Pantser vs. Plotter by Gail Grant Park
I read a recent blog post here about this subject from the perspective of a plotter and felt I needed to add my two cents. As a pantser, I don’t know that I have the ability to choose whether to be one or the other. The thought of having a whole story outlined and the basics of each chapter known ahead of time seems way out of my reach. I wouldn’t go so far as to say being a pantser is more “creative” than a plotter, for both need to have the creative juices flowing to accomplish their goals; they just go about it in different ways.
I had an aha! moment recently while watching an art competition. Each of the nine artists took a different approach to painting their given subject. One started right off with paint on the canvas, working from life, her eyes darting back and forth from the subject to her easel. Some started with an underpainting in a monochrome color, putting down broad strokes that captured general shapes. Others took their time with a pencil or charcoal sketch before adding paint to their canvas. Still, others plotted out the portrait on a grid and followed that, systematically transferring lines and shapes from the grid on their iPads to the corresponding grid on the canvas. As the four hours progressed, nine different paintings emerged—all masterpieces in their own right—from photorealistic pencil to one in the style of the Old Masters to impressionism.
It hit me how this is a parallel to the writing process. (One artist even referred to her method as “by the seat of my pants.”) My process begins with an inkling of a plot idea. I’m working on a series, so the characters are already in place, as is more or less the setting. Then I sit down at the computer and “listen” to the characters as they talk to each other and move about from scene to scene, quickly writing down what I hear before it gets away from me. When I get stumped, I sometimes resort to dreamwork. Before going to bed at night, I’ll seed my dream with a “what should happen next” thought. I had a whole chapter emerge in that liminal state right before waking. Even if I don’t write every day, my characters are always with me and I keep my eyes open to synchronicities around me that may apply to my story.
I’ve read and re-read Save the Cat and tried to set out beats and plot an outline, but for me, it all comes down to whatever occurs in the moment.
Be Yourself. Whether you are a pantser or a plotter, whether you start with a mere slip of an idea or a blow-by-blow, scene-by-scene complete novel swirling around in your head, the end result will be uniquely your own—your voice, your passion, your vision, your masterpiece.
