Plotting and Pantsing are two drafting styles for writing. And whilst most writers choose one style to help them plan their stories and books, there is a way to combine both of these styles and improve your writing along the way.

Plotting is a way of outlining a story, that involves creating an in-depth plan. Of course the level of detail varies between writers but overall you would create a roadmap for your work. This gives you a guide to work from and you can write your whole story with ease as you know where it is going.

Pantsing comes from the phrase by the seat of ones pants meaning to work spontaneously and let the plot unfold as you go along. You might have a vague idea of your story but a lot of the detail will unfold as you go along.

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Plotting and Pantsing, two very different styles:

Many writers believe plotting is the best way to plan a story because there is a road map to keep you going with your story. This outlining style allows you to go into great detail about what will happen in your story. Nothing is left to chance so by the time you start writing you already know how you story will end.

Think of plotting in the same way a paint by numbers piece of art works. You have your guide ready and all you’re doing once you start to write is filling in the blanks.

Meanwhile, Pantsing is a term made up in the writing community which seems fitting for this way of working. By making up a story as you go the writer has lots of creative freedom. It is preferable for people who hate to plot a story and like to ‘see what happens’ as they go along.

For many people writing is a hobby and creating too many rules can take the joy out of it. By simply sitting down and starting a story you have great freedom. Sure you may randomly add vampires into a love story half way through but isn’t that half the fun of pantsing!

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How to combine these two styles:

These are both radically different styles and it might seem like there is no common ground between the two. The real difference between these styles seems to be that one is for organisers and the other is for free thinkers who like to explore a story.

However, you might not know what kind of writing style you want to follow, which is why combining both styles might be the way to go.

Whilst plotting can reduce the need for multiple drafts in order to make the story work chronologically. It can also feel restrictive.

Meanwhile Pantsing allows a lot of freedom but it may take more time to create your story as you constantly try to work out story holes and come up with character names.

Therefore, it seems important to find a balance, especially as a new writer as this will help you decide what style you prefer.

Having a rough draft of your story (perhaps with a plan for the beginning, middle and end and a few chapter points) is a good way to get started. You can then add in other ideas as they come along. It gives you the best of both worlds and means you can still have freedom whilst having a basic plan.

So, why not try to combine both:

• Have a rough outline of your story, this can be the beginning, middle and end.
• If you want to add more detail create your main characters and think about their backstory.
• Create some bullet points for each chapter but also leave room to add in more detail
• Keep notes of other ideas you want to add in as you go along, this will help for future drafts.

And whatever your outlining style, don’t let it stop you from writing. Slowly chipping away at your story no matter how you plan it will help you finish your work quicker.

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