Now that you know why you should write from last week's blog, we can begin to talk about writing styles and techniques. The first thing I think you should discover about yourself as a writer is what kind of writer you are. No, this doesn't have anything to do with the genre or target demographic you plan to write for. I will be covering a much broader scope of writer types.
The three main types of writers are plotters, pantsers, and plantsers. You may have even heard these terms before. They mainly refer to how a writer starts their writing process. There really isn't a right or wrong way to start your writing process, so do what feels comfortable to you and be aware of the cons of doing so to avoid problems. Writing is hard enough as is, so you don't want to have to scrap or rework almost all of your writing.
What is a Plotter?
A plotter is someone who likes to plot out their story before they begin writing. This doesn't mean that they know how it's going to begin and end with a few scenes in the middle planned out. They know everything that they are going to write before they put pen to paper or fingers to keys. Many of my friends who lean more toward plotter writing tend to have sticky notes scattered around their rooms (like a detective trying to solve a crime) that they take down as they pass the scenes in their writing.
What is a Pantser?
Ever heard someone say that another person is flying by the seat of their pants when they go into something without a plan? The same thing applies to this kind of writer, which is where the name "pantser" comes from. These are writers that get an idea and immediately start putting pen to paper. They don't worry about ironing out the fine details, nor do they care to have every scene planned out in their heads. Pantsers simply run with the idea and see where it leads them.
What is a Plantser?
A plantser is a relatively new term that has come around in recent years. As you may have guessed, this is a writer that utilizes both of the previous writing types. A plantser is the middle ground. They plot some of the big details of their story and have a general idea of where the story is headed, but let the creative process take them where it wants to fill in the gaps.
What is Ally Mac?
After years of proclaiming to be a pantser, I have been slightly converted to the dark side by becoming a plantser. It is extremely difficult to be a full-blown pantser, but I think a lot of writers start out that way because they haven't learned the proper way to develop a story yet. I find it easiest to get a decent guide of the plot and know my main characters well before writing a story.
The Pros and Cons
Every writer needs to figure out what works best for them based on trial and error. You cannot force yourself to generate a story in a way that you are incapable of writing. However, you may be able to determine what works better for you by knowing the pros and cons of each writer type.
Pros and Cons of Plotting
While you may think there can't possibly be any cons to knowing how your story is going to play out, I am here to tell you otherwise. In the beginning, plotting can seem not rewarding for all the work you are doing. During your planning process, you aren't actually writing anything, so it may seem like you aren't making any progress. However, the planning you do beforehand will make it easier to write the story without little to no writer's block. You will also feel more confident when you start writing.
Plotter's stories may seem mechanical or contrived when they are written since they knew every single detail before it happened. It can sometimes be difficult for plotting writers to inject organic elements into their stories. On the other hand, plotters tend to know their characters better and can represent them in their novels better because of it. The narrative is often easier to follow, too, since you already checked to make sure it was coherent when you were planning. The ending may just be easy to guess.
If something changes for the writer or if they feel that something else would work better, plotting writers often have to rework the story entirely from that point. This does tend to happen less for plotting writers because they have looked for plot holes and other issues with their story from the beginning. The editing and rewriting process is usually much easier for a plotter than for a pantser.
Plotting Pros
An easier writing process with less writer's block
More confidence in your writing
You know your characters better
An easier narrative to follow
The story is easier to edit with fewer rewrites
Plotting Cons
Progress may seem non-existent when plotting
Writing may seem boring since you know what you're writing
Your writing may seem mechanical
The plot twists and ending may seem contrived
Every change equals more reworking for you
Pantsing Pros and Cons
If you are someone who plots, you probably only see the flaws that there are in the pantsing writing process, but there are plenty of pros to it as well. Someone who is a pantser sees their novel as a limitless opportunity to be creative. Their unbridled creativity allows them to have more freedom in their writing process. However, this freedom also comes with the downfall of catching the writer's block bug much more frequently than their plotter counterpart. Pantsers also often have times when their inspiration well runs dry and they have no motivation to write.
With the freedom in their writing process, the plot is much more flexible for writers who pants their stories. They allow their characters to surprise them along the way and often come off with a more genuine voice. Pantsers essentially get to discover the story as a reader would. This comes with the disadvantage of plot holes. Since they don't know the trajectory of their story, pantsers often make mistakes that readers would have a difficult time making sense of. Therefore, pantser's rewriting process is much longer.
Unlike plotters, since pantsers start their writing process immediately after they get an idea, it is easy for them to measure their progress as they write. They watch their word count climb from the very beginning. Despite their quick progress measurement, getting a pantser's book from their heads to a reader's hands is a long process. It's much longer than the process is for plotters due to extensive editing and rewriting as well as their time with writer's block and low inspiration.
The Pantsing Pros
Pantsers have unbridled creativity and a free writing process
Their story and plot are more flexible than a plotter's is
Pantsers get surprised by their stories like readers will
Stories written by pantsers seem more organic
It is easy to track progress from the beginning
The Pantsing Cons
Pantsers suffer from writer's block more frequently than plotters
Inspiration and motivation for pantsers sometimes runs low
Plot holes may appear due to a lack of planning
They need more rewriting because of plot-related errors
The writing and editing process is longer for pantsers than plotters
Pros and Cons of Being a Plantser
Though plantsing seems like it would be the cure-all, there are still some issues with it. Most people tend to lean toward one side or the other on the plantsing spectrum, too. I tend to lean toward the pantsing side since that is where I originated. If that is the case, you will likely have the same issue the side you gravitate toward has.
However, there still are downsides. Though plantsers tend to have enough of the plot figured out that they don't run into writer's block as much as pantsers, they still have the tendency to have a meandering plot that may not make a lot of sense. Adding scenes that don't help move the plot along at all typically isn't good for your novel and makes the rewriting process longer, especially if you don't know which way to continue with your story.
Plantsers also have the luxury of the surprise moments that they didn't plan just like pantsers do. They can discover parts of their story as if they were reading it. Yet, they, too, can experience writer's block and struggle to know how to continue with their story. However, if they get an idea that doesn't stick to the original plan, they tend to have more freedom than a plotter but can be as rigid about sticking to their outline.
Pros to Plantsing
They have an outline, so they don't experience as much writer's block
Plantsers get to discover some of the plot like readers will
They have more freedom with surprise moments than a plotter would
Cons of Plantsing
Plantsers may suffer from a meandering plot or one without direction
They can still experience writer's block or low creativity for a time
Plantsers might stick to their outline too much and not change their story for the better
The best way to figure out what writing style you should use is to try them out for yourself. I found out I needed to plan a little when I finished my first novel and realized I had a bunch of mini-plots but not one cohesive one. I still am not sure where that story is going or how to rewrite it to fix the plot. So, I tried being a plotter and found myself just wanting to move on to writing the novel once I had a skeleton guide for my story and could see the plot coming together. If pantsing is too hard, try plotting. If plotting is too much, try plantsing.
Where can you learn more?
Which type of writer are you?
Plotter
Pantser
Plantser
Until next time,
Ally Mac
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