As Philip Pullman suggested: "Write the story first and plan afterwards because that way the plan will be exactly like the story. He called it: "Doing it the right way!
I'm a pantser. I've written a whole trilogy based on nothing more than a vague idea for the first chapter. But I want to be a plotter! And I've been trying but no luck. I really admire plotters.
Happy to start this of for you guys. I`m a bit of both actually. I like to have a plan but also need to let it go where it wants to. Then, probably about half way through, when I`m stating to think "where`s this going now?" I need to plan it out in my Helicopter View document.
I think it depends. Sometimes, I just have to start writing and the story just evolves on the page. Other times, I will plan out the family history of the protagonist back four generations, painstakingly world-build, research and plan out what happens in every chapter in fine detail. I enjoy both!
Planner. I need to know how the story unfolds from start to finish. I must sculpt out the characters and figure out how they speak (dialect, accent), how they interact with each other. I will even fuss over their clothings, their favourite foods, their hobbies, their dislikes, etc.
I’m very much a pantser, mainly because I write my first drafts longhand in notebooks, and not in any chronological/plot order. I know where my story starts and where it ends before I begin - though the precise ending may change several times before the final draft! The saving grace, as far as I am concerned, is wonderful Scrivener software. I type up the scenes from my notes, then I can juggle them until the story thread and character arcs become untangled. Then I polish each chapter until I can ALMOST count my teeth in it. At that stage I tend to transfer it to Vellum so I can read it in book format (since it’s also super-easy to edit within Vellum). For some reason I find it easier to spot typos, non-sequiturs and repetition once it’s in print format. I think it’s very much a matter of personal working-style. If I try to plot, I get bored with it before I start, and my characters turn into toddlers having tantrums. Writing this way has worked for me for 8 novels so far, and is working pretty well for #9.
There are times when I just have to get the story down. It's unfolding as write. In general I am working to a framework. I tend to use the screen writers approach - A Springboard, A premise and Beats that describe the action
Pantser! It isn't a free and happy way to write. The process always feels daunting and messy, not having a clue what will happen. Sometimes I write myself into a corner and don't know how to get out! I'd love to plan.
I'm definitley a pantser. It's exciting to discover where the day's writing has taken me. It does create a problem at editing time, reflected in my world-record rejection pile!
I'm a pantser. I always know who my main character is and where she is at the beginning and some idea where she might end but as for what happens in between, I haven't a clue I can only find out as I'm writing her story. It's a slow process. It's like making something out of paper mache.
I was absolutely a pantser at first, but the more I write I find it much less heartache to have a general plan at least. Although, that plan does tend to change on the regular so, I'm not sure where that leaves me! I think I'm more in the middle of both extremes these days. As others have said, it's good to allow yourself freedom and not be completely rigid with a plan as you might miss good plot points if you have tunnel vision for your one big plotted plan. Always interesting to hear how other people approach writing.
I am a pretty big plotter, but I allow myself to pants too. I map an outline of my book into a notebook. Then make a rough idea of the chapters. Some chapters I drive down into the details with. Others I just mention an idea or prompt for it allowing myself room to pants and go with whatever strikes me as fitting. Pantsing is great because you’re never really sure where it’s going to end up so it’s exciting, but I think you can get equal excitement in the plotting stages. After all, you don’t know fully what your plot will be until you’ve plotted it out.
Planner! Tried the pantser thing - although it was fun not knowing where my character was taking me next, it took me five years to write the book - Have been planning since.. But I do allow some mystery and let my characters some wiggle room on how the events unfold, or how they look or speak etc.. just to keep things interesting!
I'm a complete plotter. The last 'synopsis' I did ran to 50 pages. So, not really a synopsis. But, when I have an idea, I'll pants it until it's a full story arc, maybe just one page. Then the plotting begins...(evil laugh)
Both. Plan then pants then plan then pants then plan then pants then plan. There's no way I could plan everything at the start. I don't know my characters yet. But without planning there's no way to control what the reader finds out about them, and most importantly, when.
