tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post5361661102171473688..comments2024-01-12T00:48:48.031-06:00Comments on Go Teen Writers: Pros and Cons of Plotting and PantsingStephanie Morrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13128389560727867719noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-56973223865616621332015-12-04T03:56:27.081-06:002015-12-04T03:56:27.081-06:00As a panster, I use an awful lot of sticky notes.....As a panster, I use an awful lot of sticky notes...and the rewrites aren't too bad actually, I tend to be v linear even if I jump back an forth, while not all of it makes sense I'm pretty sure that would ring true for every writer whether plotter, panster or in-between Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02149389580466070007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-66555028642529327722015-09-05T14:10:51.857-05:002015-09-05T14:10:51.857-05:00I think that I am an plaster too I have made the c...I think that I am an plaster too I have made the characters and an timeline of events that should happen in the story.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08442492102193903215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-24252371041512506592014-12-29T08:52:15.670-06:002014-12-29T08:52:15.670-06:00I'm probably a plantser. I tend to write out a...I'm probably a plantser. I tend to write out an outline, character questionnaires, and the rest...but I really don't stick to them. Even if I try. As I write, the characters and plot just turn into something completely different of their own accord.Gemnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-50103847164676875132014-08-23T05:28:33.331-05:002014-08-23T05:28:33.331-05:00My first novel was 100% pantsed. Characters arrive...My first novel was 100% pantsed. Characters arrived randomly, I world-built as I went, wrote myself into corners and changed the plot about 5 times to get myself out, and didn't know how the big confrontation was going to play out even as I was writing it. I had a blast, but it's about 140,000 words long and I am not looking forward to the vast amount of editing that I need to do.<br /><br />For my current one, I'm trying to at least have a vague idea of where I want to go. Before I started writing I did a bit of character-building, but only for the most important of main characters, and planned out the first four chapters or so and thought of a few key scenes in advance. I definitely still lean toward pantsing, though. Like you said, I love finding out about the plot twists at the same time that my characters do. I find that I get to know my characters better if I let them do their own thing instead of trying to force them to follow a plot outline. One character in my first novel was supposed to be just a throwaway plot device, seen once and never heard from again. He decided to be a major player and became my favorite of that cast.<br /><br />Despite the fact that it was completely pansted, though, I discovered a ton of subtle but unmistakeable foreshadowing in that draft when I reread it, even though I didn't know at the time what it was supposed to foreshadow. It's led me to trust that somehow, my subconscious knows what it's doing, so I don't mind not having any plan. I know that sounds very "Use the Force"-ey, but it works!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-4623700806256442392014-04-08T10:07:19.014-05:002014-04-08T10:07:19.014-05:00mixture between a plantser and planner. :)
I feel ...mixture between a plantser and planner. :)<br />I feel blocked if I don't have the most important plots and plot twists noted, as well as when the characters aren't fleshed out and feel individual and alive.<br /><br />I don't plan perfectly from A to B, I always leave space in case I get another idea or would like to change a scene. :oAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03801197549462543735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-10871935122214676802014-02-11T20:42:38.521-06:002014-02-11T20:42:38.521-06:00I am definitely a planster. I start with a few cha...I am definitely a planster. I start with a few characters, some names, a working title, a bit of the beginning and the ending, then i research, and write and edit and write as I go, so my first draft has taken years and is still half way through, but is now at a point I simply could't have planned and the se cone half is quicker and picked up momentum.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07276567100911782257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-17846176571201869272013-07-30T18:04:24.263-05:002013-07-30T18:04:24.263-05:00That's neat! But... um... What is camp Nano??That's neat! But... um... What is camp Nano??Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03051094922565669850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-17517770916355700782013-07-29T09:12:57.399-05:002013-07-29T09:12:57.399-05:00Plantsers all the way! ;) I lean toward pantsing t...Plantsers all the way! ;) I lean toward pantsing though. Like you, I quickly figured out that pantsing meant loads of "what on earth next" and disastrous rewrites. Plus, I also like things nice and neat. So...I do a bit of 3-act structure outlining now, but if something better comes out? I go with it!Amanda Fischerhttp://alifeonmission.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-55141130561278792132013-07-27T00:20:30.630-05:002013-07-27T00:20:30.630-05:00I am a plantser. Even with my first novel attempt,...I am a plantser. Even with my first novel attempt, I plotted out 80% but I always knew that I wanted a large section of their "life on the run" to be pantsed. <br /><br />Doing both plotting and pantsed as in this article is the most common sense plotting advice I've heard on this subject.