Writers--Plotters or Pantsers

I am a pantser--I sit at my computer and "write by the seat of my pants" and a story comes out.

Plotters, on the other hand, plan their story before they start writing.

This often depends upon whether they are right or left brain dominant. Most of us have seen this dancing woman who spins.



If she spins clockwise, you are using your right brain, and if she spins in an anti-clockwise direction you're using your left brain.

If you're quite evenly right and left brained, you should be able to change the direction she is spinning while you stare at the moving image.

Plotters are usually predominately left-brained. They use the left side of their brain more than the right side. The left side of your brain is the one that controls logic and order. If you are predominantly left brained you probably like your life to be orderly, are good at math, regularly make and follow to-do lists, are punctual to appointments. You get the picture. Left brained people are more likely to create a detailed plot plan before writing, whether it is fiction or not. They are also more likely to write plot driven stories, where the action dictates what happens to the characters.

Pantsers write by "the seat of their pants". They are more right-brained. They are creative, passionate, emotional, and can be messy and disorganized. They are more in touch with their senses, and their writing includes touch, taste, and feel. Pantsers keep their stories in their heads and sit down and type them without planning. They may even rebel against writing down the plot and creating a plan. Pantsers are more likely to write character-driven stories, where the emotions of the characters determine what happens.