If you have been working with other writers, you will eventually come across this concept. So what are Plotters, Pantsers, and Plantsers? Well, they are the physical methods in which you sit down to write your work, aka your writing method, writer personality type, or workflow strategy. I’ve worked with many writers, and it gets easier to guess what type of writer they are, even if they don’t know it themselves. I’m a big believer in working with your personality. Knowing what type of writer you are will help you unblock your progress and make writing enjoyable. You need to find out what works for you. Let’s break it down one-by-one:
Plotter
Also called the Architect, Outliner, and Baker, the plotter is often imagined as one of two types of writers by non-writers. The first is that of the meticulous planner who outlines their novel from the first to the last scene. Plotters work out their entire novel down to the last detail before they even type a single word of the actual novel. The labels architect and outliner are self-explanatory, but the word baker comes from the idea that baking requires exact ingredients and precise measurements. For those who have messed up the measurements of bread, you will know what I mean. I once made stone bread. It was funny until I dropped it and almost broke a kitchen tile.
Pantser
Also called the Gardener or the Cook, the pantser is the second image society holds of writers. This is the writer who sits down and magically creates by the seat of their pants (pant-ser). As cooks, these writers work with ingredients by instinct, adjusting and adding story elements on the go. Pantsers are free spirits who abhor restrictions. As gardeners, they may have a basic idea of their story, aka a seed, that they will plant in their creative space. How that seed will grow is anyone’s guess, which is what makes pantsers spontaneous, creative, and less likely to suffer from writer’s block.
Plantser
Now we have the plantser, who is sometimes referred to as the Hybrid Writer, or the Middle-Ground Writer. They fall directly in the middle of the plotter and pantser as they utilise skills from both types. Plantsers will plan a little but leave room for spontaneous creativity. They may have a basic outline, but they are not one hundred percent sure if that plot will stick, which characters will suddenly show up, how the middle might work, or if the ending is a sure thing. Plantsers also fluctuate between the plotter and pantser depending on where they are in their writing process.
Below is a table highlighting the most important aspects of each method:
| PLOTTER | PANTSER | PLANTSER | |
| APPROACH | Structured | Improvisational | Both |
| PROCESS | Follows the plan | Adjusts on the go | Both |
| FLEXIBILITY | Rigid | Flexible | Balanced |
| RISKS | Restricted and troublesome when needing to make changes | Can lose direction and get overwhelmed with no clear path | Same risks as plotter and pantser, but at a much lower level |
| QUICK FIXES | Never edit until your novel is completely written out. Try using the Snowflake Method to minimise changes in the future. | It’s okay to skip around in the novel. Write the scene that’s currently in your head. At the editing stage, you can move things around, cut what’s not needed, and add what’s missing. | Utilise strategies used by plotters and pantsers when necessary. |
Homework:
- Try planning out a short story, chapter, or scene and rate your efforts and enjoyment out of 5.
- Try the pantser method and rate your effort out of 5.
- Now try a mixture of the two as a plantser and rate it out of 5.
- Take some time to think it over, preferably a weekend or a week, and decide which method best suits your personality.
- Try this online test to solidify your results.
NEXT:
Please look forward to the next post: 1-8 What are the Important Elements of a Story?
Image by Borko Manigoda from Pixabay