The Write Life: Plotting or Pantsing?
A question I often get asked in interviews is whether I’m a plotter or a pantser. That is, do I outline a book or story in advance or do I make it up as I go?
My answer is yes.
I used to be a pantser when I first began writing, but I’ve become more of a plotter with each book I publish. When you’re working with more complex stories, it’s easy to write yourself into a corner when you’re pantsing it. Plotting ahead of time can stop you from going down some of those dead ends. Plus, if you’re writing books in a series, such as my Cross supernatural thrillers, then you really have to think about structure and how to fit the tale into a particular fictional universe. Your future self will thank you if you take the time to figure things out now rather than just wing it.
Plotting is particularly important for mapping out the emotional storylines of a work — knowing where to direct emotional beats, where to insert your turns and your action moments. If the book doesn’t have an emotional rhythm, its characters and their world can easily become emotionally adrift. And we have enough emotionally adrift people in the world!
That said, you don’t want to plot too much. I find that if you work out every little detail in advance, you leave yourself no room for creativity and you will likely lose interest in the project before completing it. Much of the magic of writing is from those moments where the characters lead you away from your story and to their story instead. Note that this is also where much of the frustration happens in writing.
I recommend creating an outline that has your physical plot (where the characters go, what action takes place) combined with an emotional plot (the moments where the characters’ worlds are turned upside down, the dark nights of the soul).
A good plotter will also think about the side plots for secondary characters, as it’s a more engaging tale when they have a developed life as well. Often when you start working out their stories, you’ll find ways they change the main story. Everyone gets a narrative arc!
Plotting can give a writer a road map when writing but hopefully also leave some room for creative detours. And always remember that a roadblock during the writing process can just be an excuse to go back and update that road map.
There are many different recommended models out there for plotters. I suggest trying them all to become familiar with them and then adapting what works for you and your style. For instance I’ve done workshops on Save the Cat, the Hero’s Journey and the Heroine’s Journey, to name a few. I don’t follow their models religiously — who follows anything religiously in the 21st century? — but I do incorporate elements from each in my own writing. Hopefully it’s all made me a better writer.
Full disclosure: I totally pantsed this post.
