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Plotting vs. Pantsing: Finding Your Best Way to Tell the Story

Every writer eventually bumps into the big process question: should you carefully plot your story before you write, or discover it as you go? At Creative Hats Press, we believe the answer is deeply personal — and that understanding the strengths of each approach can help you write with more confidence and joy.

There is no single “right” way to write a book. There is only the way that gets you to the end.

Plotters vs. Pantsers: What Do These Terms Mean?

Writers love labels, and two of the most common are plotter and pantser (also called a discovery writer).

Plotters like to build a roadmap before they draft. They outline their story, plan major turning points, sketch character arcs, and often know the ending before they write chapter one. Their documents might be color-coded spreadsheets, beat sheets, mind maps, or tidy bullet lists.

Pantsers (from the phrase “flying by the seat of your pants”) discover the story as they write. They might have a rough idea — a character, an image, a situation — and they sit down to see what happens. For them, the draft is a journey of exploration: what unfolds on the page often surprises even the author.

Most writers lean naturally toward one style, but very few are purely one or the other. First, let's look at the case for each approach.

The Case for Plotting

For many writers, an outline is less a prison and more a safety net. Plotting gives you a bird's-eye view of your story before you commit tens of thousands of words to the page.

Clarity and Direction

With an outline, you always know what happens next. This can reduce decision fatigue and help you maintain momentum, especially on days when writing feels like a slog. Your story's beginning, middle, and end are already mapped out; drafting becomes a matter of following the route.

Stronger Structure

Plotters can deliberately design rising tension, reversals, and satisfying payoffs. Because you're thinking about structure from the start, it's easier to weave in foreshadowing, subplots, and character arcs that support your core story.

Avoiding the Mid-Book Collapse

Many drafts stall in the murky middle when the initial excitement fades and the path forward becomes unclear. A solid outline acts like a bridge across that swamp: you've already decided where the story goes, so you're less likely to wander aimlessly or abandon the project.

Revision with Fewer Surprises

While every book requires editing, plotted novels often need fewer structural overhauls. Major story problems are more likely to be caught on the planning level, saving you from tearing apart a completed draft.

Plotting doesn't kill creativity; it gives your creativity a container to play in.

Practical Tips for Plotters

  • Start big, then zoom in. Begin with a one-sentence summary of your story, grow it into a paragraph, then a page. Only then expand into detailed scene-by-scene notes if that serves you.
  • Think in turning points. Identify a few key moments that change everything for your characters (inciting incident, midpoint twist, climax) and build your outline around those.
  • Leave some mystery. You don't have to know every line of dialogue in advance. Outline the function of scenes (“They quarrel and the partnership breaks”) and let the details emerge in drafting.
  • Be willing to revise the outline. If a better idea appears mid-draft, adjust your roadmap. The outline serves the story, not the other way around.

The Case for Pantsing (Discovery Writing)

Discovery writers thrive on the thrill of not quite knowing what will happen next. For them, writing is an act of uncovering rather than executing a plan.

Organic Character Development

Without a rigid outline, characters have more room to surprise you. Pantsers often talk about characters “refusing” to follow the plan — and in the process, revealing deeper motivations and more authentic choices.

Staying Surprised and Engaged

If you lose interest once you know exactly how the story ends, plotting might feel like spoiling the book for yourself. Discovery writing keeps the process fresh; you're turning the pages alongside your eventual readers.

Flexible, Intuitive Storytelling

Because you're not locked into a pre-determined structure, you can follow unexpected threads — an intriguing side character, a surprising setting, a theme that emerges as you write. This flexibility can lead to stories that feel alive and unforced.

Draft Now, Discover Structure Later

Many pantsers treat the first draft as raw clay. Only once the story exists on the page do they shape it into a coherent structure, cutting, rearranging, and refining in revision.

Pantsing doesn't mean writing without intention; it means discovering your intention through the act of writing.

