Plotter or Panster? Which are you?

honestly, the more I hear of hyper analyzing between plotting and pantsing, the less of an idea I have of whatever the hell I am. I just write what feels good for whatever the particular project is, but I don't plot enough for a plotter or pants enough for a pantser...I honestly have never thought about it before this forum

It's kind of like a friend of mine and the different ways we travel.

He looks up where he's going. He finds all the things he wants to see. He plans out what he'll see and when (leaving a little leaway for unplanned stuff.) but on tuesday he'll see this and on wednesday he'll see that.

I went to live in Sicily for a month a couple years back. Looked at the Isle of Ortigia, looked at some killer videos on youtube and bought my tickets and rented my apt and packed one, yes one, small overhead carryone bag and off I went.

Our convesation:

What are you going to see?

I don't know yet. There is a castle I'd like to see and one amphitheater, oh and I have to light a candle for my step-mom in the cathedral and there is the Caravaggio painting.

You're going to be living there for a month.

Oh, yeah, there's a market for food, but I'll be living above a restaurant.

You'll be there a month.

uh huh.

that's four things. what else are you going to see?

I don't know. I'll find out when I get there. the place was rebuilt in 1600, I'm sure there'll be stuff to see.

You're going to be there a month or longer.

Uh huh.

a month?

uh huh.

what are your plans?

to be there a month or longer.

It was a terrific trip. One of the best I've ever taken and I want to go back so bad it makes my teeth hurt. Better even than Wales and Scotland.

the only thing I did do in preparation was try to learn some Italian.

So that's how I write. Oh look, there's three or four things I want to do, guess I'll sit down and write now.

Oh man I can't imagine going to sicily without any planning...but like...I have done that with places that are closer to home.

I think the writing prep style for me changes project to project. So I'll have shorts that I like...can't dream of plotting because there's no point. And I'll have stories where I totally did make a plan, and then completely ignored it. (which is my current project, so I kinda considered it pantsed.) And then I have other projects where I planned because it's got too many woven parts. But, when I do plan, I don't like to write anything down. If I do, then it probably wasn't necessary to remember (especially in comics where basically everything gets edited out. You can waste years doing worldbuilding on stuff that never sees the light of day). I just kinda daydream and whatever remains in my head is what goes in the story.

I think if I was doing a traveling trip from one end of Sicily to the other I might do more planning, but I was going to OrtigIa, an island off of Sicily and part of the city of Syracuse. You can walk the edged of the island all the way around in less than two hours. It's one of the reasons I prefer to travel by myself. To tell you truthfully, I watched so many youtube videos of the island by the time I got there I knew how to get everywhere and recognized market people. I texted a friend once asking if she remember this one market guy from a video and sent her a picture, I was standing in front of him.

every project dictates (to me) how it wants to be written. I can't do a hard outline or anything like that because I feel (internally) that it's done and I'm not interested in it anymore. sometimes I make notes, but then I lose them or I start writing and I forget they're there. it's like cooking, who cares how it was made if it tastes good.

I am a P L A N T S T E R

This is not an accurate definition of a plotter lol. People who plot don’t lay out every detail and I’m sure y’all who tell people you pants every time you blink think at least a little about where your story is going. GUESS WHAT? THAT’S PLOTTING!

If you make notes or have an iota of where you wanna go with your story, you’re plotting. And people who plot don’t have some huge notebook or files of notes on notes of every single detail of their story.

Personally, I have my acts laid out with the overall points of what I want to happen. Then I add bullets of how I want to bridge them. Then I outline and write. Most of the time I deviate from it and sometimes I move things around. I constantly think about where the story is going and as I think of me things, I adjust. I don’t like sticking to something so strict, so I like the freedom of writing at will but knowing what track in on.

Regarding your outline you gave, I’d say you need to add an inciting event between the hook and first plot point. And a climactic moment after the climax and before the resolution. Also, I think you need to spread out your chapters. As you write, you need to sprinkle in some subplots and more plot/character development, or else your story will come off as rushed and you’ll probably end up jamming so many things in they won’t have time to flesh out.

There are a lot of resources on act structures and character arcs that are helpful. They benefitted me when I planned out my story.

I prefer organic writer because the idea of being associated with people who pull other people's pants down is a little bit cringey to me.

Also, I'm a strong advocate for doing what works for you, when it works best for you, however that works for you.

Personally, I tend to sit down and write until I have enough material that I can organize in a better way. I use that rough material to "plot." It would be most accurate to call myself a character driven writer, because my character's conflicts, motives, and personality often dictate what happens at any given moment. Essentially, I am at the behest of the numerous imaginary bullies who reside in my head rent free.

You’re welcome. I can link you the sites if you want

Here they are (and for anyone else who finds them helpful)

This has the three act structure broken down:

Different character arcs:

I'm a pantser who loses my pants from time to time.

thought you might like to see this as he is a pantser:

Thanks for sharing this video with us. I liked his metaphor about the fire, sometimes I just need more light to fully be able to see my characters.

What I like about pantsing, or organic writing as I prefer to call it, is that you can apply as much logic as you want to your writing process. George R.R. Martin describes the two "groups" as architects and gardeners. Architect writers need everything to be perfect for their product to work. Gardeners let stuff grow. And if you've ever dabbled in gardening, you know that to have a successful garden, you do have to put a lot of thought and yes, planning into your work to get a result. The same reaction and development won't happen everytime, and sometimes your little plants surprise you and grow into something more fruitful than you ever planned it to be. The key is letting nature take it's course.

I'd have to say I'm a mix between both, but have tried them all out. I like having the basic idea plotted out then write the rest by the seat of my pants, as you put it. Just try what feels best for you. I'd encourage you to try writing out some basics first, but if you think pantsing will do best for your story, then go for it. Lots of trial and error will be the way to figure out how you write best.

Panter, I'll often go to write what was going to be a happy scene, and it turns into.... well.... that's where the scenes with more gore come from.

After I got everything else down, I thought of what could happen between my, for example, inciting event and first plot point (that’s where I’m writing in my novel now). You can think of your sub genres and how those come into play. Since you have a murder mystery, you can add how Joseph interacts with people in town (or whatever the setting). What setbacks does he have tracking down the murderer. Are there any red herrings?

You mention Sampson being murdered and he’s close to Joseph. Explore their relationship more and what leads him to be murdered. Little things along the way that make your story as cohesive as possible the subplots don’t have to be every x chapters, though. Also, the stakes for Joseph not finding the murderer, which I’m assuming will be someone else close to him dying. You can also look into mystery conventions and that can help you come up with subplots

Sorry I didn’t mean to write that much

Me and my wirter are a bit of both, sometimes we just write somethings on instincts and some other times we plan everything out

I just learned what these terms are and I have found out I'm a Panter which I guess is easier for me because I'm pretty unorganized and just do what makes me feel inspired

Plantser. My stories all have a set direction to them, and I plan out all the major events in them, but I make every chapter a rough summary of the major events that happen in them. Same with my page thumbnails. It gives me enough freedom to change whatever I need to, in case I ever find a more exciting way to tell parts of the story than what I planned out months ago

I must admit I'm a mix of both.

While I do plot most of the things, there are times when little details suddenly pop up to help make the story flow better.