#pantsers vs plotters

[chaoticwritermind]

Have I Secretly Been a Pantser The Whole Time?!?!?

For the first time, in a long time, I have been writing consistently. Where did this come from? Did I have this ability the whole time?

I have had 'writer's block' FOR YEARS!!!! It was really debilitating. It made me feel frustrated, awful, like a loser, like I wasn't actually meant to be an author, which was very crushing because I have stories in my head that WILL NOT SHUT UP!! I thought I'd go insane from my lack of being able to write and the incessant noise of the stories in my head.

Recently, I wrote a 100 word scenario and posted it to a social media I have and one follower that I have been getting close too said they couldn't get the scenario out of their mind and wondered if I would want to continue the story with him. Like, I write one part and then he writes one part.

I was worried obviously because I've had writer's block for so long but I thought, "Fuck it! Let's give it a try."

To my absolute surprise, I was WRITING!!!! Who am I? Since when could I do this? Is it because I have a writing partner? Could it be because someone was waiting on me so that they could continue to write their part? Was it because I got feed back immediately? Is it because I am not planning the story out at all? I just straight up pantsed it! Pantsed! Me, a pantser ?!?!

I don't fucking know. But I'm interested in seeing how this new way of writing will work in my stories. Will it work? Will I choke again?

Regardless, I have agreed to write another story with my social media friend. It's casual, no pressure, just for fun. The best part of the writing that I've recently done is that it's actually good!!

I hope this new writer in me will stick around and I'd actually be able to get these stories out of my head and into the world.

I want to be a published indie author, while also making a living off it. I have so many stories to tell and value to give.

[vivsinkpot]

Plotting vs Discovery Writing: Should You Plan Your Story or Wing It?

Ah, the age-old writer’s dilemma:

Do you map every scene like a tactician drawing battle plans — or dive in with nothing but vibes and a chaotic sense of adventure?

Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons of both approaches — and why the real magic might lie somewhere in between. 🖋️

Plotting (Outlining / Planning)

Pros:

✔️ Clear direction – You know where you’re going. No getting lost in the woods.

✔️ Foreshadowing magic – You can plant clues, callbacks, and payoff arcs with confidence.

✔️ Fewer plot holes – A roadmap helps spot inconsistencies early.

✔️ Less panic during writing – You’ve already solved some of the hardest narrative problems.

Cons:

✖️ It can feel rigid – The story may resist your outline or outgrow it.

✖️ Planning fatigue – You might lose momentum before the writing even begins.

✖️ Less room for surprise – Characters can feel boxed in by pre-decided fates.

✖️ Too much structure can kill discovery – Sometimes the magic is in what you didn’t see coming.

Discovery Writing (Pantsing / Writing as You Go)

Pros:

✔️ Creative freedom – You’re exploring in real time. Characters can surprise you.

✔️ Organic pacing – The story flows from instinct and mood.

✔️ Emotional authenticity – Moments feel raw, fresh, and true to how they unfolded.

✔️ Writing is more exciting – You’re discovering the story as a reader would.

Cons:

✖️ You might write into a corner – Plot knots are harder to untangle without a plan.

✖️ Revision may be intense – You’ll likely need more editing to fix structure, foreshadowing, and pacing.

✖️ Themes may be muddled – Without direction, your story can lose its core.

✖️ Momentum stalls – Getting stuck is common if you don’t know what happens next.

The Hybrid Approach (A Little Bit of Both)

Plot the skeleton. Discover the heart.

Many writers outline broad strokes (major beats, ending, key twists), but leave space to discover the emotional or interpersonal journey as they write.

You might:

Write a chapter, then outline the next.

Plan major events, but improvise how characters get there.

Start as a pantser, then reverse-outline what you’ve done.

There’s no “right” way — just the one that keeps you writing and enjoying your craft.

Final Thought:

Plotting is a compass.

Pantsing is a storm.

Every writer’s ship sails differently — but the goal is the same: reach the end, and love the journey.

[kay9leo]

Thoughts on Writing

Okay, so something that I just realize where I have my issues in writing the story is not knowing how the scene before the ending scene ends. I'm a pantser and I'm not the type to plot too much beforehand unless when I'm daydreaming when I go home driving.