Practical Tips for Pantsers

  • Anchor yourself with a few constants. Even if you don't outline, it helps to know your main character's core desire, what's at stake, and a rough sense of how the story might end.
  • Use a “rolling outline.” After each writing session, jot a quick list of what just happened and what you think might happen next. This keeps you oriented without planning the whole book.
  • Accept messiness. Discovery drafts are often sprawling, contradictory, and imperfect. That's normal. Give yourself permission to fix structure later.
  • Keep a separate document for stray ideas. When a new twist or theme occurs to you, capture it. You can decide in revision which ones serve the story.

The Middle Ground: Becoming a Plantser

In reality, most writers are neither strict plotters nor pure pantsers. They live somewhere in the middle, often called a plantser — someone who plans and discovers.

Plantsers might sketch a loose outline, then give themselves permission to deviate. Or they might draft freely for a few chapters, then pause to outline what they've learned about the story so far. The balance can shift from project to project.

You don't have to choose a team for life. Your process can be as fluid and experimental as your stories.

Plantser Strategies to Try

  • Outline in “islands.” Plan only the major islands of your story — opening, midpoint, climax, resolution — and pants your way between them.
  • Draft in acts. Discovery-write Act I, then stop to outline Act II based on what you've learned. Repeat for Act III.
  • Character-first planning. Instead of plotting every event, explore your characters in depth (backstory, wounds, desires), then let their choices drive the plot as you draft.
  • Reverse outlining. After a few chapters, create an outline of what you've actually written. Use it to spot emerging patterns, holes, and opportunities.

Which Approach Suits You?

Choosing a process is less about what you “should” do and more about how your brain and creativity naturally work. A few questions can help you experiment with intention.

If You're Curious About Plotting

  • Do you feel anxious or blocked when you don't know what happens next?
  • Do you enjoy planning, lists, and breaking big projects into smaller steps?
  • Have you abandoned drafts in the middle because you ran out of ideas?

If you answered yes to several of these, experimenting with outlining could give you the structure you've been missing.

If You're Curious About Pantsing

  • Do detailed outlines make you feel bored or boxed in?
  • Do you get your best ideas while you're writing, not before?
  • Have you ever written a story quickly and joyfully when you let go of your plan?

If this sounds familiar, loosening your grip on planning might help you reconnect with the fun of storytelling.

Start Small with Experiments

  • Try a short story. Plot one, pants another, and notice how each process feels.
  • Time-box your experiment. For your next project, commit to one approach for a set number of writing sessions before you evaluate.
  • Keep a process journal. After each session, jot a few notes: What worked? What felt hard? What surprised you? Over time, patterns will emerge.

Famous Plotters, Pantsers, and Plantsers

Many well-known authors have spoken openly about their process. While every writer is unique, seeing how others work can reassure you that there are many paths to a finished book.

Often Cited as Plotters

  • J.K. Rowling — Known for detailed series outlines, timelines, and character arcs carefully planned in advance.
  • Brandon Sanderson — Frequently shares his outlining and worldbuilding processes, emphasizing structure and planning.
  • John Grisham — Has spoken about writing extensive outlines for his legal thrillers before drafting.

Often Cited as Pantsers

  • Stephen King — In On Writing, he describes starting with a situation and discovering the story without an outline.
  • George R.R. Martin — Famously contrasts “architects” (plotters) with “gardeners” (discovery writers), placing himself among the gardeners.
  • Margaret Atwood — Has talked about “finding” the story through drafting rather than extensive pre-plotting.

Many other authors land in the middle: they outline loosely, then revise heavily, or they discovery-write early drafts and become meticulous planners in revision. The label matters far less than the work that gets done.

Finding the Process That Loves You Back

Plotting vs. pantsing is not a battle to be won. It's a conversation about how you, personally, can build a sustainable, satisfying writing life.

Try different approaches. Mix and match. Steal techniques from both sides. As your skills grow and your life circumstances change, your process will likely evolve too.

The “right” method is the one that helps you finish stories you're proud of — and keeps you coming back to the page.

At Creative Hats Press, we celebrate every kind of writer: the meticulous architect, the fearless explorer, and everyone in between. However you get there, the world is waiting for your stories.