Are You a Pantser or a Plotter?
Discover the writing approach that works best for you.
Thirty years ago,when I first heard the well-known E.L. Doctorow quote, “Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way,” I thought I had been handed the key to writing. Let in on the secret to story. If I could simply write one sentence and then another, the last sentence illuminating the way for the next, I could write a thousand books! My goodness, hadn’t I driven back and forth across the country by myself in a 13-year-old Saab convertible that broke down in every third state? If I could traverse 6,000 miles alone in a crappy car, certainly I could write into the fog until I reached a story’s end.
Ha ha ha. Little did I know.
I am not a pantser. I don’t think I could ever write a single anything as a pantser. A “pantser,” an unfortunate sounding label to which George R.R. Martin offered “gardener” as an alternative, is a writer who writes as if they are flying at the seat of their pants. This writer scoffs at outlines. Laughs at pre-determined story beats. Discovers characters as they write them. These writers are akin to a driver who hops into their car in New York and, with no map or GPS, simply heads west to reach California. They might keep an eye on the sun, which sets each day in the direction of their final destination, but one evening, they may discover the sun is setting on their left because they’re heading north, or on their right because they’re driving south to Texas. These drivers aren’t concerned with taking the most efficient route across the country, just like pantsers don’t mind getting lost inside their own work. After all, taking unknown paths leads to discovery. There are so many surprises to learn from along the way.
I can’t even imagine. I don’t judge this approach. I’m in awe of it.
I am a plotter (or “architect,” according to Martin). I only learned I was within the past decade, when I was hired to develop stories for an independent tv and film production company. In screenwriting, it is extremely ill-advised to be a pantser. The structure of screenplays requires plotters, writers who determine every story beat and create an outline before they begin to type up their first draft. The advanced plotting method has now taken root within me. I need a roadmap before I can tackle any writing project.
I doubt any writer is a purist, fully committed either as a pantser or a plotter. More likely, we all fall along the pantser/plotter spectrum. The pantser doesn’t wander off too deep into the woods, and the plotter, no matter how airtight their outline, still makes discoveries along the way.
Which kind of writer are you? Does the blank page before you feel like an invitation to jump right in without a second thought? If yes, you probably lean pantser. When you’re writing, do you take comfort in knowing what you’re writing toward? Then you’re likely a plotter.
Occasionally my clients aren’t sure which kind of writer they are. To help them figure out which writing approach may work best for them, I ask them to consider these five foundational story beats:
Inciting incident: This event propels your protagonist out of their status quo and into the story.
Break into Act II: The protagonist leaves their old world behind, either physically or metaphorically, and there’s no going back.
The Midpoint: This major directional shift comes at the halfway point, likely as either a false victory or false defeat, and drives the story’s second half.
All is Lost: How low will you allow your protagonist to go? They must lose enough to realize their story is not about what they want, but what they need.
Climax: The protagonist, reborn, faces the antagonist one last time and destroys them (if it’s a happy ending).
For pantsers and plotters alike, considering these five story “tentpoles,” even in the loosest terms, helps them envision their story. If the writer responds to this exercise, I’ll guide them to go further, to map out 15 story beats (from Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat!) and then draft an outline. If they’re adverse to this approach, I’ll encourage them to open a file and just go go go, but at least they know they’re going in the right direction.
I’d love to help you discover if you’re a pantser or a plotter and then support you along your journey. As a 1:1 private writing coach, that’s what I do! Contact me for a free 30-minute consult and let’s talk about how I can help you write your story.