Are you a panster or an outliner? Do you plan your stories in minute detail or do you let the words take you where they will? Are you a JK Rowling or a Stephen King?
I want to be a pantser, I really do. It’s so romantic. I dream of letting the pen take me where it will and following its call. I tried it. For a while, I would give myself an hour a day and let the word vomit flow.
But it didn’t flow.
I found myself, confused and irritated, sat in front of the blank computer screen with no clue of where to go. Suffering from literary constipation.
When the muses did strike me, I would find I had a string of scenes, so different from each other in style and content that they could have come from separate novels.
I had to face the sad reality that I need an outline. But my disappointment was short lived as I soon found a love for the order and creativity I found in my outline.
As an administrator with a science degree, it’s not hard to see why I need to organise my writing. I am detail orientated and precise person with a creative flair, so for me, a strong outline is a necessity.
There are a thousand and one posts out there about the for and against’s for outlines which are incredibly varied in advice. My plan is to get a range of opinions from you wonderful writers on the blogosphere and put a collaborative post listing the benefits of pantsing and outlining.
I would love to hear from you in the comments section. I will write a post collating all the comments and linking to your blogs.
What I’d love to know is –
- Are you a Pantser or an Outliner?
- ONE benefit you have found from being a panster/outliner?
Thank you again for your wonderful advice and wisdom. Last time I did this with sentence starters the information gained was priceless.
Blissful Scribbles 