Pantser or Plotter?
Finding the Sweet Spot Between Spontaneity and Structure in Creative Writing
Some writers meticulously plan every step of their story before typing a single sentence, earning themselves the nickname "plotters." Others dive headfirst into writing fueled with a spark of inspiration, discovering their story as they go. These spontaneous creatives are affectionately called "pantsers," reflecting their tendency to write "by the seat of their pants." But does the path to great writing require a choice? Not necessarily. Blending both approaches may lead to the most rewarding (and efficient) results. For me it’s the only way to go. I find my story on the page. Yet longer narratives require a structure that is too big to hold in my head of find intuitively. At some point, I take my creative prewriting and exploratory starts and as I begin to see the arc of the story, I apply a structure. I don't always choose the same structure.
The Plotter: Masters of Structure
Plotters thrive on organization. Outlines, character profiles, and detailed timelines are their tools of choice. Authors like J.K. Rowling are famous for their meticulous plotting. Rowling created detailed spreadsheets and plans for the "Harry Potter" series, mapping out every character, subplot, and twist before writing the books
For plotters, structure serves as a reliable guide—and with so many established narrative frameworks available, there’s no shortage of tools to help organize a story. Three notable storytelling structures used by plotters include:
- The Hero’s Journey: Popularized by Joseph Campbell, this narrative model has 12 key steps, including the "Call to Adventure," "Crossing the Threshold," and "Return with the Elixir." It’s perfect for epic stories like J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings or George Lucas’s Star Wars, as well as any narrative featuring transformation and self-discovery.
- The Three-Act Structure: A classic framework dividing the story into three distinct acts: the setup, confrontation, and resolution. This structure is ideal for maintaining pacing, ensuring rising tension in the middle act, and culminating in a satisfying conclusion. Shakespearean dramas and Hollywood films often rely on this tried-and-true method.
- Save the Cat! Beat Sheet: Introduced by Blake Snyder, this structure breaks down a story into 15 essential “beats,” such as the “Catalyst,” “Dark Night of the Soul,” and “Final Image.” It’s particularly useful for screenwriters and novelists looking to craft highly engaging and emotionally gripping stories.
By employing these structures, plotters can methodically plan scenes, chart character growth, and ensure that their work resonates with thematic purpose. However, overplanning can stifle creativity and rob a narrative of the organic, spontaneous moments that make stories feel alive. So if your creativity changes your plan, you may want to go with that and adjust your structure.
The Pantser: Champions of Discovery
Pantsers embrace creative writing as a process of exploration. Authors like Stephen King famously avoid outlines, preferring to discover their characters and plots as they write. In his book On Writing, King explains that he begins with a "situation" and lets the story unfold naturally. For King, the thrill of discovery often leads to unexpected twists that might not have emerged if he’d plotted everything in advance.
Stream-of-consciousness techniques have been a hallmark of pantser-friendly writing. Authors like Virginia Woolf (Mrs. Dalloway) and James Joyce (Ulysses) epitomize this approach, allowing the flow of a character’s thoughts and feelings to dictate the structure and progression of the narrative.
However, pantsing can have its pitfalls. Without a guiding framework, writers sometimes find themselves lost in their story, leading to disjointed plots or spiraling drafts that require extensive (and difficult) revisions later.
The Hybrid Approach: Using Structure as Scaffolding
Some authors prefer to combine the strengths of pantsing and plotting, crafting a process that allows for both discovery and intentional structure. For example, George R.R. Martin uses a metaphor for this hybrid approach by describing himself as a “gardener” rather than an architect. While he begins organically, letting his ideas grow and develop freely, he eventually pulls in structural elements to prune and organize his sprawling epic narratives.
Integrating structure into your process doesn’t mean stifling creativity. Instead, use tools like the Hero’s Journey, the Three-Act Structure, or the Save the Cat! beat sheet as scaffolding. For example:
- A pantser might start by writing freely, focusing on character relationships or intriguing scenes, before mapping key turning points onto a structure like the Three-Act model.
- A plotter might begin with a detailed Save the Cat! beat sheet but leave room for some sections to evolve naturally in the writing process.
Writers like Neil Gaiman and Margaret Atwood famously blend both approaches. Gaiman starts his projects with loose ideas, often pantsing his way through the initial chapters, but gradually transitions into a more structured process as the story unfolds. Atwood has spoken about letting books “find their own shape” during the initial draft stage before implementing a skeleton or structure in revisions.
The Role of Structure in Creative Freedom
Even writers who rely heavily on outlining still apply strategies like stream-of-consciousness writing, whether during prewriting, brainstorming, or character development. For example, you might write open-ended journal entries from your characters’ perspectives to explore internal conflicts or inconsistencies. This kind of uninhibited exploration helps ground your eventual outline in authentic, lived-in details.
The key is recognizing that structure does not limit your creativity—it enhances it. Frameworks like the Hero’s Journey or Three-Act Structure are not cages but tools that bring cohesion and emotional resonance to your story. They’re flexible enough to adapt to your evolving narrative while ensuring that chaos doesn’t derail momentum.
Crafting Your Process
If you’re unsure where you fall on the pantser-plotter spectrum, experiment with bridging the gap between raw discovery and intentional structuring. Start with a single question or theme to explore in freewriting mode. Let new characters, settings, and events reveal themselves to you. As the story begins to take shape, step back and apply a storytelling framework to organize the chaos into something compelling.
For example:
- Use the Hero’s Journey to map a character’s transformation as they evolve through challenges and lessons.
- Apply the Three-Act Structure by identifying key events—your inciting incident, midpoint twist, and climax—to ensure your story maintains pacing and engagement.
- If your scenes seem disconnected, try organizing them into the beats of Save the Cat! to help identify missing pieces or problematic pacing issues.
So, are you a pantser or plotter? Or, like many writers, a little bit of both? The beauty of writing lies in its flexibility. By combining the intuitive freedom of pantsing with the structural precision of plotting, you can balance creativity with cohesion. Whether you draw inspiration from your stream-of-consciousness drafts or craft intricate outlines inspired by timeless frameworks like the Hero’s Journey, the Three-Act Structure, or Save the Cat!, the ideal method is the one that works for you. BEWARE-I know dozens of writers who only write stream of consiousness who have never finished a narrative. So if you've been writing for a while and haven't finished-try a little structure. And conversly, If you've been starting with structure and the work doesn't excite you--take off the shackles and find your story.
By finding your raw material in the act of writing and shaping it into a carefully structured narrative, you can produce work that is both fresh and polished—a harmonious blend of discovery and discipline. Writing doesn’t have to be an “either/or” process. Learning to dance between pantsing and plotting is the key to unlocking your greatest potential as a writer.
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