Pansters and Plotters
When I first started writing, I was totally a pantser. Whatever came to my head in terms of scene, I'd write. While this made for a fun first draft, it proved to be utter shit for my revision process*. As I progressed in my writing, I tried different things. Like plotting something out.
Talk about life-changing. My drafting time went from three years to two months. In turn, my revision process went smoother.
After years of pantsing, I've become a plotter. This November will mark my second plotter anniversary. With a few years under my belt, I thought it would be nice to give a rundown of what's different between plotters and pantsers.
What method works best for you?
* I'm looking at you, first book.
**Unlike Bejeweled.
______
Last.fm hit of the day: Christine by Siouxsie and The Banshees
Talk about life-changing. My drafting time went from three years to two months. In turn, my revision process went smoother.
After years of pantsing, I've become a plotter. This November will mark my second plotter anniversary. With a few years under my belt, I thought it would be nice to give a rundown of what's different between plotters and pantsers.
Pantsers...
- Go into a project with a rough idea. The key here is rough. They might only have a piece of a scene.
- Work more off of premise. Battling robots might sound awesome, but it's not enough to build a 50,000 word novel.
- Have more writer's block. They write themselves into a corner and can't figure out how to get back other than trashing everything and start over.
- Jump right in, sometimes the instant a shiny new idea hits the noggin.
- Get distracted easier. With nothing firmly next on the writing agenda, it's easier to walk away to "think about what comes next."
Plotters...
- Go into a project with a full realized story. They know the key players, how the story starts, develops, and ends.
- Take a premise and examine it to see if it's strong enough to create a story around. If those battling robots were created to protect the town from the ongoing dragon raids, they have more to work with.
- Have writer's block, but it's not as severe. If they write themselves into a corner, they can just skip to the next scene.
- Take their time. They do research, draft outlines, fill out worksheets. It's like useful procrastination**.
- Know where they're going. There's no need to take a long break to figure out the next scene when it's already there.
What method works best for you?
* I'm looking at you, first book.
**Unlike Bejeweled.
______
Last.fm hit of the day: Christine by Siouxsie and The Banshees