If you’re a writer, you’ve probably heard a little bit about the great debate about fiction writing techniques: plotting vs. pantsing. What are plotting and pantsing? Which writing technique is better? Are books by plotters better? Do pantsers really write faster? These sorts of questions and lots of opinions by writers of both kinds get thrown around.

If you’ve got questions about plotting and pantsing (or maybe even plantsing), I’ve got some answers that should help.

What Are Plotting and Pantsing?

Plotting and pantsing are the two ways writers start to create their story. Writers who do plotting are called plotters, and writers who use pantsing are called pantsers. While plotters create a plan and then start writing, pantsers simply sit down to get writing right away.

What’s a Plotter?

A plotter is someone who comes up with a story idea, creates a detailed outline of their story, and then writes the actual text of the story. They “plot” out everything that will happen in their story in advance.

But they don’t just plan out their plots. They also often create detailed character profiles, plans for the themes and metaphors they’ll use, outlines of scenes, notes on research they did, and other things to help them write their stories. A plotter creates outlines and all sorts of resources before they write the story.

What’s a Pantser?

A pantser is someone who sits down and starts writing as soon as their idea strikes. They don’t plot or plan in advance—they let the story develop as they write it.

Panthers often work fast, because they throw themselves into the story and don’t spend time creating material that doesn’t go into the final story. As they write, they often make a lot of changes to the story. That’s the great part: Discovering the story as you go gives you more freedom than following an outline. But, that means once they’re finished, they need to go back and edit everything so the story matches their final vision.

Photo by Iga Palacz from Unsplash

What Are the Pros and Cons of Plotting Vs. Pantsing?

So, in the battle of plotting vs. pantsing, which wins? Neither. Plotting isn’t right, nor is pantsing wrong (or vice versa). Neither fiction writing technique is wrong. They are simply the preference of different writers. They both present certain advantages to writers—and certain disadvantages.

Here are some of the benefits of plotting:

• It requires less editing later.
• It gives writers a lot of fun ways to explore their characters and stories, like character interviews, world maps, mood boards, etc.
• You create a clear map to follow, so you don’t get lost as you write.
• Planning lets you bake themes and metaphors into your whole story.
• You’ll likely find fewer plot holes when you plan ahead.

But plotting also has its drawbacks. They include:

• Creating many writing resources takes time.
• Trying to stick to an outline can feel constricting.
• But straying from the outline can change your whole story and waste all the time you spent making an outline.
• The story almost always changes as you write it, leaving some of your resources useless.

What about pantsing? Pantsing comes with a unique set of pros and cons of its own. To start with the benefits of pantsing, they include:

• You can start writing your story right away, while the idea is still fresh in your mind.
• The sooner you start writing the first draft, the sooner you finish it.
• Stories often come out more inventive if you don’t constrict them to an outline.
• You can put all of your energy into the story itself.

So what are the drawbacks of pantsing? They include:

• Without a plan, it can be easy to get stuck or catch writers’ block.
• You might struggle to find the mood or direction of the story.
• You might also write yourself into a corner with no way for your protagonist to escape.
• Making the story cohesive usually requires a lot of editing.

So that gives you a good idea of what the two writing processes are about. They are very different methods with all these many upsides and downsides. Those are the basics of plotting vs. pantsing.

Need a little more detail? Plotting is thoughtful. It’s great for creating stories with very complicated plots and many layers of meaning. When you plan ahead, it’s easier to iron out tricky plot holes. You can more skillfully embed symbols and themes throughout the story as you go.

But plotting is also slow. Sometimes, I’ve had a story idea, poured all my energy into crafting the perfect outline, and had no energy left for writing it. Also, if you love crafting mood boards and backstories, you might find those distract you from actually writing the story. Plotting involves more work upfront than pantsing.

Pantsing is fast. Nothing stands between you and writing the story. When inspiration strikes and you feel ready to write, you can just start. No consulting an outline—you can write the story however you want to. It’s freeing and easy.

But pantsing is also messy. Pantsing often leaves you with a crazy first draft. Say you start your story about a magician, but halfway through, you decide it’d be cooler if they were a wizard instead. Also, you keep changing your POV and tense as you go, so your first quarter is written in 3rd person past tense, your second quarter is in 1st person past, and your last half is in 1st person present. Plus, you changed all the characters’ names. You’ll need to do a lot of editing (which takes time) to pull everything in your story together and make it cohesive.

Photo by Christin Hume from Unsplash

Am I a Plotter or a Pantser?

Many writers choose one method they prefer. These writers call themselves plotters and pantsers, based on their preference. There are famous writers in both camps. And sometimes, these two sides wage great internet wars about which method is better. This is where the debate of plotting vs. pantsing comes from.

But the truth is: Many writers aren’t exclusively plotters or pantsers. Most writers won’t rely on only one method for everything they write. Many writers use plotting sometimes and pantsing sometimes. Sure, most writers have a preference, but they aren’t 100% plotter or 100% pantser.

I usually like plotting my stories out before I write. I write better and faster with a map to guide me. But occasionally, I get a story idea that just makes me want to sit down write, right away. Plus, this blog post, like most of mine, was pantsed. I’m more like 70% plotter and 30% pantser.

Very likely, you aren’t 100% plotter or pantser. You’re a bit of both. But you can look back on your writing process and see which style you prefer. If you like planning your story in advance, you’re mostly a plotter. If you enjoy writing right away with no plan, you’re mostly a pantser.

But what if your writing process doesn’t fit neatly into either category? Maybe your writing process involves a bit of both. Maybe you’re a plantser.

Plantsing? What Is Plantsing?

I just explained many writers don’t rely on only plotting or only pantsing. They use different methods on different projects. But some writers use both plotting and pantsing on the same writing project—and these writers are plantsers.

Plantsing is a combination of plotting and pantsing. It’s what happens when writers use both methods in their writing process. For example, if you’re a plantser, you might outline all the key scenes in your WIP and write the rest by pantsing. Or you might plot out the first half of your book and trust pantsing to help you finish. You could create the most detailed character profiles in advance and start writing the story with no idea where the plot will take them.

Plantsing can have any of the pros and cons of plotting or pantsing. It can be thoughtful or fast. It can be slow and messy. It all depends on your approach to plantsing.

So there you have it: the benefits of plotting vs. pantsing for writers—and even plantsing. Plotting involves planning your story before you write it, while pantsing means just sitting down and writing. Plantsing involves a little bit of both. They all offer certain benefits and drawbacks.

So do you plot? Or is pantsing your go-to? Or maybe you love plantsing? Let me know in the comments!

Mint Miller

Mint is a writer and digital marketing pro who lives in coastal Virginia with her family and one lovable pitbull. Her passions include helping people and businesses display their best side through the power of communication, buying her dog costumes he doesn’t want to wear, and talking all day about Batman.