Hi WestWorders,
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m a plotter. By this, I mean that I like to plot my stories before I write them. I love to map things out, chapter by chapter, and give myself clear direction.
Pantsers work differently. Pansters take ideas and run with them ‘by the seat of their pants’. They are not always sure where things will go, but they love the excitement of dreaming on the move.
Is there a correct way to do things? Is one better than the other? Definitely not!
In my previous blog, I mentioned the importance of planning story time frame. This is especially helpful if you’re somebody who finds it difficult to complete your stories before time runs out. But this doesn’t mean you still can’t write great stories with less of a structured plan. The trick is to find out what works best for you.
When I wrote the Mr Bambuckle’s Remarkables series, I plotted out the main story skeleton (no, not a horror story!) but left room for ideas to grow naturally. In other words, I was a plotter to begin with, but did some pantsing as well. There is not one way to do things.
Let’s just pause and admire what a wonderful word ‘pantsing’ is…
What about you? Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Tim
Hi, I both a plotter and a pantser. Mostly I am a plotter but sometimes I am a pantser.
Hi Angela,
Thanks for your comment. Good luck with the plotting and pantsing!
Hi, I am a plotter AND a pantser. I don’t really mind which one I use because they are both good to me when I do my writings.
Hi,
I am a pantser most of the time, but sometimes I plan things out.
Hi Tim,
I am mainly a pantser, but at times when the topic is easy, I am plotter.
Good on you for reflecting about this, Joshua.
Hi Mr Harris,
Almost all the time when I am writing, I am a pantser. I feel I am good at moving with the flow, but sometimes I wish I should do some plotting first, because when I am going with the flow, I can feel stuck while writing and waste some time thinking about what to write next. Even if I do not wish to write a full plan, I feel like should at least take down some notes on what I am going to write about, and the rough sequence of events, so I am not stuck with ideas half way while I am writing the story.
Thank again for the amazing blog post!
Shawn Ng
Thanks for the thoughtful comment, Shawn. It’s so important to reflect on process.
Most of the time I am a pantser. I like to let the story write itself rather than stay in a fixed plan, as this is a little less fun. I always want to see where the story will lead me.
Thanks for sharing the approach that works for you, Collin.
A lot of the time I’m a pantser. I let the story flow out rather than controlling it, but I find this usually takes more time so I’m trying to be more of a plotter.
Thanks for sharing, Evan!