Let’s be clear, plotting in advance of picking up your pen – or putting fingertips to keyboard – is the way forward. There are so many advantages, for instance:
- You know where your story is going and how it will get there. It helps prevent writer’s block because you’re not staring at a blank page wondering what happens next.
- As a part of the plotting process, you naturally delve into your characters’ motivations, and desires. This leads to more nuanced and believable characters.
- Plotting helps maintain consistency in your story. You can ensure that subplots are woven in seamlessly, and there are no glaring plot holes.
- By outlining your story, you can identify pacing issues early on. You’ll know when to ramp up the tension or slow things down for emotional depth.
- Planning can save time in the long run. You’re less likely to have to backtrack and rewrite large sections because you’ve thought through the story structure beforehand.
- Having a solid plan can alleviate the anxiety that comes with not knowing where your story is headed. You can focus on writing without constantly worrying about what comes next.
How do I know all this? From the bitter experience of being a “discovery writer” (a.k.a. “a pantser”). All the advantages of the above are the disadvantages of being like me. When I start a story, of course I have a hazy idea of what it will look like. It’s not like there’s no plan at all in my head. I might have even written out some notes of the chief plot points, character motivations etc. But I never get as far as a proper plan right from the start – you know, one with a chapter list and a scene-by-scene breakdown.
Because, imagine that? Imagine how speedy I’d be if I knew what I had to write every day. I can manage maybe three or four thousand words in a day where the scenes are clear in front of me, when the words feel like they are falling from my fingertips almost faster than I can type. And that feels magical. Why wouldn’t I want to do that every day? Why would I prefer my plodding #200wordsaday stuttering progress, where I end up with over 80,000 words of mess to sort out at the end of the first draft?
Perhaps because for me it feels more creative. The ideas develop along the way, even when I begin to worry they won’t. Plot twists are unexpected, even to me, the writer! Characters take on a life of their own, and their motivations feel more authentic as a result. But I guess the biggest thing is that plotting it out in advance feels similar to telling someone else all the details of the story, which for me, instantly kills the creativity. It’s as though the story already exists, so the impetus to write it is lost.
I’m not sure if that makes sense to anyone else, but I am clinging to this truth while I go through the very painful process of editing/moving scenes/re-writing the monster that I’ve created. I’ve found that printing the thing out and working on it in hard copy format is better at this stage – perhaps it’s something to do with being able to physically see and move the pages about (I know this is possible digitally with Scrivener and other software, but the tangible feel of the pages is helping me at the moment).
But, I have to admit, this experience has made my reconsider my approach in the future – perhaps for Book 3, I’ll try to start with a little more of plan! 😉
Jenny Roman 
Oh, how do I hear all of this! I have got better about writing character plots, and a couple of locations, particularly in magical worlds where there are many things and names to remember. But I’ve tried the plotting every scene and it feels like it takes the joy out of letting the characters lead me in their merry dance. Writing is such a personal process, everyone has to find their own way and the methodic planning everything to the nth degree does not take me on the journey that makes my creative process theraputic for me. Good luck with the editing.
Thank you! 🙏 That makes me feel so much better. Plotting makes so much sense, I think I’m crazy not to, and yet it just doesn’t seem to work for me. 🤷♀️
I’ve just started a new book, and this time, I’m writing it for me, pure self indulgence, it’s a bit wacky, horses and chocolate included and NO plot beyond the start and a vague idea. Never done a book like this before, I’ve always had it pretty well sorted in my head!
Good luck! Hope the freedom of “pantsing” works for you! 😉x
I’m an artist and this is how I work too. I can say I am going to paint this or that but that’s not where I end up. I get ideas as I go along or how the painting looks. I hate having a plan, it seems to be beyond me. So I think your approach makes total sense!
Glad it’s not just me! 😁 Sometimes it seems a messy and wasteful approach – but it’s how my brain works so…. 🤷♀️