We Are All Pantsers

Plotters vs pantsers...

I’m going to make the argument that all plotters are actually pantsers. (And then those pantsers who have looked down on us in the past can apologize for the bad thoughts they’ve had about us.)

For the complete newbies, this is what plotter and pantser means (in the context of writing):

• Plotter: A writer who plans and outlines their story in advance. Plotters often create detailed outlines, character profiles, world-building notes, and even scene-by-scene breakdowns before they start writing the first draft. This method helps them stay organized, minimizes surprises during the writing process, and makes the actual writing faster.

On the opposite side we have the pantser:

• Pantser: A writer who “flies by the seat of their pants,” meaning they dive into the story with little or no planning; just an idea. Pantsers discover the plot, characters, and world as they write, relying on spontaneity and intuition to guide the story. This method can feel more organic but usually requires more extensive editing later.

But here’s the thing — plotters are also pantsers — we just do it early on and call it an outline.

Plotters don’t reach into a hat and pull out 3 characters, 6 locations, a main plot, 2-3 sub-plots, and an ending, and then decide how those pieces will be used. (Well, there may be some freaks who do (you know who you are!), but in general, that’s not happening.)

The plotter starts with an idea, just like a pantser, and starts fleshing it out.

We still use our “spontaneity and intuition” to guide the story.

The creative, exploratory process of a pantser—discovering characters, plot twists, and themes—is something plotters also experience, we just do it at a different stage.

Plotters essentially “pants” their way through the outline phase, experimenting with ideas and letting their creativity flow before committing to the structure of the story. Instead of figuring things out while drafting, they explore during the outlining phase, which becomes a kind of sandbox for trying things out without the pressure of prose.

Not every pantser is a plotter, but every plotter is a pantser… at the beginning.