Plotter vs Pantser: Finding Your Writing Style

Plotter vs Pantser

“Plotter” vs. “Pantser.” They sound like strange, almost arcane words, but which one are you?

When I first started writing, I thought they were a strange way to think about the process. Of course, you have to know the direction and intent of your writing! But then I started writing seriously, and I realized that the “magic flow” is harder to catch than you think.

So, what is a Plotter, and what is a Pantser? Let’s find out.

The Plotter (The Architect)

A writer who is a Plotter plans out everything before they even start to put words on the page.

These are the writers who use complex writing software and have a plethora of index cards floating like a cloud around them. They create long, novel-length outlines before writing a single sentence of prose.

• Famous Example: J.K. Rowling is a famous plotter; she used massive spreadsheets to track every subplot in Harry Potter.

The Pros: Knowing where you are going can be very liberating. You fill in the blanks, and your writing forms neatly like bricks, siding, and wiring going up around a preset architecture.

• Efficiency: When the plot is known from start to finish, the writer uses beat sheets and story maps to fill it in.
• Fewer Holes: Because the logic is worked out in advance, you rarely encounter “gaping holes” in the plot later.

The Cons: It can be a stiff way to write. For some, it kills the spontaneity of wandering around the story to see which way your characters want to go.

The Pantser (The Discovery Writer)

A Pantser (someone who flies by the “seat of their pants”) starts with a general idea and allows the story to meander, grow, and develop as they write.

I tend to lean more toward this side. You don’t know exactly where you are going, so the process feels more organic and joyful.

The Pros:

• Spontaneity: The story feels alive. You are often just as surprised by the twists as the reader will be.
• Flow: It is a wonderful way to capture a character’s authentic voice because you are “listening” to them rather than directing them.

The Cons: The worst thing about being a Pantser is getting yourself into a spot where you don’t know where to go. You are left with unfinished ideas littering your writing desk.

• The Cleanup: If you do manage to get to the end, you are often left with a tangled, spaghetti-like plot full of logical errors.
• Wasted Time: That sinking feeling when you realize the internal logic doesn’t work is painful. You often have to throw out huge chunks of writing and that hurts down deep to the soul because writing most importantly takes time, and writing inefficiently wastes time.

The Hybrid

The truth is that most writers actually use a combination of both. You have a general idea of where you are going, the major events of your story, and where to start, but you leave the “bones” to be picked up along the way.

Good writing usually needs to be both planned and spontaneous.

Try my Sci-Fi, Horror, Fantasy & Romance, D&D plot generator or story spark for a quick idea.

My Method: “Dictating the Bones”

I am a writer who dictates, so I must have a general idea of where I am going; otherwise, I would not know what words to speak. There has to be a scaffolding that I can hang my sentences on.

Here is my personal workflow:

• The Micro-Plan: I take a small section (usually about 1,000 words) and assign it a “job.”
  • Example Job: “The Princess finds the jewel.”
• The Keyword List: I write down a list of keywords in front of my eyes—character names, objects, specific plot points.
• The Performance: I start speaking. I know the character, I know the side character, and I know what part of the plot is being driven forward.
• The Revision (The Plotter Phase): Once the text is generated, I switch to “Plotter Mode.” I go back and revise to ensure I hit all the logical beats and that the internal consistency is safe.

Conclusion: Experiment

There are many books written about each type of writing, but my suggestion is to experiment.

Try plotting a short story scene by scene. Then, try taking a prompt from my photo prompt and write completely spontaneously. Both methods can create wonderful work, but you won’t know which one unlocks your best writing until you try.

Frequently Asked Questions

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