Activity

This is about as not stupid a question as I can think of. In essence it’s ‘how do you write’. The supposed divide (classically) is between pantsers and plotters. Plotters, apparently, plan every detail, before they begin. Every chapter and plot point is set out. if a chapter should end with a challenging hook, then it’s there in the plan. Once the plan is complete, the writing can begin – and not before.

I have seen suggested techniques which start with a single sentence describing the story overall and then start a process of adding and splitting until the story is completely outlined. Other techniques attempt to locate every challenge and require a sequence of events that must define a challenge before it can be complete.

Pantsers, so called because they write ‘by the seat of their pants’, plan nothing. They start with (maybe) a rough idea and (perhaps) a character and then let the muse guide them. Every sentence is a surprise and at the end, the pantser sits back and regards the 120K words with and exclamation of, ‘Well, who would have imagined that?’.

Most people who write have bits of both to lesser of greater extents. I’m on the pantser side of the scale with a sneaking feeling that I should plan more. Actually, this sneaking feeling is more like a desperate need at the moment. Several people have described the problem of pantser methods leading down interesting, but misguided paths. I’m afraid that my methods, more and more, are leading me down dull and irrelevant dead-ends.