Plotting vs Pantsing: Pros, Cons, & How To Choose Your Writing Method

Compare plotting vs pantsing in writing. Learn the pros and cons of each method and find your ideal approach.

First, some housekeeping. I started out as a pantser before converting to plotting, and I’ve spent about the same amount of time using both approaches. Guess what? I’ve run into obstacles no matter which method I use.

And now? I sit somewhere in the middle—like most writers. Rather than working from a strict outline or writing blind, I write with a few questions in mind as a guiding light. This allows me to have a general idea of where I’m going while keeping a sense of wonder and discovery throughout the process.

For now, consider this metaphor:

1. If writing were a road trip, my Pantser days were all about wandering, chasing adventure without a clear destination. Some days I found magic; other days, I just felt lost.
2. In my Plotting days, I had a map and a schedule. I arrived where I needed to go, but sometimes I wonder what I missed by sticking too closely to the plan, passing by unexpected detours that might have led somewhere memorable.
3. Now, I have a destination in mind and enough checkpoints to keep me on track, but I’ve let go of the rigid plan. If something unexpected catches my eye along the way, I’m free to take a short detour and explore it.

I see the merits of both sides. My goal isn’t to argue in favour of one side or the other. There are a lot of fantastic writers who are so dedicated to one end of the compositional spectrum that they espouse an exclusive dogma. They even go so far as to say that authors on the other end of the spectrum aren’t real writers because their method is too mechanical or too mystical. Sorry, but I don’t have time for that kind of negativity and tribalism, so you won’t find any of that here.

1. If you are a successful Pantser—that’s amazing! I’m super jealous of your natural creativity, focus, and drive. Keep doing what works best for you!
2. If you’re a successful Plotter—bravo! May your analytical mind– your meticulous attention to structure and craft– always serve you!

Okay. Now that we’ve taken care of that—let’s dive in!

Plotting vs Pantsing: Pros, Cons, & How To Choose Your Writing Method

Pantsing

When I was studying creative writing in undergrad, it was tacitly understood that, if you ever wanted to be a proper writer, you had to be a Pantser. I imagine this was because pantsing had an almost mystical appeal to it. You were tapping into your unconscious—receiving direct inspiration from the Muses!

The only problem was, for me, instructions were not forthcoming. Maybe I had displeased the Muses in my childhood by sticking too closely to the chore chart my parents made for me. Whatever the case, I would sit at my laptop for hours and stare at the blinking cursor, taunting me, my mind as blank as the document before me.

I would sit like this every evening until a day or two before a story was due to be workshopped. Then—in a frenzy of desperation—I would word-vomit whatever came to mind. Often these stories would start weak, get stronger toward the middle once I’d gotten into a rhythm, and then fizzle out at the end.

But after we workshopped those rough, early drafts—once my classmates and professor pointed out what worked and what didn’t—everything started to click. In revision, the story began to take shape. Seeing what it could become, especially through the eyes of a dozen other writers, was genuinely exciting.

Techniques For Pantsing

However, by far the most helpful approaches to writing this way were a few techniques my professor at the time taught us: taking inventory, the motivational continuum, and looking back at the beginning to find your ending. They work like so:

1. To take inventory, all you do is find the ¼ point in your story, note what all major narrative elements you introduced up to that point, and use only those elements moving forward. There should be no new characters, no new concepts, no new plot devices after that point. That way, you could be sure there was nothing extraneous to your story moving forward—no loose ends and no setups without a payoff.
2. The motivational continuum is a technique Michael Kardos discusses in his brilliant craft book, The Art and Craft of Fiction. It’s simple: on one end you have whatever situation or circumstances the protagonist dreads most, on the other end—their dream come true. If you’re having trouble figuring out where your story is going, figure out what their dream is, and give them the opportunity to go after it. Your story is the account of whether they achieve that goal. And, to spice things up for your poor protagonist, add in the threat of them having to face the thing they most dread happening at the climax.
3. Last, to create a stronger sense of thematic unity, look to your opening scene to help you find your ending. An ironic reversal of the character’s circumstances and fortune in that first scene is often an appropriate place to end.