Now is that I realize that, I now actually have to plot things out so I can figure out how to go from scene B to D by thinking how scene C goes.

But my problem now is that I don't know how scene C goes because...

[merrybond]

What's a Plotter to do?

I am a die-hard believer in plotting. For the way my mind works there is no other way to write. But what to do when plotting doesn’t work? I’ve tried writing by the seat of my pants and always end up plotting a few scenes in advance, the major turning points of the story, and/or pre-writing before I actually get to the dialogue and, you know, the actual writing of the scene (pre-writing is…

[kogarashi-art]

I really can't start writing until I have at least a Wikipedia-style summary of the events of the story to follow as an outline. Oftentimes I'll also have bullet points of specific beats I want to hit, specific scenes or quotes I want to include, etc. There's still flexibility, but if I don't know the start, end, and several checkpoints along the way, I'm not ready to write. So much more architect than gardener. Flexible architect.

*In writing terms, an architect is someone who plots out, plans, and outlines things before drafting. A gardener is someone who takes an initial idea and then just writes, seeing how the idea grows without specific plans.

Some people use the terms “plotter” and “pantser” (as in, going by the seat of their pants) for these writing styles, but I prefer architect and gardener.

[bangjiazheng]

Pantser vs Plotter: The Right Way to Write

[iriemorning]

reverse engineering

my initial ambition was to be a civil engineer. it’s why i took the STEM program in high school. as i set off to a more creative path in the past few years, little did i know that i would come back to it again, albeit more on the mechanism part. how i go about my goals usually begins with a simple process. i envision a finished prototype first then disassemble them like lego; i break them down to build it again as close to what i had pictured in mind.

it’s strategic thinking, like how athletes do. how do you win a gold medal? they train for years and they often start when young. they think about the desired outcome and reverse-engineer what would be necessary to make it happen. in a magazine interview by lebron james, he said he wanted his team to win the championship—to do that his team must surpass and win all the other teams all the way to the finals, and to do that he practiced his three-point-shooting skills every day. he went from a general goal and funneled it down to what he can easily work on every day, in order to make his big dream happen. he could have criticized the shortcomings of his team members but he didn’t; he worked on his skills instead. he filtered all possible ways to only the best way—one that he had utmost control over. and now look at him.

that’s the power of reverse engineering.

ೃ⁀➷

sometimes you begin to question the probability of your goals—if they’re unreasonable, delusions, or just pipe dreams. the same dilemma that entrepreneurs have when starting a business. it’s wobbly and fear-inducing in the start. whenever i start to feel that way, i come back to what made me dream of it in the first place. the exact place and time i built the prototype in mind. this repainting process neutralizes my worries, and also sets me on fire. i often feel like an entrepreneur whenever i set off to a new goal every decan.

there’s a lot of luck involved in going after your goals as well, no matter how much you plan your way around it. like how businesses have breakout moments in the market.

but entrepreneurs dont gamble. gambling is mostly luck.

one thing that entrepreneurs and goal-oriented people have in common? they’re in it for the long haul. their goals have lasting impacts in their lives. a gambler only bets randomly for instant gratification. an entrepreneur takes a calculated risk based on market study and an extensive business plan, while a gambler is a blind risk-taker.

in my everyday waking life, i often remind myself to live like an entrepreneur, to walk my path with a solid goal and purpose, and not like a gambler who waits all their life for the wheel of fortune to point at them.

ೃ⁀➷

in writing creatively, reverse engineering is also a must. i used to think that i should be a gardener—the type of writer who allows their stories to progress naturally, like tending to a plant. gardeners value the freedom to let their stories grow in an organic way. as opposed to architects who prefer to have every detail of their story organized before they start writing. you see, the prospect of being a gardener is pretty, right? they write with their emotions, their writing exciting and fresh, while an architect’s would come across as soulless and robotic. after all, expressing creativity must be as free as a bird, not shackled in the cages of a ‘plan’, right?

that’s how i used to think.

for a very long time i’ve been caught up on my writing having no emotions and sounding robotic, and in the end i gave myself a harder time to write anything at all. it’s a hard lesson that’s even harder to erase the longer i didn’t budge to change.

if you only write by the seat of your pants, you get more vulnerable to writer’s block—that sinister moments before disaster when you’re facing a blank page and you cannot come up with anything to write. boom. you’re stuck.