A bit of both. But I think everybody is to some extent: most writers I know who say they're pantsters actually have some sort of plan when they write, even if it's really fluid - they aren't just showing up at the page with no prior ideas at all; conversely, most planners will occasionally end up winging it when a character suddenly refuses to do what they had planned for them!
I pantsed for too long, believing that planning would take away the magic and creativity. Then I realised just how much fun and magic and creativity there is in researching, planning, building and getting to know characters, conjuring up scenes and incidents and sitting it all in one big plan ... which you're absolutely free to change/detour at any given moment if a better idea comes along. I don't know how I'd keep the rhythm going for the reader without planning ... not to mention the hell of an edit turning into a total rewrite.
It depends which draft you're talking about! Currently on draft 5, I have definitely become a planner. I've always known what I'm trying to say, however, having the courage to cut the writing/story to the quick to keep it clear has only just happened. Without that focus and clarity nothing really works from the synopsis up. In other words I probably started pants, but now believe in the plan 100%.
A planner. I hate starting a story without knowing the direction it will go and even if we take some detours en route, I need to have a destination in mind. Since I read Goal, Motivation, Conflict by Debra Dixon I find I write better, faster.
I'm a bit of both. I know where the story will end and the rough trajectory from the start, but in between the characters lead the plot. To be honest, in my latest, they and I are getting a bit lost. Which is probably predictable!
I have written two novels as a 'pantser', but am realising (after several workshops) that maybe I didn't know my characters quite well enough. For my next novel, really getting to the heart of who and what my characters are has been enormously beneficial.
A little of both - first its a storyboard where I play around and develop the idea and characters then I just write and when the first draft is finished I then spend a long time writing a one page synopsis which normally helps me to spot the weaknesses in the storyline - what is working and what isn't.
I'm a pantser but like others didn't know about this. I have learned you need to keep notes, if you have a few characters. Plus a thread of the storyline.
I pants the characters at first to work out who they are, and then create a general plot for them to follow, but invariably they don't like being told what to do.
A pantster. I like the organic way a story can unfold from my mind. Of course there's also an 'idea' in my mind from the beginning but there's something unfettered about writing without a plan. Rather like an artist who begins with a blank canvas and lets the brush and the medium dictate where the next stroke on the canvas might be.
Definitely a pantser. I love the whole creative process and I usually just start with a small idea and see where it leads. At some point there has to be a bit of planning down the road, as otherwise the plot would end up in a bit of a muddle.
I definitely plan in outline before I start, so I know where I want to get to in the end, but not always how I'm going to get there. I start with a whole bunch of ideas that I could include, but often I've got too many threads to pull together, so with my current WIP I've cut a lot of things out to keep until book no. 2.
Scene by scene I'm more of a pantser with no idea quite how things will work out until I start writing. Ideas tend to come better when I get going, though if it ends up too much like pulling teeth, I know I'll completely re-write that section later.
Plan the big overall picture but be prepared to adapt the plan when something unexpected turns up. Then weave that idea into the plan. The plan is a tool, not a straight-jacket, and really helps when picking up the pen again after a break. I love planning, when I (used to) walk to work, letting my mind and imagination roam free. My latest project had a whole new character appear as a result of ideas given to me by my daughters. And she turned into a major character which led to a very different set of problems that my male antgonist had to face.
So I plan and am prepared to be lightfooted and adapt,when fresh ideas strike!
Elton John's former accountant once told me that he was often called upon by Elton to give advice quite outside anything directly to do with accountancy. This might have been because the accountant knew absolutely nothing about Elton John's music, as his preference was for classical music from the baroque period. Hard to believe, but before being taken on as accountant he claimed to never haver heard of Elton John. Therefore he could be relied upon to give real advice, rather than say what he thought he ought to say. His approach was called, rather mysteriously, 'positive drift. A mixture of planning and waiting-and-seeing, of allowing a little serendipity to happen, but with a nudge. And that's what I think seems to make sense when writing.
