Pantsing vs Plotting — Which Writing Method Is Right for You?

"Pantser" and "plotter" are the two poles of a spectrum that describes how writers approach a first draft. Pantsers write "by the seat of their pants" — starting with a character or situation and discovering the story as they write. Plotters outline extensively before writing a word. Most working novelists fall somewhere between the extremes, and figuring out where you sit is one of the most useful things you can do for your writing process.

The Case for Pantsing

• Stories feel alive — Discovery writing often produces surprising, organic plot developments that outline-driven writing misses
• Characters lead — When you don't know what happens next, characters can make choices that feel genuinely earned
• No pre-write exhaustion — Some writers find outlining drains their enthusiasm for the story before they've written a word
• Good for character-driven stories — Literary fiction, slice-of-life, coming-of-age stories often benefit from organic discovery

The downside: Pantsers often get stuck in the middle, write themselves into corners, and spend significantly more time in revision untangling structural problems that a plotter would have caught before drafting.

The Case for Plotting

• Faster drafting — When you know what happens next, you write faster with less stalling
• Cleaner first drafts — Structural problems caught in outline phase don't require massive revision later
• Handles complexity — Thrillers, mysteries, multi-POV epics almost always benefit from plotting
• Reduces abandonment — Writers who outline finish more novels

The downside: Over-plotted stories can feel mechanical. Knowing the ending can kill the writer's curiosity — which sometimes kills the story's aliveness.

The Hybrid: "Plotsing"

Most professional novelists use a hybrid. Common hybrid approaches:

• Outline the major beats, pants the scenes — Know the key turning points (inciting incident, midpoint, dark night, climax) but let scenes discover themselves
• Write a discovery draft, then outline — Write a fast, messy draft to find the story, then outline what you've discovered and revise with structure
• Outline act by act — Plan one act at a time. When you reach the end of your outline, stop and plan the next act before writing it.

How to Find Your Method

Try both. Write the same story opening as a pantser (no notes, just start writing) and as a plotter (outline fully before writing). See which produces more energy. Your natural method is the one that makes you want to write more.

Related Guides

• Discovery Writing Guide
• Outline Before You Write Guide
• First Draft Advice