Plotter or Pantser: Which is Right for You?
We all know that writers fall into one of two groups: the Plotters, who lay their entire story out methodically in advance, often using a formal outline; and the Pantsers, who “fly by the seat of their pants”, letting the story unfold as they write, perhaps with the aid of a few notes. Neither method is better than the other. It depends on the personality of the writer—some people are orderly and want to be in control. Others are more spontaneous, willing to be surprised. I would like to suggest that if you’re stymied for how to proceed with your novel or even how to start into it, you may be forcing yourself against type to be a plotter when you’re really a pantser, or vice versa. I’ve been there and done that.
Put on Your Big Girl (or Boy) Pants and Fly
Writing my first novel, I tried to do what books tell you. Set up an outline. Have the first plot point occur 25% of the way through the book. Have a second plot point at the 50% milestone, etc., etc. It was so fruitless and agonizing that I felt like I had no imagination and could never be a writer. But on the second book, I abandoned a complete outline from the get-go and just jotted down the basic plot points, embroidering those with more detail as I got into the story. Today I hardly do anything in advance except get the idea and a few scenes I want to happen. If I have an idea as I write, I jot it down. Even writing mysteries, which have to be tightly plotted, this method works. But it all depends on listening to where the characters take you. (Admittedly, as a writer of historical fiction, I always have a few real events to help structure things.) Sounds corny, perhaps, but you know Character X would act a certain way in a certain circumstance, so follow his lead. Warning: you’ll have to read your manuscript over and over to see the threads of where things are leading. For me, it works, and perhaps it does for you too.
Plotting Along
On the other hand, if pantsing it sounds dangerous and self-indulgent, you’re probably a plotter. Your creativity flows out methodically into an outline that holds the flower bulb, so to speak, of your entire book. Your desk is probably neatly arranged too. That’s really the ideal, according to the books—to be the master of your novel from beginning to end. Don’t force yourself to fly blind into what will become a nightmare of confusion and discouragement: plot.
To Plot or Not to Plot?
The bottom line is, neither way of working is better than the other. Find the work habit that is best for you and don’t feel constrained to follow anyone’s advice. Try one way and then the other. It should become clear pretty fast whether you’re a pantser or a plotter. Maybe writer’s block is really nothing other than trying to shoehorn your imagination into a work habit that doesn’t fit.