Broadly speaking, there are three approaches to writing a book: diving right in at the first spark of an idea (often called the “pantser” approach, as in: writing-by-the-seat-of-your-pants), planning your story in advance (known as the “plotter” approach), and some sort of combination of the two (known by the fun, hybrid term “plantser” by some). These terms are not my own, but you’ll encounter them all over the place in discussions about writing.
As someone who’s worked for years leading writing workshops, I’d say it’s a pretty fair overview of the sort of “writing types” out there!
So…which is best?
Well, I really can’t be the judge of that! But I can speak to my own experience.
Those who know my writing method from my classes or writing workshop book know that I’m in no way, shape or form a pantser. My experience with writing without a plan is one that starts out with exhilaration and ends in dead-ends and frustrating. But let me be clear: I want to say right off the bat that if that’s you and it works for you and it feels satisfying, that’s fantastic. In fact, I admire that about you! I also LOVE the pure exhilaration of “writing without a net” and experiencing the surprises that this approach brings.
If anything, day to day, I lean more toward “plotter”. But there too, my own wiring as a writer isn’t best served by a pure-plotter approach. Whenever I’ve tried to make an intricate, every-detail-accounted-for plan, I’ve fallen into one of two traps: I either never start writing (or get burned out before I write!) because I’m too busy perfecting my plan, or I start writing but can’t seem to spark writing that sounds like anything other than an elaboration of an outline. Again, if you have found success and satisfaction plotting all the twists and turns before you begin your draft, I salute you!
So, there you have it—as a writer, I’m a variety of “plantser”. And I’ll go as far as saying that, from what I’ve observed in my workshops (although I’ve never done a scientific study!): most writers I’ve worked with seem to benefit from some sort of hybrid between planning and pantsing. Probably for the reasons (or traps) I outlined above. In fact, one of my most popular lessons with writers of all stripes has been my Mini Storyboard technique, which we usually get to on Day 4 of my week-long workshop series.Rather than a place to plan out every detail in advance, it helps you to find the overall shape or rhythm of your story so you can more quickly (but still confidently!) get down to drafting.
Dare I say it, even pure plotters or pure pantsers might consider using a tool or two from the other camps’ methods if they ever find themselves stuck for ideas, inspiration, or motivation. Plotters can dive into some free-style writing when their plan makes their head spin, and pantsers can put on the brakes and pause to write some backstory, or map out a tricky sequence on index cards. So, embracing a method with a healthy combination of planning and writing makes good sense to me and I’ve seen it work for many writers. It’s what I teach and advocate for in The One Week Writing Workshop.
What are some other guidelines on how to write a book?
But whether you are a plotter, pantser or consider yourself a “hybrid” writer, I think there is one area in writing we should all get intentional about—and we don’t always talk about it in the context of guidelines on how to approach writing a book. It requires another “p” word—and that word is play. It’s my belief that all writing personalities should embrace this aspect of writing.
So what is play in writing? I think it’s natural to play at the beginning stage of writing a novel. That play can take the form of daydreaming possibilities, brainstorming in a notebook, writing scene snippets, visually sketching characters. I think a lot of writers do this intuitively, but I also think we don’t necessarily “count” this playful stage as writing. I challenge us to change that! This stage is often the most uninhibited one, where the possibilities are richest—so my proposed guideline is this: let’s all be sure to dwell in play as we write, at least a little bit—enjoy it, learn from it and be inspired by it. It’s fuel for further down the road when the writing or revising might get tough.
Play can also be a great antidote when we get stuck in a draft. Without pressure (another “p” word – but not something we need more of when we’re stuck!), agree with yourself that you’ll “play” with a sticky, tricky scene by rewriting it from another character’s point of view, or have a character do or say something completely unexpected. You might not keep any of this experimentation, but shaking up a sticky part with a playful, unexpected approached might be the key to getting your writing flowing again.
You might also literally give yourself permission to step away from your draft in order to play at something other than writing. Colouring. Badminton. Making stew. Stepping away to “play” at making and creating something other than writing has an effective way of letting the swirling thoughts settle and gel, helping you to write with more ease when you’re ready to return.
So to recap, my very broad guidelines for writing a book: lean into your writing personality, whether it is more “plotter”, or more “pantser”. Consider a hybrid approach that combines some planning into the writing process—it gives you built in strategies to shake ideas loose when they cease to flow. And no matter what, explore and enjoy the playful aspects of the creative writing process.
For Karin Adams’s complete novel writing method—which includes an inspiring combination of planning, free-writing and a healthy dose of pure play—be sure to check out The One Week Writing Workshop Book and The One Week Writing Workshop Online Video Course.