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Are you a plotter or a pantser?

JBryden88

Troubadour
I am a pantser who plots.

That is to say, in my head? I plot things out. In the case of my project? I've done some planning, mostly worldbuilding notes that are the most crucial as well as character notes.

But as far as the progression of each chapter? It's in my head, and it's not always 100% true on screen to what I originally came up with.

Case in point: original idea has chapter 3 of this project showing the king going through his daily routine, but when I finished it, I realized that it destroys the illusion of a king seeming larger than life, and so I deleted it, and rewrote it from the perspective of the king's right hand, and now it works awesomely.
 

SeverinR

Vala
I am bare bones plotter.
I know approx where I want to end, some high points in the story, and the basic bio of the characters. I build while writing in all areas. Some times I don't even have a definate starting point.
 

Jabrosky

Banned
I've decided to experiment with the plotting method and am finding that it makes me more confident in my ability to write. It helps when you know exactly where you're going with a story.
 

Jon_Chong

Scribe
I love em both and do em in equal amounts. I plot as I pants and pants as I plots. Though these days I spend more time plotting and making sure I have all the nuances down. And then I start pantsing. Mmmm... pantsing
 

Helen

Inkling
Plotter definitely.

But I also discover the story as I work out the problems the plot tells me to solve.
 

Thalian

Scribe
I'm a combination of both. I make lists of goals and events that I want to get done, but they are very vague. I think this really helps my characters develop, especially one of my villians who over the course of my writings has developed very grey areas, and I can definitely see him switching sides to some extent in the future.
 
I'm a combination of both. I make lists of goals and events that I want to get done, but they are very vague. I think this really helps my characters develop, especially one of my villians who over the course of my writings has developed very grey areas, and I can definitely see him switching sides to some extent in the future.

This is a very cool thing. It was a kind of road to damascus moment for me when I realised that a character could change sides. I hadn't planned it that way, but the way the pantsing had driven that (to that point minor) character within the lines of the overall plan, I suddenly realised one day that he had to switch sides. From that point (obviously) he became a much more important character. That was in my first commercially published book and many readers list him as a favourite character.

I think from an empathy perspective, he started out a baddy, but was a very downtrodden baddy. He came into contact with the hero, was supposed to do something evil to the hero, but found that his allegiance had changed when it came to the crunch...just like Duffman throwing the owner of the Isotopes out of the ballpark. Readers can't help but like him, feel his conflict deeply, and are then relieved when he ultimately does the right thing.
 

Kit

Maester
...What the heck is a "pantser"?

One who writes "by the seat of hir pants"- ie, making it up as you go along.

Or-

A mischievous buddy who sneaks up behind you and yanks your pants down around your ankles in a public place, and then laughs and runs away.

I'm assuming we are currently discussing the former.
 
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Ghost

Inkling
I like that we all have different methods to our madness. It's good to know I'm not the only pantser or half-pantser around.

I remember reading a theory that plotters do most of the work (plotting, arcs, character development, and such) before the first draft, and pantsers do most of the work after the first draft--making more drafts and revisions, fixing threads, tying up loose ends. I hate first drafts and rewrites because I have to pin things down when they're still vague for me. Revision is much better.

*sneaks up behind Kit...*
 
One who writes "by the seat of hir pants"- ie, making it up as you go along.

Right. I tried that a few times, but I end up planning ahead anyway. I'm so used to mentally exploring possible plot developments that these days my brain does it on its own.
 

Thalian

Scribe
This is a very cool thing. It was a kind of road to damascus moment for me when I realised that a character could change sides. I hadn't planned it that way, but the way the pantsing had driven that (to that point minor) character within the lines of the overall plan, I suddenly realised one day that he had to switch sides. From that point (obviously) he became a much more important character. That was in my first commercially published book and many readers list him as a favourite character.

I think from an empathy perspective, he started out a baddy, but was a very downtrodden baddy. He came into contact with the hero, was supposed to do something evil to the hero, but found that his allegiance had changed when it came to the crunch...just like Duffman throwing the owner of the Isotopes out of the ballpark. Readers can't help but like him, feel his conflict deeply, and are then relieved when he ultimately does the right thing.

What I found was that I never really decided why he was evil, just said I needed an evil character so here we go. But now I look forward to writing about him more than any other character, even though he was originally a minor villain. But I'm still only about three-quarters of the way done my first draft, so lots is yet to happen!
 
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