I pantsed to start with, and then when the first book attracted attention I had to plan how the others were going to go. I always know how it will end it is just getting there. Heck, I even changed the main character. Some times none of it works and I take the whole thing to pieces and rewrite it, but I always have a short synopsis with the important events that have to happen.
Panster, that evolves into a planner along the way. I'm coming up the learning curve in creative writing skills, vs. my past craft in structured technical material. In this discussion thread (Bryony Pearce) the way she breaks down Acts 1,2,3+ and the comments/notes in clear simple terms makes sense. For me, it's also results in easier-streamlining-editing. I learned something here. The mix of panster, creative, a little structure and planning, its all fine tuning and feels good. Thank you Cornorstones. Inspiration, motivation, fine tuning and interesting bits from contributors here. all good.
I've just finished [or so I thought] my first MG novel, using the 'inspiration' method, based largely on ignorance of any other way. Reading Bryony's planning schedule made me realise that I have hit certain of those storyline criteria, but more by luck than judgement! Although I do have a sound basis for a book I feel I need to go back and look at the narrative arc, perhaps rearranging the order of incidents/developments and re-thinking other areas which aren't working properly. I think I'll do more planning in the future.Its certainly a very interesting article from Bryony, thanks very much.
I'm definitely a pantser! I like to write 'freely' and allow the story to take me, rather than me take it. The problem with that is I sometimes write myself into a corner and struggle to get out. Next time I write a story I think I'm going to try planning.
I'm the ultimate pantser. At the start of lockdown a year ago I opened a file called 'Notes for Book' but instead of making notes I just started writing until I came to the end of my story. One of the characters was in my head from the outset, but the others were just added and fleshed out as I dived into the world I had created for them. Not very professional, I'm sure, but I adored writing the book
I always thought I was a pantser, in so far that I normally know what is the end of my story, but like Frodo setting off to Mount Doom, I never have any idea how I am going to get there.
But currently I am writing five connected novellas, and I realised when I was on novella three that the actual number of evil aliens was five, and in each episode another alien was going to die, so that by the end of the series, we get to the punchline 'We have defeated them for now - but who knows when they will return'. (Okay now you don't need to read the series.)
This meant I had to go back to the first novella where I appeared to have about a dozen aliens rushing around causing mayhem. This was so painful ( I liked the first story as it was) and so difficult (having to cut bits of perfectly good prose and find the muse to write something new) that I vowed that the next time, I would try and have at least a bit more of a sketch of an outline.
I have been listening to a lot of podcasts (I have a author-crush on Chris Fox at the moment) where authors say the real benefit of planning is that you can write the story a lot faster, and you need to do a lot less editing afterwards to get it into shape.
I don't think I will ever be a spreadsheet girl with a chapter by chapter layout, but using Scrivener is really helpful when wanting to structure the key themes of the novel and drawing the three act structure as per Chap 4 of On Editing (Helen & Kathryn) either on a beer mat, a napkin, or even in your notebook, depending on when your idea takes shape is probably a good idea.
So a reformer pantser on a journey to being a loose planner - does that help?
As Philip Pullman suggested: "Write the story first and plan afterwards because that way the plan will be exactly like the story. He called it: "Doing it the right way!
A planner. Otherwise I meander or get lost - pleasurable but the novel doesn’t get finished.
I'm a pantser. I've written a whole trilogy based on nothing more than a vague idea for the first chapter. But I want to be a plotter! And I've been trying but no luck. I really admire plotters.
First book: total pantser.
Many years and four drafts later: attempting to do the second book with a plan!
Happy to start this of for you guys. I`m a bit of both actually. I like to have a plan but also need to let it go where it wants to. Then, probably about half way through, when I`m stating to think "where`s this going now?" I need to plan it out in my Helicopter View document.
