The Writing Process: Plotters, Pantsers, and Hybrid Writers
You know you want to write a novel. It’s been on your bucket list for years — and this year, you made it a New Year’s resolution. You’ve read everything there is to read on story writing 101 and the writing process, you’ve read enough writing tips to make your head spin, and at last, you’re ready to dive in. But wait — didn’t one of those tips say something the benefits of outlining a story before you write it?
The truth is that there are many approaches to writing a novel. How a writer chooses to write their book depends largely on the writer’s personality and the story he or she is setting out to write. Roughly speaking, writers can be divided into three categories:
- Plotters — those who outline.
- Pantsers — those who don’t outline.
- And hybrid writers — those who do some outlining.
Regardless of whether you end up outlining your novel or not, it’s vital to make an informed decision that will help you — and your book — succeed. This article is a quick guide to plotting, pantsing, and hybrid writing that will help you choose the best fit for your writing style, to get you to stage one of the writing process.
What is a plotter?
In writing jargon, outlining a story is also called plotting that story — because when you outline a story, you’re essentially outlining its plot. However, writers who fall into the “plotting” category tend to do a lot more than that! These are the writers who do all their research before starting in on their projects, who compile folders of information about the plot, the characters, the setting, and more, who know nearly all the details before they begin.
Plotters believe that stories and story writing can be structured for success. Through developing the plots of their stories, they hope to iron out any wrinkles before writing even begins. The time they spend worldbuilding is meant to fully develop a deep world and beautiful settings. They give a lot of thought to their characters, often compiling a document of information for each character — personal characteristics, backstory, connections, and more.
If you like to know where you’re going and how you’re getting there before you depart, you’re probably a plotter. In that case, whip out your writing journal and get started! Your initial idea will determine where you start plotting. If you had an idea for a character, expand that idea and see what kind of plot you can build around that character. If you had an idea about a sequence of events, you might want to jump right in and write a summary of your story. Once you have the summary, you can address any issues or plot holes. Then you can begin plotting chapter by chapter. Once you have a full chapter by chapter outline, some information on your characters, and some depth to your setting, you’re ready to start writing.
As a plotter, make sure to keep these three writing tips in mind:
- Know when to stop plotting. At a certain point, to write a novel, you need to start writing. If you’re tinkering around with incredibly minor details, or details that may not ever feature in your story, you’ve probably gone too far — and you may be suffering from fear of the blank page. Conquer your fear and get started.
- Try to stay flexible. You may think that you’ve laid out the best plot since sliced bread in your planning, but opportunities to deviate slightly from that plot may develop — and these ideas may take you in better directions than your original plot. Remain open to any ideas you may stumble upon during the writing process, even if following one of these ideas might mean rewriting your story’s plot.
- Remember that a good outline does not equal a good story. Good stories need good writing, and writing is different from outlining. To write a good story, you need to work consistently on your writing to make sure it’s up to par. It’s a good practice to continue writing at least a little bit each day, even while you’re in the process of outlining your story.
What is a pantser?
Pantsers — called discovery writers by sci-fi author Brandon Sanderson — are the opposite of plotters. They’re so-called pantsers because they fly by the seat of their pants when it comes to writing. That is, they create no outline before they begin to write a story, and this feature helps them achieve what they want out of their writing. Unlike plotters, who feel uncomfortable without an outline to tell them where to go, pantsers are more apt to feel hampered, stifled, or downright trapped by an outline. Pantsers, even if they try to use an outline, are likely to find themselves deviating wildly from it by chapter one.
Instead of plotting, pantsers tend to get an idea and run with it. They’re willing to follow bunny holes to see where they lead and often believe that the best idea is the one that comes spur-of-the-moment, organically arising from the story itself. Because they write towards only an end goal, if that, with little direction in mind, plotters usually need to draft their stories multiple times and revise in order to create better plot structures.
If you don’t mind hopping in the car and seeing where the road takes you, without any particular end goal in mind, you may well be a pantser. In that case, you should jump right in! Start with a character or a memorable scene and see where your writing takes you. But make sure to keep these three writing tips in mind:
- Keep the big picture in mind while writing your first draft. Since you will probably have to write a second and perhaps a third draft to hammer down your story’s structure. Don’t get attached to minor details that may not be present in later drafts. Also, although you may stumble on a great idea that requires you to change details earlier in your story, try to avoid editing mid-draft. Leave the tweaking for the second draft and revision.
- Trust your characters, and make sure that they are fully developed. Strong characters can lead your story and will help you dig yourself out of any holes you — or your plot — fall into. Through well-written characters, pantsers can often develop plots that arise out of the story itself, completely organically.
- Recognize that you will need to rewrite and revise to obtain a good story structure. In fact, your first draft may be too disorganized to be read like a book you’d pick up off the library shelf. Don’t get discouraged, even if you see plotters creating much more organized, readable first drafts. Your story and its structure will improve in time. The amount of time spent on the writing process tends to vary by writer, regardless of whether that writer is plotting or pantsing.
What is a hybrid writer?
Hybrid writers are writers who aren’t plotters, but they aren’t pantsers, either. Instead, they often adopt the features of each style that suit their writing. Technically, most writers fall into this category, since many plotters will allow themselves to deviate from their roadmap from time to time — likewise, many pantsers plot or outline within chapters while writing. Three examples of hybrid writers include:
- The writer who writes a summary of his story before he begins to write.
- The writer who jumps right into her story, but creates detailed character charts and questionnaires, plus a document of worldbuilding information.
- The writer who writes a few scenes from his story then steps back and creates an outline to link those scenes together.
There are many other possibilities. As I said, most writers fall into the hybrid category, although writers who mostly plot are still likely to call themselves plotters, and writers who mostly don’t plot are still likely to call themselves pantsers. In the end, as long as you forge a writing process that works for you, you don’t need to worry about labels. And with practice and patience, regardless of what category you fall into, you’ll be able to write an excellent story in time — as long as you stay diligent and keep at it. Now, whether you’re off to lay down the bones of a plot or you’re off to discover them, you should feel ready to start on your writing journey.
Now It’s Your Turn
Grab your writing journal (see our journals at The Amazing Office) and start outlining … or not!
By the Way …
Did you see my recent post Top 10 Writers Productivity Tips For Any Writer?
Check it out! and drop a comment or share on Facebook.