Plotter or Panster?

What does it mean, and which one are you?

What do we mean by being a plotter or a pantser?

Plotting refers to someone who makes a plan before they write. This could take on various forms, such as using print-out templates, making bulleted lists in a notepad, or covering your workspace in hundreds of sticky notes. Plotters detail everything from chapter breakdowns to the inner workings of a character's mind. JK Rowling famously spent 'five years' plotting the Harry Potter series... Now, for me, that might be too much...

Pantsering, on the other hand (yes, that is a word), means to not have a plan. Writer who are pantser discover the story as they go, some using milestones (a drop of planning), while others literally make the story up as they go. Stephen King has previously expressed himself as an avid pantser – so don't think of it as lazy or unprepared. It's just a different way of organising ourselves, mentally and physically.

There is then a third type of writer here – a hybrid. The plantser. No, it's nothing to do with gardening. Plantser's may do some light outlining to help them find their way at the beginning of a piece of journey, such as scribbling a checklist onto a piece of paper (for example), but leave lots to discovery. In many ways, we are all plantsers; we all change things as we go along. We all find new plots and character secrets as we weave a narrative. It's certainly the case for lots of other art forms – visual art especially.

To summarise – plotters are architects, while pantsers are explorers. And plantsers are architects who want to be explorers, but like exploring too much to fully take on the whole architect role.

There is no better option!

Sure, they both have their pros and cons – but it's up to the individual to choose which works best for them. Let's look at the facts:

In many ways, if you're a plotter, you're a writer who wants to avoid 'writer's block' as much as possible; you like to know everything that's going to happen or can happen. Maybe you are writing a story with multiple POVs, or maybe you're writing a whodunnit –in which case, plotting may be more advisable, especially if you find it helpful to visualise the 'path' of the story before you commence your writing.

At the same time, however, many writer's will argue that over-plotting can feel restrictive and kill-off elements of spontaneity in the process. I for one relish moments in writing when I discover things about characters and plots through writing as opposed to initial planning – even if it means going back over paragraph after paragraph and making edits. Maybe in lots of ways, over-plotting can heavily influence our habits of procrastination.

Pantsers, meanwhile, are here for the surprises that jump out at them in their writing. They'd much rather let the character lead them through the story as opposed to the other way around. This certainly keeps the writing fresh and exciting, for both writer and reader, offering something more organic and character-driven, rather than characters jumping through pre-planned hoops. On the other hand, this can lead to a higher risk of plot holes – which will be all too obvious to the reader – and the prose may take much longer to edit and proof. While meandering stories are natural and somewhat unpredictable (which is a good thing!), they can also drift off in a random direction with no real objective.

Some Tips

If you are a plotter, then it's helpful to:

• Outline your story first, perhaps using a template to get to grips with how plot points work. You can find a handy plotting template here.

• Use storyboards, scene cards, flow diagrams, sticky notes (especially good if you want to move elements around freely) to help you organise the events of your plot

• Use software such as word processing (documents), tables, a notes app on your phone, spreadsheets...

If you are a pantser, then try to:

• Write a first draft without planning, to discover what could and couldn't happen, then try editing this, re-writing, or playing around with the structure using digital tools such as those listed above

• Get to know your characters through made-up interviews, cosplay, using AI or augmented reality, drawing and painting them first

• Use writing sprints of 'freewriting' to keep momentum

And if you are a plantser – yes, you, hybrid – then try to:

• Map out a plot without worrying about every little detail. Allow for gaps and prioritise milestones, such as what the main event of each chapter will be, or what will happen at the beginning of end of each chapter

• Create a detailed wanted poster for your character to get to know them in as much detail as possible before embarking on the road ahead – otherwise known as you plot!

And, of course, try to experiment with all these different approaches as much as possible. It might be that you're 100% plotter, or are you 70% plotter and 30% pantser. Maybe you're half and half and taking on the role of a plantser (minus the gardening). Which are you? Let us know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!