I think it depends. Sometimes, I just have to start writing and the story just evolves on the page. Other times, I will plan out the family history of the protagonist back four generations, painstakingly world-build, research and plan out what happens in every chapter in fine detail. I enjoy both!
I hadn't even heard of this until I started writing my novel. Definitely a pantser, although I'm having to sort out the structure retrospectively.
Planner. I need to know how the story unfolds from start to finish. I must sculpt out the characters and figure out how they speak (dialect, accent), how they interact with each other. I will even fuss over their clothings, their favourite foods, their hobbies, their dislikes, etc.
I’m very much a pantser, mainly because I write my first drafts longhand in notebooks, and not in any chronological/plot order. I know where my story starts and where it ends before I begin - though the precise ending may change several times before the final draft! The saving grace, as far as I am concerned, is wonderful Scrivener software. I type up the scenes from my notes, then I can juggle them until the story thread and character arcs become untangled. Then I polish each chapter until I can ALMOST count my teeth in it. At that stage I tend to transfer it to Vellum so I can read it in book format (since it’s also super-easy to edit within Vellum). For some reason I find it easier to spot typos, non-sequiturs and repetition once it’s in print format. I think it’s very much a matter of personal working-style. If I try to plot, I get bored with it before I start, and my characters turn into toddlers having tantrums. Writing this way has worked for me for 8 novels so far, and is working pretty well for #9.
There are times when I just have to get the story down. It's unfolding as write. In general I am working to a framework. I tend to use the screen writers approach - A Springboard, A premise and Beats that describe the action
It's got to be a mix of both, doesn't it ? And the right way of working them against each other ? Really good discussion thread ! John Mash
❤
Pantser! It isn't a free and happy way to write. The process always feels daunting and messy, not having a clue what will happen. Sometimes I write myself into a corner and don't know how to get out! I'd love to plan.
I'm definitley a pantser. It's exciting to discover where the day's writing has taken me. It does create a problem at editing time, reflected in my world-record rejection pile!
I'm a pantser. I always know who my main character is and where she is at the beginning and some idea where she might end but as for what happens in between, I haven't a clue I can only find out as I'm writing her story. It's a slow process. It's like making something out of paper mache.
Start as pantser, then when I get a feel for things, create a spreadsheet with beats. Of course, the plan always changes.
I was absolutely a pantser at first, but the more I write I find it much less heartache to have a general plan at least. Although, that plan does tend to change on the regular so, I'm not sure where that leaves me! I think I'm more in the middle of both extremes these days. As others have said, it's good to allow yourself freedom and not be completely rigid with a plan as you might miss good plot points if you have tunnel vision for your one big plotted plan. Always interesting to hear how other people approach writing.
Definitely a pantser. I start with a character and the story develops itself. I surprise myself at the end as I didn't know where it was headed.
I am a pretty big plotter, but I allow myself to pants too. I map an outline of my book into a notebook. Then make a rough idea of the chapters. Some chapters I drive down into the details with. Others I just mention an idea or prompt for it allowing myself room to pants and go with whatever strikes me as fitting. Pantsing is great because you’re never really sure where it’s going to end up so it’s exciting, but I think you can get equal excitement in the plotting stages. After all, you don’t know fully what your plot will be until you’ve plotted it out.
Planner! Tried the pantser thing - although it was fun not knowing where my character was taking me next, it took me five years to write the book - Have been planning since.. But I do allow some mystery and let my characters some wiggle room on how the events unfold, or how they look or speak etc.. just to keep things interesting!
I'm a complete plotter. The last 'synopsis' I did ran to 50 pages. So, not really a synopsis. But, when I have an idea, I'll pants it until it's a full story arc, maybe just one page. Then the plotting begins...(evil laugh)
Both. Plan then pants then plan then pants then plan then pants then plan. There's no way I could plan everything at the start. I don't know my characters yet. But without planning there's no way to control what the reader finds out about them, and most importantly, when.
