Plotting vs pantsing is probably one of the most talked about subjects for new writers. The truth of the matter, as I’m sure you’ll eventually find out, is there is no right or wrong way to write a book.
Plotting vs Pantsing – The Conundrum
As a new writer, I read everything I could get my hands on, and the more I read, the more disheartened I became. I read about the importance of plotting, and planning, and outlining, and it made me feel like a fraud. I didn’t do any of these things. In fact, I never thought about my story until I sat down to write and even then, I just let the words flow out onto the page. I was and still am what others refer to as a pantser and I’m okay with this.
It took a while to get to this stage and the breakthrough came about two weeks ago when I read Dean Wesley Smith’s book, Writing into the Dark. This book was like the holy grail to me. Finally, someone else got it and got how I wrote. I wasn’t the odd one out anymore. The feeling of relief, the feeling of confidence, was overwhelming and I remember the beaming grin that spread across my face. I devoured the book in one sitting and it now holds a treasured spot on my bookshelves.
It also made me realise that no matter what, you have to write for you and in the way, that works for you.
No one is the same.
Some writers thrive on outlining and planning and some don’t. I’m in the later. I tried planning and outlining once. It was back in 2013 when I made my first attempt at NaNoWriMo. I spent two weeks plotting, planning, and outlining the book I was going to write. I was ecstatic and so excited for the challenge to begin. So, on the 1st of November, I pulled out my notebook and started to write. I started the way I always did by picking up a pen and letting the words flow onto paper. I’d convinced myself that it was going to be simple now that I’d planned it all out and I knew what was going to happen. It didn’t work that way.
A couple of sentences into the book I knew something wasn’t right. My main character was supposed to be a teen girl and I was writing from the point of view of an old man. I wrote my 1,500 words for the day and told myself it was okay that I could fix it tomorrow. That never actually happened. When I tried to write using my outline and plan, it felt flat and unimaginative. It felt forced. In the end, I went back to writing the way I wrote and by the end of November, I had 25,000 words of a completely different novel written. My main character was a teen boy instead and the female character I’d spent so long outlining didn’t even make an appearance. It was a big learning curve.
Joining A Writers Group Brought More Clarity
When I joined a writers group in 2016 it became clear to me that everyone writes differently. I love when we do writing exercises and take 10 to 15 minutes to just write. We usually have a word or sentence prompt and then we begin. It always surprises me how the words flow and in those minutes, I’ll have pages of a new story sitting in front of me. For others, it’s not as easy and they struggle when put on the spot. But you know what, that’s okay. It’s different for everyone and that is what I’ve learned over these past two years.
Writing really is a personal thing and there’s no one shoe that fits us all. We all excel in different areas, we all write in different ways. What matters, in the end, is the story that is told and how readers enjoy them. It doesn’t matter whether you are a plotter or a pantser.
So, I will leave you with this, write for you, write the way it feels natural for you to do so, and don’t ever doubt yourself or feel that you are doing it wrong. There is no wrong way to write. It’s a creative expression and everyone creates differently. Tell your stories and feel confident knowing you are getting the words on paper no matter what way you do it.
Until next time,
Keep reading and writing,
Amanda
Amanda J Evans is an award-winning Irish author and writing coach. Amanda writes adult romance that often crosses into paranormal and fantasy. Growing up with heroes like Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones, her stories centre on good versus evil with a splice of love and magic thrown in too. Her books have all won awards and her novella, Hear Me Cry, won the Book of the Year Award at the Dublin Writers Conference 2018. Amanda is also the author of Surviving Suicide: A Memoir from Those Death Left Behind, published in 2012.
