Every writer has their own process when it comes time to put pen to paper. While your approach is unique, it can be helpful to study the writing processes of writers similar to you. This will help you discover new tools and tricks to enhance your writing. Understanding the difference between the two main categories of writers — plotters vs pantsers — is a solid starting point.
Plotting vs Pantsing Defined
“Plotting” is a writing process that heavily focuses on planning and outlining. Plotters like to know everything about what will happen, where it will happen, and who it will happen to before they start writing. They might use tools such as character sheets or story maps.
“Pantsing” is the opposite approach — flying by the seat of your pants. Pantsers will begin writing with only a general idea of what their story is about, then see how things unfold organically.
Plotting vs Pansting: Pros and Cons
Both methods have their advantages and drawbacks. Plotting enables writers to work techniques such as foreshadowing into early drafts. There is more opportunity to make connections to different points throughout the work, and you can focus more on quality writing because you don’t have to figure out what is supposed to happen next.
However, strict plotting can sometimes prevent you from pursuing fresh ideas that might arise during the drafting process. Some writers feel that an outline hampers their creativity.
This is the greatest strength of the pantsing method. There is a lot of freedom in letting the story unfold as you write it. You have the chance to consider multiple possible outcomes for your characters during the drafting process.
However, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds as a pantser. You might face writer’s block if you’re unsure how to proceed. It’s also harder to hint at future events earlier in the plot and to create an optimal structure for your narrative. These are things you can fix in later drafts, but your first pass will likely be much messier than that of a plotter.
Plantsing — the Plotter-Pantser Method
There are very few writers who are true plotters or pantsers. Most fall somewhere in the middle and use elements of both methods.
For example, you might develop a loose outline that provides a general direction for the plot without including too much detail, so there’s still room to pivot as needed. Or maybe you like to work from a zero draft and pants the first version of your story, then develop a detailed outline based on that to work from going forward.
This is similar to my approach. I usually start with a clear picture of the very beginning and the very end of my story. Sometimes I have ideas for a few scenes in the middle. I’ll write out all of the bits I have in my head by hand, then put them in a zero draft and write around them.
After that comes a full outline and a fresh draft. I might repeat the outlining and drafting processes a few times until I’m happy with the plot and overall structure. Then I’ll do a few more drafts that focus in on character development, voice, and other such elements.
Hybrid writing methods allow you to harness the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of plotting and pantsing to create a process that produces your best possible work.
Plotting Tips
If you’re more of a plotter, or want to start incorporating more planning into your writing process, here are my top tips:
- Get Scrivener. It includes top-tier planning tools all in one place. Save research files, create character and setting sheets, choose from a variety of outline formats, color code your scenes and chapters, and more. Check out my Scrivener review for more details.
- Learn about different plot structures. When developing your plot, it may help to follow a 5-act structure, or replicate the Hero’s Journey. This will help shape your narrative.
- Develop character arcs. In addition to your plot, your characters require a lot of planning. Get to know them deeply so you can channel their voices and make them jump off the page. Create character arcs so you know how they’ll change (or stay the same) throughout the course of your story.
- Treat your setting like a character. Setting plays a huge role in your story. List out everything you know about where your story takes place and how it impacts your characters and plot so that you can incorporate elements into your writing that highlight its role.
Pantsing Tips
For pantsers, or those wishing to allow for more spontaneity in their writing, here are my top tips:
- Revise, revise, revise. A pantsed first draft will have plot holes and other missing elements — that just comes with the territory. Plan to write many drafts to clean up your original manuscript and make sure everything makes sense and has a solid through-line. (Scrivener is great for this too. You can take snapshots of previous drafts.)
- Don’t get sidetracked. It’s easy to wander off the main road when you don’t know where you’re headed. Have some guidelines in place to make sure you get to the end of the story at some point. Maybe you’re writing to an ending, or have a word count goal in mind.
- Use writing prompts if you get stuck. Writer’s block can easily set in when you’re staring at a blank page. Look up some prompts to help you keep the story moving if you find yourself unable to continue.
- Mark places you need to come back to. You’ll probably spot places that need more attention as you’re drafting. Rather than revising while you write (which makes the process of finishing your first draft much longer), add “TK” wherever you need to go back and make changes later. These two letter do not appear together anywhere in the English language, so you can easily do a search (ctrl/cmd + f) for all the places you’ve marked when you’re ready for your second draft.
Conclusion
Developing a writing process takes time and experimentation. Knowing if you lean more towards being a “plotter” or a “pantser” can be a good starting point for figuring out how you work best. Just remember that you don’t have to limit yourself to one method or the other — you can incorporate elements of both to create the optimal process for you.
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Featured Image Credit: Unsplash and Unsplash
Molly Tyler
Molly received her B.A. in English in 2016, and her M.F.A. in Creative Writing in 2019. She now works full time as a digital content marketer.