but its okay. great ideas dont come everyday. neither does inspiration. you have to catch them when they appear, put them in a basket and use them at the right time.

nowadays i split my writing process into the creative stage, then labor stage. first is when i make a storyboard freely; exploring stuff i could add to my idea basket and start sketching my outline from there while being open to changes. all the fun and exciting stuff about storytelling goes here. i draw a roadmap to come up with the beginning, the middle, and ending. preparation is a must. if you skip it, you’ll have a decision fatigue in the labor stage, where you execute the act of writing itself. most people just go straight into writing without having a central idea or timeline in mind so they’re stuck halfway. the quality would then almost always fall off and we either get an unfinished story or a mediocre ending. in retrospect, embodying the sentiments of a gardener and the means of an architect in my creative stage gave me a reliable system i can work with as a better writer.

this is a message to the past me: it’s not wrong to have a plan. it won’t hamper your creativity; a solid outline assures that your creativity is unleashed properly. this is how illustrators make beautiful drawings; how engineers build sturdy buildings. they make sketches and blueprints to a goal, then reverse-engineer it down to the simplest tools needed.

[carasueachterberg]

Plot is Born From Characters (Book Club 5, Bird by Bird)

Plot is a sore point for me. It’s where pantsers and plotters part ways. I have never been able to plot. The times when I’ve plotted out a story before starting to write, it’s felt stilted and uncomfortable and forced. Like doing a homework assignment. Check that rubric – are you hitting all the right notes? Once I’ve regurgitated what I’d planned, I feel let down. Like I was waiting for this…

[chaoticwritermind]

A Gift I Wish I Possessed

I admire how Pantsers can just write and keep going with basically no preparation.

I do not possess such a talent. I need to plan and brainstorm and then ask myself the tough intimate questions of the story.

I wish I could just write and worry about that stuff later.

But I can't. I've tried.

All I'll get in return is a huge wall of writers block to enjoy :/

[ollydee]

I started a writing vlog :-0

[rightwriter]

A nice motivating video by these two authors, Katytastic and Alexa Donne to get you in the writing headspace :)

[salmonandfox]

Oh look new writerdrama

Or someone ATTEMPTING writer drama:

My TikTok FYP just dropped in my lap an vid of someone making a joke about someone supposedly writing a 90,000 word manuscript -with no plot- so they could pat themselves on the back for having an outline.

I'm overheated, dealing with broken house stuff and ANNOYED in general so I did stitch it to ask if that is ACTUALLY something that has HAPPENED or if it's just to rag on Pantsers. I'm... pretty sure it's the second. Which just... -why-. It's not like someone out there is going to hold you at eraser point and threaten to delete your WIP if you don't IMMEDIATELY switch to Plotter or Pantser. Neither is BAD. They're different methods that work for different people and as writers we have enough LEGITIMATE problems like sexism and racism in the industry and Chat GPT that 'hur hur I'm so glad I'm not a pantser' is just... fucking childish.

[yanderedrabbles]

I’m a new writer, can you tell me about your writing process? Are you a planner or a pantster?

welcome to the fold child, here be much editing and rewriting and possibly also dragons.

I'm DEFINITELY a planner. Usually I'll start my stories off with whatever inspired me but as soon as I get a handle on the idea, I jot down plot points to direct the story.

I'm also all over the place when I write. For example, I'm currently working on a Wild West noncon with multiple characters. I've been bouncing around from one section to the other as the ideas come. The trick is to try and neaten it all up in post lmao

Since you're asking a bit more about the writing process, here's where I'd recommend starting:

My favourite books on writing:

Voice by James Scott Bell. It's pretty short but there are so many exercises to practice voice and style. It's that little extra thing that really pushes a piece from good to great. For example, Stephen King has one of the most distinctive styles I've read and I gobble it up every. Single. Time.

Save the Cat Writes A Novel by Jessica Brody. This one is THE guide to novel and plot writing. It's fun to read, easy to reference and it breaks different genre tropes down into much more digestible tips. It's also the best guide for plotting, and really runs you through how to structure a story. Even if you aren't working on long, multi-chapter stories, knowing the different story structures is a must. If you take away one recommendation from this list, let it be this one.

