Are You a Plotter or a Pantser?

There are many different writers from all corners of our world, but we all have one thing in common; the love of creating something out of words.

Creativity is born from talent and imagination, but what makes us tick? How do we get to the finish line?

There are two types of writers; the Plotter and the Pantser. To understand which type of writer you are, here's a reminder:

The Plotter is a writer who plans every little detail with almost forensic focus. They can fill entire notebooks and sketches of a story before they even write a single word on a page. The Plotter plots an outline of the story before they write and value structure and clarity in their writing. Famous Plotters are the incredible crime writer James Patterson and John Grisham. Other famous Plotters are J.K. Rowling and Agatha Christie.

The Pantser is the opposite of the Plotter.

The Pantser dives straight in and writes like their fingers are on fire. They carry on and see where the story takes them, without a plan, as the story unfolds beneath their finger tips. Pantsers embrace flexibility and spontaneity. The amazing writer; Stephen King is a Pantser. In his book: "On Writing," he mentions that he writes 2000 words every single day without a single plan. Other famous Pantsers are Margaret Atwood, Mark Twain, Dean Koontz and Ernest Hemingway.

So what kind of writer are you?

Well, most writers will admit to be a hybrid of both the Plotter and the Pantser styles. Some plan more and do less free writing and others are the opposite. What matters isn't the way we write but the end result. We write because we love creating the written word.

As part of my MFA degree, we all had a go at being a pantser and a plotter to see which method we preferred. It was interesting to see the different writers in the room and discover what came naturally to us and what didn't.

When you analyze your own writing technique, think about why you write in the way you do. If you are a Pantser, why not have a go at being a Plotter and vice versa. You might be surprised at the result.

I'm a Pantser and I write every day. If I can't write, I scribble on pieces of paper, receipts or flyers - anything that I can write down my thoughts that will not go away.

I've tried to be a Plotter, but for me, the planning and the outlining distracts me from my own story. I just want to get going on the writing and see where it takes me.

Let me know what you discover about yourself as a writer.

My name is Lizzy. I’m a trauma survivor, a wife, a mom, a teacher, and an author.

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