Plotters & Pantsers: Where Do I Stand?

Some say there are two types of writers - plotters and pantsers. If you've never heard of the terms before, not to worry! Here's a quick lesson. 

Plotters are writers who carefully plan out the details of their story. You'll find that plotters usually trace story arcs, have outlines, create flow charts, the works! They spend a lot of time constructing their stories and have given thought to everything from the characters backstories to various settings. One of my author friends shared a map with me that she created of an entire fictional town. The map included names of the different districts/neighborhoods, even lakes and woods. It was amazing! Because plotters spend so much time preparing their stories, once they get started they're usually off and running. Plotters often are able to write faster and avoid writers block as they always have their tools to guide them.

Pantsers on the other hand, get that moniker because they "fly by the seat of their pants". They don't spend a lot of time pondering what will happen next in their stories - they just write. While this style of writing provides more freedom, it also leaves more opportunity for the author to get "stuck". Often, you'll find that pantsers will leave a ton of unfinished stories in their wake because they ran out of steam. 

So, what type of writer am I? I'm without a doubt a pantser. I go with the flow. Nothing is planned. When I get an idea, I sit down and begin to write. While I can definitely recognize the advantages of planning, I like the adventure of freestyling & it works for me. Often, my characters will take over and go in a totally different direction than what I expected. I figure, why waste time creating a plan when they'll just deviate from it anyways?

Here's a little about how my writing process works. For my first book (All I Want is Forever), I really had some things I wanted to say. There was commentary on society, education, the legal system, etc. that I wanted to hit on. But how could I discuss these subjects in a fictional romance? I knew right away that the story would have to have a lot of dialogue. From there, I decided that interviewing would be a great way to not only get someone's personal thoughts, but create conversations around those ideas as well - so Donovan and Grace were born. 

For my latest release (The Love We Had), I literally wanted to start my story out with a curse word. 😂 I don't know why, but I did. My thoughts instantly turned to what would make a person cuss? Ding, ding, ding: weather! If you've ever had to walk to the car in zero below weather or been caught in the rain, chances are you've let loose a choice word or two. Being caught in a storm isn't enough to move a story forward, but it is if your entire life is a storm. Insert homelessness. Ok, but this is a second chance romance. How can I get these two characters to interact? Being homeless and in a storm isn't enough to seek out assistance from someone you'd rather not cross paths with. But perhaps, your responsibility to something other than yourself is. Get in here Maxx! Guys, this is literally how my brain works, LOL!

It wasn't until I  wrote this out that I realized my ideas come to me kind of weird. Often, my ideas come completely unrelated to the story and then I'll build plots and characters to support it. Well, this has been more insightful than I meant for it to be, LOL!

Whether you're a plotter or a pantser, you can be wildly successful. Here's two big names for you - J.K Rowling is said to be a plotter and Stephen King is a pantser - there's really no right way to go about writing.

Then there are the people that are a little bit of both. They may plan certain details and have possibly thought out certain scenes, but they leave room to be flexible and gather new ideas as they go. And while most writers may lean heavily to one side, it's pretty ridiculous to think that plotters never  go with the flow and pantsers never have a plan. 

In the end, all that matters is that you find the way that works best for YOU. If you're a writer, I'd love to hear from you. Do you consider yourself more of a plotter or a pantser?