moment before answering.

Or maybe you are both?

The reality is that many authors mix the two systems, and they are not mutually incompatible. For example, I plan out the major scenes of my novels, and have notes on the key events that will happen in each chapter. But I don’t do it in massive detail, and nor do I make decisions on the outcome of every conflict. As I write it gives the characters freedom to surprise me. So I do have a structure that prevents me going astray, but I still feel excitement as I write.

Karl’s Tip: Benefit From Structure

Usually only very experienced authors can use full-blown pantsing and still achieve good novels. So, if you are new to writing then definitely err on the side of plotting, with breakdowns of your scenes and chapters. This lets you spot problems, or areas to cut, before you waste time writing them. Ask the question about every subplot, twist and event: “Does this contribute to the overall story, or is it just words?” And if you use a developmental editor, it can be far cheaper to ask them to look at your outline and a writing sample, than to send them the whole book. It will also mean things can be improved before you start writing, saving costly mistakes and wasted time later.

Karl’s Second Tip: An Outline Gives Options

Note that, if you have a good outline that covers every chapter, then you don't have to write the scenes in that order. Some authors like to write the ending, then the beginning, tying them together with language and motifs, then fill in the middle bits later. You can even write the book in reverse if you prefer.

Let us know what your process is, using the comments!