The reality is that writers write what they write because that is what they write. There is no right or wrong answer, especially if they are writing for themselves without an intention to publish. There are as many ways to write as there are writers writing, and each writer has their own process. I get that. But how many writers think about what they are going to write before they write it?
There are different kind of writers. Here are three types:
Pansters are writers who write “by the seat of their pants.” They don’t use outlines. They don’t necessarily know how the book will end. They don’t necessarily know what will happen. They have an idea and some inspiration and sit down to put words to a page. They enjoy discovering what happens as they write. It can be surprising when unexpected things happen to their stories, but it can be difficult to edit to make the story fit a particular genre or trope.
Plotters are writers who make some form of an outline. The know generally what will happen and how the book will end. Some plotters detail each and every scene and event. Some plotters use a looser structure with just the main points worked out. There can still be discovery for the writer but there is more structure to help the writer get to THE END.
Freestylers are writers who write scenes as they come to mind rather than in any sort of order. They arrange the scenes afterword and thread the scenes together.
Knowing there are different types of writers, and all writing processes are valid, these questions came to mind:
- Do writers think about what kind of book they want to write in advance?
- Do they think about genres and marketing categories?
- Do they research the requirements necessary to make that book fit a particular genre?
- Do they think about the trope requirements for the genre they want to write?
- Are they aware that there are trope requirements?
- Do they consider where the book would be placed on a shelf in a bookstore?
Each of the above questions are important for writers who want to publish, and based on experience, I don’t think these are common thoughts. They should be.
So—how can I best help writers to think about these things in advance of the actual writing part so that they don’t spend years writing things that won’t get them published? That is the question.
Feel free to weigh in on your writing style or with your ideas and comments.
Good afternoon:
As a mostly panster who sometimes is a plotter, I think that the most important thing is what works for each individual even if that process evolves over time. My first manuscript was totally by the seat of my pants. I loved having an idea and have it evolve in my head each time I sat down in front of my computer. Not knowing how it will end kept me interested and allowed me the creative freedom to find the path it should be on.
Now, that being said, subsequent manuscripts have sometimes started with a good idea, but once I got started the ideas were flowing so fast that I had to stop and write down a very crude outline simply so that I wouldnât forget one of these really good ideas before I got to the part of the story they were going to be part of.
As I began reading blogs and articles and all kinds of tips of the writing trade I realized quite quickly that by forcing myself to fit into someone elseâs idea of how the writing process should go, I was limiting my own creativity. The only thing I think about in advance now is thisâ¦.am I interested enough in the story to convince a reader to be interested. Itâs pretty basic I know, but as a part-time writer with two books published who is still developing as an author, it works for me.
Thanks for your work to help writers as they learn and grow in the craft and thanks for asking for our thoughts.
Have a great day!
Barbara A. Luker
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Thanks Barbara!
Hi Susan,
I was just reading this again and wanted to say, I am firmly a Panster Writer.
I love how my stories take on a life of their own. Things happen that I didn’t know were going to happen, and sometimes characters appear and take on larger roles. Roles that I had no idea were going to happen at all.
I love that, which is why I don’t do outlines, or at least I never follow them if I make them at all, which I recall that I used to do. I guess I stopped because it seemed like a waste of my time.
As for scenes, I always write them in the order that the story comes to life in my mind. That never stops me from going back and revising though. Sometimes it feels like most of the writing I do is revision.
Pozu