If you’re doing NaNoWriMo this November, you may have heard some strange terms flying around: plotter, pantser, and plantser. Maybe you’ve heard of these before and maybe you haven’t. And maybe you decided not to waste your precious writing time to look these up. So I’ll just tell you. Plotters, pantsers, and plantsers are the three types of writers.
These categories have unique traits when it comes to the writing process. And if you don’t already know which type you are, then you will by the end of this blog!
Types of Writers
The Plotter
Plotters like outlines. They like charts and timelines and color-coded Post-It notes. Plotters are the Monica Gellars of the writing world. (Did I just date myself?)
The trademark of a plotter is their ability to organize their thoughts before any story-writing takes place. They take time to organize the plot of their story—hence, their title—as well as other important details. Once a plotter has plotted, they most likely have their entire story fleshed out. Then, they can follow their outline, plug in the creative details, and tick off each point as they finish.
Potential Downfalls
There is no correct way to write. However, each type of writer has their own set of potential downfalls. It’s important to pay attention so you don’t fall into any traps.
Because plotters thrive in the minutiae, they can spend all of their time planning and none of their time writing. Plotters are hands-down the best world-builders, and once their story is complete, readers will see they really did think of everything. If you’re a plotter, just make sure you don’t let yourself get bogged down in the details. Remember the whole point of writing is to write, to get your story out of your head and onto paper (or screen).
Plotters also have a tendency to regurgitate their hard-thought details. They can be prone to info dumps, where large chunks of background information are deposited in one lump sum rather than spread out and woven into the story. Other writing types fall prey to this, too. But because of their excellent world-building skills, plotters are more likely to excitedly share their background knowledge.
The Pantser
Pantsers get their name because they fly by the seat of their pants. They may have an idea for a story, maybe a character name or two, but that’s about it. Pantsers tend to word-vomit their story and write until it feels finished—their process is more abstract and less finite.
If you’re a pantser, then you’ll know your characters often surprise you. Because pantsers don’t have a plan, they’re literally learning about their characters as they write them. A pantser’s character can do something completely unexpected because they literally have no expectations. Oftentimes, it’s these surprises that spur the plot and not because they thought two steps ahead.
Potential Downfalls
While the thought of blindly attempting to write a novel makes some of us nauseous, it brings a pantser joy. However, the pitfall of no plan is word vomit. “But I thought that was supposed to be a pantser’s attribute.” Well, yes and no.
Pantsers can end up going on tangents that see an ever-climbing word count. And words for the sake of words isn’t always a good thing. Pansters have a tendency to lose track of their story, probably because they didn’t have a clear destination to begin with. So, while it’s great to let the creativity flow, pantsers often have a lot to do in the editing process.
The Plantser
If a plotter and a pantser had a baby, it would be a plantser. Plantsers are the perfect combination of the two: they plan a little before writing but leave certain things up to chance. They have a foundation to work from but still leave room for creativity to flow in unexpected ways.
Those who know me would be shocked to find out I’m a plantser. I mean, I’m as Type A as they come: a lover of organization and a filler-outer of calendars. Rules are my love language. But surprise! When it comes to writing, I’m a plantser. Here’s why.
A Little Bit Plotter
When I get a story idea, I let it percolate. (Fun fact: plantsers were almost referred to as percolaters, but it never really caught on.) I sit with an idea like a plotter and think up all the things. Then, I write those things down in an outline of sorts. So far, none of my outlines have looked the same for each story—a deviation, I expect, from an OG plotter.
Continuing in my plotter hat, I sometimes make family trees and take personality tests as my characters. I occasionally compile documents with research links if I feel the information will be needed in the future.
A Little Bit Pantser
Then, I write. And I become a bit of a panster. I have guideposts that I know I need to hit, but sometimes, I don’t know the ending. Sometimes, my characters say and do things I wasn’t expecting because I haven’t planned out every detail for them. I once had a character turn out to be the secret father of some other characters, which was nowhere in my original plans.
I also don’t write in order. This, I feel, is a major plotter trademark. (Someone please correct me if I’m wrong.) For a long time, I wrote my stories in order, and sometimes, it worked. But other times, I would get massively stuck because I didn’t have all the details ironed out. The plotter side of my brain needed permission to go out of order, and when I finally did that, the pantser side of me took creative control.
Plantsers Need Self-Awareness
Because plantsers are a combination of two other writing types, they need to know when to change hats. Sometimes, their plotter tendencies will get in the way of their creative pantsing and vice versa. As a plantser, you may need to give yourself permission to move past a sticking point or stop writing to research something rather than look it up later.
This self-awareness comes much quicker the more you live a plantser lifestyle. You can allow yourself to be both a plotter and a pantser if that’s what works best for you. And really, how cool is it to tell people you’re a plantser?
Which One Are You?
Do you know which type of writer you are? We’d love for you to comment your type and how you determined it.
Book Highlight: The History of Us by Moms Who Write
What better way to celebrate the different types of writers than by highlighting an anthology by different writers? If you ask the authors featured in The History of Us their writer type, I’m sure you’d get a varied list. Check out this beautiful, poignant book on Amazon or wherever books are sold.
About the Writer: Brigid Levi is a freelance writer and editor based in the Philadelphia area. She has three children, a husband-child, and a dog. When she’s not freelancing or working on her own writing, Brigid can be found under all the blankets with coffee, tea, or wine (depending on the time of day) and a sweeping historical fiction novel. She hopes to publish her YA fantasy/adventure novel in the near future! Find out more about Brigid on her website.
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*Disclaimer: This blog contains Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases to help generate more resources and opportunities for our writing community. We appreciate your support.