A bit of both. But I think everybody is to some extent: most writers I know who say they're pantsters actually have some sort of plan when they write, even if it's really fluid - they aren't just showing up at the page with no prior ideas at all; conversely, most planners will occasionally end up winging it when a character suddenly refuses to do what they had planned for them!
I pantsed for too long, believing that planning would take away the magic and creativity. Then I realised just how much fun and magic and creativity there is in researching, planning, building and getting to know characters, conjuring up scenes and incidents and sitting it all in one big plan ... which you're absolutely free to change/detour at any given moment if a better idea comes along. I don't know how I'd keep the rhythm going for the reader without planning ... not to mention the hell of an edit turning into a total rewrite.
It depends which draft you're talking about! Currently on draft 5, I have definitely become a planner. I've always known what I'm trying to say, however, having the courage to cut the writing/story to the quick to keep it clear has only just happened. Without that focus and clarity nothing really works from the synopsis up. In other words I probably started pants, but now believe in the plan 100%.
A planner. I hate starting a story without knowing the direction it will go and even if we take some detours en route, I need to have a destination in mind. Since I read Goal, Motivation, Conflict by Debra Dixon I find I write better, faster.
Meticulous plotter. I rewrite and edit my synopsis many many time over as I go. Helps keep all the cats wrangled, so to speak.
I'm a bit of both. I know where the story will end and the rough trajectory from the start, but in between the characters lead the plot. To be honest, in my latest, they and I are getting a bit lost. Which is probably predictable!
I have written two novels as a 'pantser', but am realising (after several workshops) that maybe I didn't know my characters quite well enough. For my next novel, really getting to the heart of who and what my characters are has been enormously beneficial.
A little of both - first its a storyboard where I play around and develop the idea and characters then I just write and when the first draft is finished I then spend a long time writing a one page synopsis which normally helps me to spot the weaknesses in the storyline - what is working and what isn't.
I'm a pantser but like others didn't know about this. I have learned you need to keep notes, if you have a few characters. Plus a thread of the storyline.
Pantser but I am determined to become a planner because I think I make extra work for myself by letting the muse take me.
Planner when the plot’s complex. Pantser when I want free flow.
I pants the characters at first to work out who they are, and then create a general plot for them to follow, but invariably they don't like being told what to do.
A pantster. I like the organic way a story can unfold from my mind. Of course there's also an 'idea' in my mind from the beginning but there's something unfettered about writing without a plan. Rather like an artist who begins with a blank canvas and lets the brush and the medium dictate where the next stroke on the canvas might be.
Definitely a pantser. I love the whole creative process and I usually just start with a small idea and see where it leads. At some point there has to be a bit of planning down the road, as otherwise the plot would end up in a bit of a muddle.
I definitely plan in outline before I start, so I know where I want to get to in the end, but not always how I'm going to get there. I start with a whole bunch of ideas that I could include, but often I've got too many threads to pull together, so with my current WIP I've cut a lot of things out to keep until book no. 2.
Scene by scene I'm more of a pantser with no idea quite how things will work out until I start writing. Ideas tend to come better when I get going, though if it ends up too much like pulling teeth, I know I'll completely re-write that section later.
A bit of both, although, when it ends up like a puzzle on the page, it gets frustrating trying to fit the pieces together.
Definitely plan the first write and after that see what comes up. Third or fourth draft is definitely more panster, going where the book takes me.
Plan the big overall picture but be prepared to adapt the plan when something unexpected turns up. Then weave that idea into the plan. The plan is a tool, not a straight-jacket, and really helps when picking up the pen again after a break. I love planning, when I (used to) walk to work, letting my mind and imagination roam free. My latest project had a whole new character appear as a result of ideas given to me by my daughters. And she turned into a major character which led to a very different set of problems that my male antgonist had to face.
So I plan and am prepared to be lightfooted and adapt,when fresh ideas strike!