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-90864924211057502082013-07-25T14:19:16.985-05:002013-07-25T14:19:16.985-05:00I'm a Plantster. I like using the The Act Stru...I'm a Plantster. I like using the The Act Structure and getting an idea of the book before writing, because like you, Stephanie, I have this free-like-the-wind artists side then this everything-must-be-by-da-rules organized side. I didn't use the Three Act Structure until recently, but it's really helped me before I just knew the beginning and the end and the major details then went from there. Good post! :)Victoria Grace Howellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-31386572638020628012013-07-25T02:42:56.736-05:002013-07-25T02:42:56.736-05:00I started writing my book a few months ago. I sat ...I started writing my book a few months ago. I sat down and I thought about things and I wrote them all down and I ended up with two pages of things to HAPPEN. In ORDER. It was awesome! So I wrote it all and I got out a few thousand words and it was great. <br /><br />And that's the extent of the plotter part of me. All there has been. Ever. I'm about to start writing and I've got no idea what's going to happen. And -- I really, really hate to admit this -- I don't even know what my character's goal is. It must be one of those blurry vague ones. I think she needs something practical to get the plot (instead of the ball;)) rolling. <br /><br />One of my favourite parts about writing is when this IDEA just starts jumping up and down, screaming at me and I'm like "YES HELLO!" I always chuckle to myself when people talk about all these different books they're writing because I need every idea I can get to actually get words on the page! emiihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02042164350910286833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-75907139097817813422013-07-24T21:55:02.724-05:002013-07-24T21:55:02.724-05:00Love this! I am most definitely a "Plantser&q...Love this! I am most definitely a "Plantser". And it works really great for me! Thanks for this, Stephanie!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-36375413595553245312013-07-24T19:48:29.025-05:002013-07-24T19:48:29.025-05:00Wow, what an insightful post!
I'm definitel...Wow, what an insightful post! <br /><br />I'm definitely a plotter. All the way. It drives me nuts if I don't know exactly which character is going to be doing what in each chapter. Mostly, I think this sort of extreme plotting works for me because it helps me to track the emotional development of my characters. However...there are drawbacks, as mentioned! I can especially relate to the fact that the outline can drastically change when you start writing! :)Sarahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-28672100404947934372013-07-24T18:34:38.912-05:002013-07-24T18:34:38.912-05:00I think I'm a plantser! I actually haven't...I think I'm a plantser! I actually haven't heard that term before (it's brilliance). I used to be a chapter-by-chapter outliner, now EVERY plot twist, have EVERY single dot worked out. But I ended up falling out of writing, because I was so much like a machine on a mission and not a creator and artist. I had a turn at pantsing. Wrote 2 books with the barest of outlines. It was stressful, because I didn't know what to do next. My favourite book to write was a sci-fi, where I did NO research and but wrote a small outline with basic plot points. And just had fun. :)<br /><br />This is a fabulous post. Just sayin'.CG @ Paper Furyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14954615708675952085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-43710673416029743872013-07-24T15:46:42.365-05:002013-07-24T15:46:42.365-05:00I guess I'm a plantser. I do have a good idea ...I guess I'm a plantser. I do have a good idea of my characters and their personalities, and the main obstacle (with possible important rising action) but other than that, I pants. Sometimes it is hard, and I do -sometimes- wish I knew where I was going, but I love the spontaneity that I get from mostly pantsing. With my WIP, I tried to make an outline halfway through, because I already had the beginning and end, but it was too detailed and it fizzled out.<br /><br />One of my good writer friends made a scene-by-scene outline, before she started writing it. I've decided she's crazy, in the best way possible. (Of course, all writers are, at least at times.)<br /><br />Thanks for the post, Stephanie!Katiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08117667458636102470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-70231059323041804382013-07-24T15:21:38.152-05:002013-07-24T15:21:38.152-05:00I'm a plantster, definitely. I write a few cha...I'm a plantster, definitely. I write a few chapters of the story to get an idea of where I'm going with it, and then I do some planning, worldbuilding, etc. After that I sort of plan and pants in equal measure, letting my plan direct my story and my story influence my plan.Katenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-24711277258006409552013-07-24T14:14:03.062-05:002013-07-24T14:14:03.062-05:00Hmm, I'm not really sure. I might be a "p...Hmm, I'm not really sure. I might be a "plantster" like you, but I learn more towards pantster. In some ways I think it's been really great for my first draft and in other ways not so great. Rewriting constantly, as you said--definitely! But I have a feeling my idea would have just kept evolving anyway, no matter if I had stringently outlined it or not, so I would have had to rewrite it several times anyway.Hannah Bartahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16113296657540921039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-32683743326641979212013-07-24T14:12:57.461-05:002013-07-24T14:12:57.461-05:00Well, pantser sometimes, plotter sometimes. One st...Well, pantser sometimes, plotter sometimes. One story is pantsed, and I love discovering my plots twists at the same time my characters did. And you wouldn't believe how much that stinkin story evolved from the first stages of thought to (still in progress) second draft. I love that. Not even I know what it's going to turn out to be. <br />But on the other side of the coin, I have a story idea that bugged my for months, and wouldn't go away. But it was very complex, and I knew that once I got caught up in a certain scene, I would most likely forget a vital piece of forshadowing. So that one has an outline in progress. <br />I honestly prefer pantsing, because once I get an outline, it's like my muse realises its job is done and shuts down. So the story doesn't get much of a chance to evolve that way. