Writers tend to fall under one of two categories. The NaNoWriMo crew calls them plotters and pantsers. Plotters get their name from their tendency to meticulously plot out their story before they begin it, and pantsers get theirs from flying by the seat of their pants as they write. These sound like opposite ends of the writing spectrum, and you might think it would be easy to tell which one comes more naturally to you as a writer. However, it's not always as easy to figure out as you might think. Here are some differences between plotters and pantsers.
Plotters need time to prepare when they decide to write something. They brainstorm and figure out all the potential problems early on, and as a result they tend to know the major plot points and the ending of their stories before they even write their first sentence. Usually they have their characters planned out in some level of depth as well. Plotters tend to be a bit on the perfectionist side when it comes to planning, but once they do start writing, they don't often have to make as many revisions later on as pantsers do. There are some problems plotters commonly run into, however. Because they plan so much, they may run out of steam when they actually get to the work of writing their stories, as all that's left is the hard work of churning out words. They may also find their plots and characters becoming a bit formulaic or flat, because they haven't had much room to develop throughout the writing process.
Pantsers discover things about their story as they write it. They may plan ahead to some extent, but almost inevitably, their characters grow minds of their own and begin to do things that were not originally planned. Plot twists may arise that they never saw coming. The story grows and evolves as work is put into it. They problem solve as they go, rather than sketching out the solutions to potential problems beforehand. There are some definite problems with this method too. Because pantsers tend to make things up as they go along, their stories can quickly become meandering and full of filler. Their characters may gain lives of their own and be fascinating, but it can take some time to build up to that, and plot may suffer in the meantime as a result.
It took me a good while to tell which type of writer I was. When I first began writing, I never planned at all, and my stories always had the tell-tale meandering quality that characterizes pantsers. As I got older, though, I decided that must have been a side effect of not knowing how to write properly early on. I leaned more on the perfectionist side, so I assumed I must actually be a plotter, and I needed to learn how to outline if I wanted to unlock the best of my writing ability. I believe now that this was what crippled me the most. It wasn't until this November that I finally allowed myself to write like my child self again, and when I did, I was able to move forward after years of writer's block. I know now that I am a pantser, and I always have been, so I've embraced it. I know now that it's okay to write like a child, and my work will be better for it in the end.
