Plotters v Pantsers: pick a side!

[StillStunned]

No sitting on the fence in this one: two camps only. Which side are you on?

Bonus points for throwing a witty insult at the enemy. Although I suppose the plodders plotters will have to plan their insults first.

In case it wasn't clear: I'm Team Pantser!

 

[sijopunk]

I write detailed outlines and then abandon them almost immediately.

I'm a pantser that goes commando.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Inspired pantser who is organized through dynamic story boarding as I write.

 

[anthrodisiac]

Pants pants pants pants pants pants pantsy-pants!

Let's see, I could write a story,* or I could sit and stare at a piece of paper and make bullet points until my eyes bleed.

Hmm.... Hard choice.

*And have the story go on 200% longer than intended...

 

[ADirtyPerv]

Even if you plot, you do it by the seat of your pants with the rest of us, so eat my shorts!

 

[BeechLeaf]

Well, I could admit I'm a pantser, and I could just begin typing stuff in confirmation of this, and it could go on and on, and I'd be wondering what would come next, because basically all I can see is just how these words seem to flow on after I've typed the previous ones, and perhaps I could bring in a sexy bisexual tamandua zombie three or four scenes from now, only that would require some concept of 'next scene' and 'later' and I'm not very good at that and oh dear the tamandua seems to be a gigantic sarcastic one that swallows people u...

 

[crookedletter]

Proud member of Team Pantser.

Here's the thing about plotters...

I actually don't have anything to say about plotters -- I started that sentence with no plan for where I would go with it.

 

[EmilyMiller]

No sitting on the fence in this one

 

[anthrodisiac]

and perhaps I could bring in a sexy bisexual tamandua zombie three or four scenes from now, only that would require some concept of 'next scene' and 'later' and I'm not very good at that and oh dear the tamandua seems to be a gigantic sarcastic one that swallows people u...

Stop looking at my WIP folder!

 

[_Lynn_]

Team Pantser all the way.

Making notes/outlines is like writing the story twice.

 

[StillStunned]

The Plodders seem to be taking their time planning their replies.

 

[THBGato]

I'm mostly a plotter, in the sense that usually, before I start writing:

- I know how the story will end
- I know the premise
- I know many of the beat and set pieces

Sometimes, I discover that I don't know enough about one or more of the characters. My "I have..." series (3 stories, 12,000 words) were basically character sketches for Ramona and Mikayla, major characters in "Twenty" and "Forty" (100,000 words combined).

The one exception is the story I just published today ("A Tale of Ten Kisses"). I knew the premise but had no idea, right up to the start of the final chapter, how it would end. It really could have gone either way. That was fun. It does mean there's a character in there that ends up being a total dead-end rather the alternative exit route I thought they might be, but that's no matter.

 

[FrancesScott]

The one exception is the story I just published today ("A Tale of Ten Kisses").

Highly recommended, if feeling a little like being edged at times (wholly intentionallly, I realize).

 

[Erozetta]

Pantser without a doubt.

 

[SmilingLez]

Plotter for sure, though I prefer the term planner. Fail to plan, plan to fail.

 

[Britva415]

The Plodders seem to be taking their time planning their replies.

Wait till they finish their outlines. Then the responses will be mind blowing

 

[StillStunned]

How many plotters does it take to change a lightbulb? - Hang on, let me write out the structure of my answer.

 

[ElectricBlue]

This is the opening thought for my current WIP:

Sometimes one gets an idea for a quick little story that in other circumstances might be inappropriate. This is one of those, written to see where it might go.

That's the extent of the plan. Definitely a pantser.

 

[dirk2024]

The Plodders seem to be taking their time planning their replies.

I used to be a pantser

A literary dancer,

But now I plot more and more,

Knowing when I’m going my characters will score,

Leaving behind those stuck in their sexual banter

 

[Rob_Royale]

I'm not sure how to answer this. Let me tell you my method and you tell me what camp I'm in, k?
I come up with the idea and start the story. As I come up with each character, I add them to a spreadsheet along with their particulars, eyes, hair, build.
Then I just write what is clear in my head thus far, making it up as I go, changing what needs changing. When I reach the limits of what is clear, I stop and think about it for a day or so and then wash, rinse, repeat.

 

[NuclearFairy]

Well... It depends on the story.

Some stories, like my orcs, I know roughly where it's going in my head, but I just sit down and write, with the only planned stuff being notes I make to myself about stuff I've already written so that while I'm plowing ahead with the next bit I can refer back to those notes as needed and keep everything consistent.

While other stories, like my mermen, I know what's going to happen in meticulous details. I have an overarching story line laid out. Notes about future and current characters and events. And, I can't actually start writing until I've outlined how the chapter is going to go.

 

[StillStunned]

Anyone sitting on the fence is fair game for witty tomatoes and rotten insults rotten tomatoes and witty insults from both sides.

 

[anthrodisiac]

Anyone sitting on the fence is fair game for witty tomatoes and rotten insults rotten tomatoes and witty insults from both sides.

So no plantsers?

 

[EmilyMiller]

Anyone sitting on the fence is fair game for witty tomatoes and rotten insults rotten tomatoes and witty insults from both sides.

If you can’t cope with nuance, that’s not my problem

 

[anthrodisiac]

I'm not sure how to answer this. Let me tell you my method and you tell me what camp I'm in, k?
I come up with the idea and start the story. As I come up with each character, I add them to a spreadsheet along with their particulars, eyes, hair, build.
Then I just write what is clear in my head thus far, making it up as I go, changing what needs changing. When I reach the limits of what is clear, I stop and think about it for a day or so and then wash, rinse, repeat.

Pantser. Pantser isn't just someone with 0 clue what's going on (okay, sometimes...), but it's someone who doesn't come up with all the major details, characters, everything like that ahead of time. They tend to have a germ of a story, some basic ideas about rough direction, then dive in.

Or sometimes they have a single line of dialogue and write 150k book with 0 clue what's going to happen. (Hey, that's me!)

Keeping notes after you write is a smart approach, highly recommend it for pantsers. It's building an outline after the fact so you can keep track of smaller details and have ideas where to put foreshadowing when you have a cool concept that needs to get seeded earlier.