My favourite writing YouTubers:

Jenna Moreci. She's funny and no nonsense. She's also got a writing book out called Shut Up and Write The Book that's on my tbr. She dives into common tropes, discusses when they work and when they're cliche, and some of the best ways to subvert them.

Alexa Donne. A romance and YA author, she's absolutely incredible when it comes to newbie writing mistakes. She's also really great at helping you edit and plot your stuff. She weighs in quite a bit on the plotters vs pantsers debate too.

Obviously, the creative process is going to look different for everybody. The key is to just try different approaches and see what works best for you. Some authors like to have all their background info down pat before they start and others can't write well unless its all happening in the moment. Some people like to do huge writing sprints while others aim for a little every day. It's all trial and error to find what works for you.

My biggest trick as a writer is to literally jot down my ideas as soon as they pop up. Sometimes they'll be little snippets, little pieces of dialogue that sound good, scenes that just pop into my head. I have so many notes just dedicated to compiling these ideas. It doesn't matter that I might not use them in my current fic, I always hold onto them for later.

I'd recommend looking at some famous author writing routines and pulling ideas from there too. Personally, I try and write a little everyday and then do at least two rounds of editing before I post.

I've still got a TON of room for improvement, but those are kind of the seminal works that got me to this point.

That's all. Have fun babe! May the words always come easy, may the editing be ruthless and may the readers be cool as hell. 💕

[nemaliwrites]

hi hi! do you have any editing tips/anything from your own editing process you could share? for either original work or fanfics. if you don't mind of course haha

hello hello! i certainly do! caveat that my process is always always changing, sometimes from work to work, so i might not always Do all of these, but they're all in my Editing Toolbox forever and ever. and regardless of the plotter/pantser debate (which...i Hate) i think a lot of these processes are adaptable to any workflow!

first, some craft books that i've read and really helped me understand What Editing Is, especially for longer works. Seven Drafts by Allison K Williams was SUPER helpful for me when i first started out and i didn't really understand what a draft was, or what its purpose was. people always talked about draft one vs draft three and i was like ?? what does that mean?? but the ideas she breaks down in this book, along with a ton of good advice, are primarily to break each draft down to address one issue (i.e. the Character draft, the Technical draft, etc). a good way to see each picture instead of getting overwhelmed by the full thing!

Intuitive Editing by Tiffany Yates Martin is probably the BEST editing book i've ever read. if you only read one of these books, i would recommend this one. or if not, she's actually got a self-editing checklist (link here) that is a really helpful reference.

Another one, which you might argue is more process than editing, is Writing into the Dark by Dean Wesley Smith. I've spoken a bit about him before, but I do think this process is worth trying out, especially if the idea of editing as you go or having one clean draft appeals to you (i am a lazy writer, so this appeals to me LOL).

and now, my one single most important editing tip. this sounds so clickbaity, but it genuinely changed my writing and my mindset. and i know you're probably gonna be like ew what the fuck but HEAR ME OUT:

rewrite the entire thing.

i'm completely serious btw. sometimes, if i keep fiddling with the same piece, eventually i end up losing sight of the whole thing and not knowing where i'm going. so (i use scrivener, but this is possible anywhere!) i open a new doc side by side with my old one, start from the beginning, and retype every single word. it is SO helpful in a way that i think rereading a draft doesn't really replicate. so many lil wordings or repetitions that i am able to catch and then fix.

it's also helpful for me mentally bc if there's something that i (lazy) don't like anymore in the first draft, i just don't type it! less work!

i've actually been switching over to handwriting my first drafts more, and the same process applies to typing it up! 10/10 would recommend.

[moplayspoke]

I met Rachel Gillig this week while she was on her Knight and the Moth tour.

Charming woman, etc etc but I also was able to write down the majority of takeaways from her interview and follow up audience Q & A featuring some sneak peeks on the sequel.

(BEWARE OF SPOILERS)

This was all originally posted on my bluesky (mo.seeks.quest) thread so I will be referencing posts from there.