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-66633467487009937922013-07-24T14:08:01.188-05:002013-07-24T14:08:01.188-05:00It depends on my mood. I am a planner and pantsing...It depends on my mood. I am a planner and pantsing but I am not a planster because I rarely use them together. With my current WIP I did a full blown outline chapter by chapter but I still allow my writing to surprise me often taking turns I didn't expect (which is the problem you talked about with throwing out lots of your work). I also did voice journals for all my major characters. I also spend a lot of time daydreaming about scenes in my book. On other projects that I have worked on I didn't do hardly any planning except basic plot.Laurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12728508020557789277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-73500852488472775112013-07-24T13:49:15.924-05:002013-07-24T13:49:15.924-05:00I'm so glad you answered this!! :D I'm wor...I'm so glad you answered this!! :D I'm working on a fantasy series, and I want it to be more complex. Though to be honest, sometimes I'm not sure where I'm going with it. I do a lot of research on Irish and Scottish and Scandinvaian history and folklore (the events in my story are based on it), but I also write scenes from my stories that just pop into my head, and I want to find a way to string them together into a plot. I do research more for ideas instead of getting information that I absolutely need to know. At a writer's conference, one of the speakers said that even after your planning, you're never going to feel ready to write your draft, but eventually you have to trust yourself. But while I plan on plotting my biggest project for the future, I definitely pantsed my NaNo novel. I want to set up a writing bulletin board where I can just post things up and plan the darn thing out.<br /><br />July 24, 2013 at 1:47 PMSophia Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05531680300450046091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-20984761502248039972013-07-24T13:47:38.266-05:002013-07-24T13:47:38.266-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Sophia Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05531680300450046091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-33059100058387420592013-07-24T13:46:29.449-05:002013-07-24T13:46:29.449-05:00Plantser! Though I've noticed I'm more of ...Plantser! Though I've noticed I'm more of a pantser in the first draft and then tend to go all crazy on plotting for the second draft, those together become plantser right? ;) Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15317792300616098592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-11966174438715706492013-07-24T13:40:46.307-05:002013-07-24T13:40:46.307-05:00I would say I'm a plantser. I play around with...I would say I'm a plantser. I play around with the story in my head, sometimes for ages, and make a sloppy list of the events I want to happen. It's later, usually as I write, that I figure out when and why those events happen. I think it works pretty great! It's got spontaneity, yet I'm never staring at a blinking cursor, wondering what should happen next.jstarickahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08182648047265536102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-46531753465980177692013-07-24T13:30:01.539-05:002013-07-24T13:30:01.539-05:00Definitely a planster, though I think I lean towar...Definitely a planster, though I think I lean towards plotting. I usually dive right into a story and write about 50 pages (three chapters!) before I get stuck. Writing like mad for those 50 pages gets me excited about the project. Then I go back and make a pretty detailed outline using different elements from OYAN, First Draft in 30 Days, and other methods. Then I trash my original 50 pages and start over again. And, no, I don't look at my outline much once it's made. It just helps me have a map in my head of where I'm going.Leah E. Goodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13266134192771082815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-37182361439932566802013-07-24T13:29:33.035-05:002013-07-24T13:29:33.035-05:00I don't like pantsing very much. I did it for ...I don't like pantsing very much. I did it for a while when writing, but going back it seems as my characters' characters change a lot. Like in the first four chapters, a main character likes to read, but when the story actually gets going, it's really the OTHER character who talks about books. Then I see people who are total pantsers and end up writing completely unbelievable scenes that lead no where important...or luck just helps the hero defeat the villain.<br />But then plotting closes out light bulb ideas, so I consider myself a plantser. I have a rough outline of main points and a few details, but leave room to add in a betrayal or a plot twist that started way back at the beginning.Jenneth Dyckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02806251588834115742noreply@blogger.com