Pantsing and outlining are as divisive a topic among writers as whether or not to use the oxford comma. Most authors have a strong natural inclination toward one or the other even if they don’t know it and can’t imagine how someone could write a novel any other way. But the truth is, each side has some tricks up their sleeves, and you should probably be doing a bit of each.
Pantsing
In case you aren’t familiar, pantsing is the idea of sitting down to write with an idea but no real plan of how you’ll tell it or the story structure.
Strengths of Pantsing
Pantsing is the fastest way to get your ideas out of your head and onto paper while they’re still fresh. It’s also the closest experience for book writers to emulate traditional spoken storytelling that goes back thousands of years. In many ways, the pantsing method is intuitive writing.
Weaknesses of Pantsing
Not having an outline makes it much harder to write one scene off in the future when you’re inspired because you don’t have a plan where it will go. It also means you’re likely to need more intensive developmental editing and beta reading to strengthen story structure in line with reader expectations. But most of all, it’s difficult to get unstuck in writer’s block nowhereland and make zero progress when you don’t have a clue where you’re headed.
Outlining
Outlining is a short-form chronicle of the story plot point by plot point for writers to organize their thoughts before beginning writing the actual words of their story. Typically, this looks like an outline sectioned by Act, but this can take other forms like an idea web or abstract.
Strengths of Outlining
This writing preparation can help you understand the full goals of your story and how to reach them without wasting time writing scenes that will be cut later. It gives you the opportunity to hide seeds of conflict in the beginning of your story so that they grow organically throughout the piece.
Weaknesses of Outlining
Having a scene list can sometimes pin you in creatively. And, on the other end of the spectrum, if half way through writing your novel you have a big idea that will change the course of the narrative, then you have to stop and take the time to re-outline and potentially scrap large swaths of text written in advance. It may also be particularly frustrating when your editor gives you structural changes during developmental editing.
How to Strike a Balance
The truth is, though you may identify strongly as a pantser or an outliner, you’re likely to use both throughout your writing process, and I highly suggest that!
Outliners, leave yourself some wiggle room when you are making your scene list. It’s okay not to have every question answered before you get started. Sometimes, you have to think on your feet, and your brain will surprise you with the gems you come up with. If you’re feeling very strongly about writing a scene down the line, listen to your creativity and come back to where you were working after.
Pantsers, take a moment to make notes on what you want from your book. If you need suggestions for this, I would say jotting down a few words of what you want for your inciting incident, climax, and resolution to be are a good enough start to remind yourself how to keep your writing on track. If they change, you can change your notes too, and as these ideas become more detailed, it’s okay to slowly create an outline so you don’t forget that awesome idea you had for Act III.
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