1. The Knight and the Moth was like a conglomerate of inspirations including but not limited to: Legend of Zelda, A Knight’s Tale

2. She listens to music while she writes and you can find her playllist for it on spotify… what is with every author being obsessed with Sleep Token? Conspiracy

This is her spotify playlist for The Knight and The Moth: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Jr0DumKr1Ym63wGceG7eI?si=fb1AJczbTDqls3E4ujc6vw&pi=iDrosKscT12xL

3. The sequel to Knight and the Moth has already been drafted. It’s going through editing right now. No official date yet but it does have a title which has not been announced yet.

4. For the sequel she was inspired by a Knight’s Tale especially. And if she had to sum it up in one word it would be “tournament”. If that gives you a clue on what it’s going to be about.

5. Everyone loves the gargoyle character and basically the gargoyle isn’t inspired by anyone, it’s just Rachel’s own inner monologue coming out. So really that was all her cracking those jokes.

6. The gargoyle is also her favorite character.

7. If she had to pick any MMC of hers she would pick Elm (heavy, HEAVY audience pressure)

8. If she had to live in any world she wrote (Shepherd King vs Stonewater Kingdom) she would pick the Stonewater Kingdom because she claims to be a victim of her own clumsiness and would immediately die in the mists.

9. Rodrick/Rory from The Knight and the Moth was inspired by Tomino, the Belgian/Egyptian music artist who has rings on his ears and eyeliner or “guyliner” and finds him hot.

10. She is also a “pantser” and not a “plotter” which surprised a lot of people. A pantser being someone who writes “by the seat of their pants” and does not have a plan or outline.

She has a general idea of what she wants to do and makes her characters before she writes what is going to happen.

11. A lot of her research was just watching renfare festivals for outfit ideas and knighthood gear.

Note: She found out they used animal feces to cast custom knight gear on their bodies when researching the “Wax” chapter in a Knight in a Moth. Renfare people used something similar to wax so she was happy to use that instead obviously.

“Ew that is so not sexy!”

12. She really doesn’t get to read much being busy writing and reading for blurbs from the publisher. It’s similar for other authors.

13. Her and other authors basically get NO say when it comes to what their book looks like, how many special editions it has, how many bonus features it has etc. That is all controlled by the publisher.

She did mention if you’re a big author you eventually may get some say in that process.

14. Easiest character to write — the gargoyle

Most difficult character to write — Benji

She clarifies that Benji was difficult to write because she had to make sure certain subtleties are there and that can be challenging.

15. Someone asked her if she got to choose a medium in which her book would see the big screen would she do 2D tv show, live action tv show, movie, or musical.

“Oooh musical? Trying to imagine Elspeth singing and dancing LOL”

She also mentioned having a 2D tv show like castlevania would be cool.

16. SPOILER FOR KNIGHT IN THE MOTH BELOW

—

She also affectionally called her book tour an “apology” tour knowing how people are going through the motions after that ending. And she apologizes for it (kinda).

—-

SPOILER FOR KNIGHT AND THE MOTH ABOVE

17. She has never written fanfiction. Ever.

She has written random stories for herself when she was younger but only ever for herself. No one else has read them.

18. When asked what her takeaway was after her first series (The Shepherd King duology), she first said she didn’t learn anything (joke) then mentioned The Stonewater Kingdom was a challenge for her in terms of having an open world (Whoo Legend of Zelda inspiration) and how these various places would connect, look, interact, etc.

She made her map (she sketched a cruse looking one herself first), made her magic system, made her characters and started from there.

19. There was no single inspiration used for the cathedral in the Knight in the Moth. She just knew she wanted it to have stained glass, rose windows and that gothic architecture. So really just a mashup of any cathedral that fits that description.

20. Additional inspiration for her dark, whimsy style comes from a lot of the 90’s/00’s darker movies and themes like.. Pan’s Labyrinth, The Last Unicorn, etc.

21. When asked if she would choose a sword vs the providence cards, she would pick the cards but mentioned she would hurt herself either way.

22. Someone asked her if the sequel would be like The Shepherd King duology where there is a different couple per book.

She said no, that the Stonewater Kingdom duology would have the same couple for both.

23. Unless I suddenly remember something else, that was pretty much it for interesting tidbits.

Rachel was great she was super sweet and patient and she was popping out jokes left and right. 10/10 would meet and greet again.

A well deserved auto-buy author. ✍️

Original thread on bluesky:

Feel free to reach out to me on bluesky~ I am way more active there than here.

Happy reading!

Mo