Elton John's former accountant once told me that he was often called upon by Elton to give advice quite outside anything directly to do with accountancy. This might have been because the accountant knew absolutely nothing about Elton John's music, as his preference was for classical music from the baroque period. Hard to believe, but before being taken on as accountant he claimed to never haver heard of Elton John. Therefore he could be relied upon to give real advice, rather than say what he thought he ought to say. His approach was called, rather mysteriously, 'positive drift. A mixture of planning and waiting-and-seeing, of allowing a little serendipity to happen, but with a nudge. And that's what I think seems to make sense when writing.
I pantsed to start with, and then when the first book attracted attention I had to plan how the others were going to go. I always know how it will end it is just getting there. Heck, I even changed the main character. Some times none of it works and I take the whole thing to pieces and rewrite it, but I always have a short synopsis with the important events that have to happen.
A bit of both
Panster, that evolves into a planner along the way. I'm coming up the learning curve in creative writing skills, vs. my past craft in structured technical material. In this discussion thread (Bryony Pearce) the way she breaks down Acts 1,2,3+ and the comments/notes in clear simple terms makes sense. For me, it's also results in easier-streamlining-editing. I learned something here. The mix of panster, creative, a little structure and planning, its all fine tuning and feels good. Thank you Cornorstones. Inspiration, motivation, fine tuning and interesting bits from contributors here. all good.
I've just finished [or so I thought] my first MG novel, using the 'inspiration' method, based largely on ignorance of any other way. Reading Bryony's planning schedule made me realise that I have hit certain of those storyline criteria, but more by luck than judgement! Although I do have a sound basis for a book I feel I need to go back and look at the narrative arc, perhaps rearranging the order of incidents/developments and re-thinking other areas which aren't working properly. I think I'll do more planning in the future.Its certainly a very interesting article from Bryony, thanks very much.
I used to be a panster but now I’m a plotter. I realised that in order to have a really good story I needed a good plan and it's working.
I'm definitely a pantser! I like to write 'freely' and allow the story to take me, rather than me take it. The problem with that is I sometimes write myself into a corner and struggle to get out. Next time I write a story I think I'm going to try planning.
I'm the ultimate pantser. At the start of lockdown a year ago I opened a file called 'Notes for Book' but instead of making notes I just started writing until I came to the end of my story. One of the characters was in my head from the outset, but the others were just added and fleshed out as I dived into the world I had created for them. Not very professional, I'm sure, but I adored writing the book
Plotter, though I used to be a pantser.
Hi Cornerstones,
I always thought I was a pantser, in so far that I normally know what is the end of my story, but like Frodo setting off to Mount Doom, I never have any idea how I am going to get there.
But currently I am writing five connected novellas, and I realised when I was on novella three that the actual number of evil aliens was five, and in each episode another alien was going to die, so that by the end of the series, we get to the punchline 'We have defeated them for now - but who knows when they will return'. (Okay now you don't need to read the series.)
This meant I had to go back to the first novella where I appeared to have about a dozen aliens rushing around causing mayhem. This was so painful ( I liked the first story as it was) and so difficult (having to cut bits of perfectly good prose and find the muse to write something new) that I vowed that the next time, I would try and have at least a bit more of a sketch of an outline.
I have been listening to a lot of podcasts (I have a author-crush on Chris Fox at the moment) where authors say the real benefit of planning is that you can write the story a lot faster, and you need to do a lot less editing afterwards to get it into shape.
I don't think I will ever be a spreadsheet girl with a chapter by chapter layout, but using Scrivener is really helpful when wanting to structure the key themes of the novel and drawing the three act structure as per Chap 4 of On Editing (Helen & Kathryn) either on a beer mat, a napkin, or even in your notebook, depending on when your idea takes shape is probably a good idea.
So a reformer pantser on a journey to being a loose planner - does that help?
Pantser, although I do know my characters before they start their journey.