It Is (But Isn’t) Easier to Write as a Pantser

Reconciling being a planner vs a pantser 5 years on.

It’s been a while since I’ve written about this topic, and I felt this was a good time to address it again.

There are 2 primary types of novel writers out there (note – primary. There are always outliers and the like). These are planners and pantsers.

Planners plan and plot. They create outlines, do worldbuilding, dig deep into characters, and do other planning before they begin to write the novel(s). This can be incredibly detailed. For example, some planners create dialogue for scenes before they actually write them.

Overall, planners plot things out from start to finish before they begin writing the novel. That plan might be fairly general or chapter-by-chapter. Your mileage may vary.

Pantsers sit down and write. It’s called “pantsing” because you are writing by the seat of your pants. Often, pantsers have no detailed plans for their project, save maybe an overarching plot, character journey, or something else of that ilk.

A pantser might only have a scene in mind that they write. Then another. And then another. Before long they have a book.

Since 2014, I have self-published 16 sci-fi and fantasy novels. The first 8 were written by the seat of my pants (ergo, as a pantser).

When I developed the idea for my clone, conspiracy, and investigation sci-fi series Forgotten Fodder, I wrote for the first time as a planner. I did a ton of worldbuilding, then plotted the scenario out, and before long planned each book in the series chapter by chapter. This made for the most cohesive narrative I’d written to date.

Since then, I’ve continued writing as a planner. The results have been good, although sometimes I miss the “ease” of writing as a pantser.

Perceived (but not entirely real) constraints

By creating a plan to write by, there is a set framework. For me, that’s a chapter-by-chapter outline, providing key points to hit on to drive the story and plot forward.

Once upon a time, writing as a pantser, I could go a long way without having a complete knowledge of what the plot was. Hell, I finished the first 2 books of my Vapor Rogues Steampunk series before I had realized the whole plot.

The upside to this was that I could just sit and write whatever came to mind, building on one idea after the next after the next. It made for extremely organic writing with no constraints. Sit down, do the work, produce the book.

The downside to this was that I would often ramble, overshare unnecessary bits, and present only a semi-cohesive plot. This is not the best way to entice readers to your books.

The constraint of having a plan is not that constraining, in truth. That’s because my plan tends to be only outlines. Sure, I know what points I will be touching on in my chapters. The dialogue, the how, the interactions, and the action are usually written only when I sit at the keyboard and do the work by the seat of my pants.

While having a plan to work from can feel like a constraint, the reality is that it’s not. Instead, it offers a more balanced, easier to find and follow plot, more direction, and less rambling.

My books. How long do you go until you get and ROI?
Planner vs pantser

Still a pantser – but with a plan!

I wrote, at the start, that there are outliers and the like that are neither pantsers nor planners (or some combination thereof). I am still something of a pantser, given how much I leave to improv outside of my outlines. Yet I believe that I have become a pantser with a plan.

Arguably, demonstrably, writing from a plan has significantly increased my productivity. Since planning and writing the 4 books of Forgotten Fodder, I’ve also planned and written the 5^th and final book of Void Incursion, the 3 books of my new Savagespace trilogy, the standalone sci-fi comedy Jay and Char Save the Galaxy (going to the editor in February) and 2 of 4 new books for Forgotten Fodder. That’s 11 books (and counting) in 5 years.

As of this writing, I’m approaching the middle of the 3^rd of the new Forgotten Fodder books (which is, technically, the 7^th in the series) and have book 8 planned out. I’ve also begun worldbuilding 4 new ideas (3 sci-fi, 1 fantasy). What these will amount to, and which I will plan out, pursue, and ultimately write remains to be seen.

The point is that my productivity – which I feared would lessen with writing as a planner – has increased and continues to do so. To be the author I am and make the most of my career as a writer, I’m always striving to produce new stories, explore new ideas, and share my imagination and the many notions, ideas, characters, and the like within it.

In conclusion, it is not, in fact, easier to write as a pantser. However, as a planner, leaving plenty of room to write by the seat of my pants keeps the creative juices flowing and drives me to tell more stories. Hence, there are people and places in my head you’ll likely get to read about someday.