Pros Of Pantsing:

1. Pantser’s often describe having a greater sense of possibility and freedom within their writing process.
2. A Pantser has the same sense of wonder and surprise about the story’s trajectory and ending as the reader.
3. Often, Pantser’s stories can feel more organic.

Cons Of Pantsing:

1. Pantser’s tend to struggle with writer’s block and their stories often take much longer to complete.
2. A Pantser has much less certainty about their stories viability going in; the story may go nowhere or be unpublishable upon completion.
3. Because of their more organic nature, Pantser stories can also feel meandering and tangential, and have uneven pacing. As such, they may require dramatic revision to become anything resembling a true story.

Plotting

I was introduced to the concept of plotting a few months after I graduated with my degree in creative writing. At first I baulked at the prospect. In time I found my mind expanding with the possibilities it presented. Yes, expanding. The workshop leader who introduced me to this concept explained that the idea that plotted stories are plot-driven and pantsed stories are character-driven is a false dichotomy.

“What is a plot?” she asked.
“What the protagonist does, I guess,” I said.
“Good,” she replied. “How do we reveal the protagonist’s character?”
“Through their actions—through what they do.”
She smiled at me.
She was kind enough to trust me to do the math from there. If the character determines the plot, and the plot reveals who the character is—they are virtually the same thing.
“So,” she began, “still think plot is a dirty word?”

I wasn’t sure. I knew I was mad—mad that she would so boldly dismantle a dogma I’d held sacred for years. But, once I cooled off, I decided I’d learn about the principles of plotting, try them out, use what worked for me, and dispense with what didn’t serve me.

Over the next few years. I devoured every book I could get my hands on about plotting and the different plot structures. I learned that there as many approaches to plot structure and plotting as there are writers. No two are alike. And, even if 10 writers worked from the same general outline, the variety of their unique writing styles would make it so no two stories were alike.

So even if you don’t see yourself as a plotter, it’s worth learning the basics of plot and structure. You may find they spark creativity rather than restrict it—opening new paths instead of closing them. Creative constraints don’t have to box you in; more often, they help give your work its shape.

Pros Of Plotting:

1. Plotters often report having greater confidence in their stories before they ever start writing.
2. Plotters writing process tends to run quickly and smoothly.
3. Plotted stories often have strong, even pacing and narrative momentum.

Cons Of Plotting:

1. Plotting may feel too mechanical—almost scientific— for some writers.
2. After plotting the story, actually writing it could feel like drudgery.
3. Because they are so orderly, plotted stories run the risk of feeling stilted and artificial.

The Last Word

In the end, all you need to know is that Plotters and Pantsers represent two tiny cross sections of a vast spectrum of writing styles. No writer fits perfectly into one camp or the other and there are successful authors on both sides. Stephen King is a Pantser who’s so prolific, he proves that approach isn’t necessarily at the mercy of the Muse’s inspiration. J. K. Rowling is a Plotter whose work shows that a carefully crafted world and plot doesn’t have to lead to stilted, predictable stories. In fact, they can be quite lively, human, and surprising.

1. If you’re a Pantser, you might spin your wheels in some stories. Some stories might stall out altogether. But, if you prize a sense of wonder and discovery and freedom in the composition process, a few lemons won’t diminish the joy of the stories that flow effortlessly from beginning to end. Theses are stories that take you on the adventures of a lifetime.
2. If you’re a Plotter, you might find some of your stories are a bit too similar. They are fine at the technical level, but they feel a bit… mechanical and uninspired. But, when you craft a story that is flawlessly paced, and you stick the ending? Few things are more satisfying.

Wherever you fall on the compositional spectrum, avoid putting down writers in a different camp. Instead, consider asking them to teach you about their method. Go ahead– try it out! See if it works for you. If not, no harm, no foul–keep doing what works for you. But, in trying a different approach, I guarantee you will learn and grow in your craft.

As Hemingway said: “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” If that’s true, the best we can do is apprentice ourselves to every writer we meet, to learn with and from our fellow travellers.

by Oliver Fox

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