What the heck is a "pantser"?
A quick overview of drafting styles for new writers
When it comes to writing, you’ll find that people have different ways that they approach the idea of drafting something new. Some prefer to plot everything out, while others write on the fly and go where inspiration leads. If you’re new to writing, or if you’re mainly a reader but want a little bit of a deeper look at how your favorite fiction is created, here’s a quick overview of different drafting styles.
Plotting
Plotting is just what it sounds like—the author plans out the whole plot ahead of time and then writes it. These authors generally know what’s going to happen before they sit down to write, and then they make it happen. Some plotters are able to plan things out down to even the smallest scene details, sometimes creating such a detailed outline that it can even be called a “zero draft.” Most plotters still allow themselves flexibility if they get a good idea in the middle. Most plotters that I know write their chapters in order, opting not to skip around chronologically within the draft.
Pantsing
Pantsing is basically the opposite of plotting. These are the authors who are writing “by the seat of their pants.” They might have a vague story arc in mind, they might have a single moment they’re working toward, or they might have nothing but a playlist and some epic vibes. But these authors are making it up as they go (literally), and usually even they don’t know where they’re going to end up. Pantsers are more likely than plotters to be willing to write the events of their book out of order, jumping to whichever scene idea they’re most excited about.
Plantsing
This is a term I’ve only started hearing in the last couple of years. A plantser is someone who is part plotter, part pantser. This can be someone who has a vague idea of a few of the major plot points but then pantses the stuff in between, or it can be someone who pantses their first draft but then reverse outlines a plot from there to fill in any major blanks. However you go about it, plantsing combines a bit of both sides of the coin.
Finding what works for you
At the end of the day, there’s no right or wrong way to go about drafting your story. Some people figure out what works for them right away, while others need to try a few different methods before the land on something that clicks. If you try meticulously plotting and find yourself getting stuck trying to get from point A to point B, or if your characters seem reluctant to do what you want them to, switch up your approach. Try jumping to a scene you’re excited about and see where it takes you. Or try letting your characters do their own thing and see what happens.
When I first started writing, I’d plot things out and then try to write everything consecutively from chapter one through the end. But I always got writer’s block after only a few chapters. One day I asked myself why I couldn’t just write the climactic battle scene I was trying to work toward? I didn’t have a good answer, so I tried it. Then I tried just seeing where the words too me. Before I knew it, I had my first completed first draft of a novel!
So if you’re feeling stuck in your own work, let yourself experiment a little, and you may find that you don’t have writer’s block after all—you just needed a different strategy.
Hi, I’m Lindsey! If you’re looking for emotional but accessible prose, characters who bleed, and decisions with consequences, you might like my work. I’m obsessed with combining epic, high-stakes adventure with those quiet moments that surround them—the deep breath before the plunge; the eye of the hurricane when they’re surrounded by chaos; the quiet ‘what do we do now?’ moments when it’s all over.
I’ll break your heart but I promise I’ll heal it a little too.
If you like what you see, follow me on Instagram, Threads, or click here to receive free sample chapters of my debut novel, Fire’s Hand, Fate’s Heart, book one of the Five Fates series.