Pantser versus plotter is one of the most discussed questions in fiction-writing communities, often framed as a personality test or a badge of identity. In practice it describes a working preference, and most writers use more of a blend than the labels suggest.
This guide sets out what each approach actually involves, their genuine strengths and weaknesses, and how to work out which suits a particular project, since it is not always the same answer for every book.
What is a plotter?
A plotter works out a significant amount of the story’s shape before drafting begins: major plot points, character arcs, sometimes a full scene list. The draft is then largely an act of filling in a known structure.
What is a pantser?
A pantser, or discovery writer, starts with far less mapped out, often just a premise, a character and a rough sense of direction, and works out plot, character and structure largely through the act of drafting.
What are the strengths of planning ahead?
- Fewer structural surprises partway through a long draft.
- Easier to manage subplots, foreshadowing and multiple points of view consistently.
- Useful when writing to a deadline or a commissioned brief.
- Can reduce the number of major rewrites needed after a full draft.
What are the strengths of discovery writing?
Discovery writing tends to preserve a sense of surprise and momentum that some writers find harder to sustain when following a detailed plan. It can also let character behaviour genuinely shape the plot, rather than bending character to fit a predetermined outcome.
What are the risks of over-planning?
A plan can expand indefinitely and start to function as a substitute for writing. Overly detailed outlines can also lock a writer into decisions made before they truly understood the characters, producing a draft that follows the plan but feels mechanical.
What are the risks of no planning at all?
Pure discovery drafts can wander, stall in the middle or arrive at an ending that does not connect cleanly to the opening. This is not a failure; it usually means the revision stage carries more structural weight, since that is where the shape gets found and tightened.
What does a hybrid approach look like?
Most working novelists use some version of both: a loose map of major turning points, with the scenes between them discovered while drafting. This is sometimes called "plotting with a flashlight," planning only as far ahead as feels useful and leaving the rest to be found.
Example
For example, a hybrid writer might know the opening situation, the midpoint reversal and the ending, but leave everything between those points to be worked out scene by scene as they write.
How do I identify my own working style?
Look at how you have actually finished things before, not how you imagine an ideal writer works. If detailed planning has previously killed your interest in a project before you started drafting, you likely need less of it. If you have abandoned drafts partway through from losing the thread, more structure upfront may help.
Do
- Try a small experiment: outline one section, discovery-write another, and notice which felt more sustainable
- Adjust your approach per book rather than assuming one method forever
- Use light structure (a few fixed points) if pure planning or pure discovery both feel wrong
Avoid
- Assume plotting is more "serious" or professional
- Force a detailed outline because a book you admire was written that way
- Keep pantsing past the point where the draft has clearly lost direction
Can I change approach partway through a book?
Yes, and it is common. A writer might discovery-draft the first third, then pause to sketch a rough outline for the rest once the characters and stakes are clearer. There is no requirement to commit to one method for an entire manuscript.
Why does process matter less than finishing?
Publishers, readers and editors encounter the finished manuscript, not the process that produced it. The genuinely useful question is not which method is correct, but which one keeps you writing until there is a complete draft to revise. If your current approach is stalling the book, it is worth changing; if it is working, there is no need to switch because of a label.
If you are still deciding how much to plan before starting, Should I Plan My Novel Before Writing? covers the earlier decision this question builds on.
Common mistakes
- Treating the labels as fixed identities. Working style can and often does shift between projects; there is no need to defend a single label.
- Judging a discovery draft by a plotter’s standards. A messy first discovery draft is normal and gets its structure in revision, not on the page as written.
- Planning as a way of avoiding the draft. If the outline keeps expanding instead of narrowing towards writing, it may be doing the opposite of its job.
- Abandoning a stalled discovery draft instead of adding light structure. A short pause to sketch the next few turning points can often restart a stalled pantsed draft.
Frequently asked questions
Is one approach more likely to get published?
No. Published fiction is written using both approaches and every point between them; publishers judge the finished manuscript, not the method that produced it.
Can beginners be pantsers?
Yes. Some new writers find discovery writing more natural precisely because they have not yet learned rules to feel bound by. Others benefit from more structure early on. Either is a reasonable starting point.
What if I do not know which type I am yet?
Try a short piece using each approach and notice which one you actually finish and enjoy finishing, rather than deciding in the abstract.
Do pantsers need to outline eventually?
Many find it useful to sketch a retrospective outline once a first draft exists, purely to see the structure clearly for revision, without having planned it upfront.