As a newcomer to writing, this is something you’ll read and hear a lot about. You’ll also see the expressions ‘Planner’ or ‘Pantster’.
In your reading, there will be plenty of quotes by famous authors ranging from a) ‘I don’t plan; I just sit down with an idea, keep typing, and eventually end up with a book’ to z) ‘I know every single detail to the nth degree before a word of the story is typed.’
The first writer, a) is a ‘Pantster’, in other words they write ‘by the seat of their pants’. Stephen King admits to being one of those. PD James famously said she didn’t know herself whodunnit until she’d finished the novel.
The second, z) is a ‘Planner’ or ‘Plotter’. Ernest Hemingway said he was a plotter. And there are others who are somewhere else on the scale between a) and z), like, ‘I know the beginning and how it’ll end but nothing in between’. My guess is that’s the majority. Or, ‘I have some great character sketches in my head but I’m not sure how to weave them into a story’. There’s plenty of those too.
If you’re new to all this, the good news is you don’t have to commit to anything right away. Or not ever, if you prefer. The only rule here is Do What’s Best For You.
Planner
Pros – you know your writing destination; where your story is going.
Your plan is a road map. Like when you set out to drive a long distance to somewhere you’ve never been. You begin from home, you know you must drive through this town or that city or on such-and-such a motorway and at the end, you arrive in the right place. On the way, you might make the odd detour if you spot somewhere interesting but that’s fine. Because you have a map, you can easily return to it and continue, as planned.
I guess nowadays that’s all taken care of by SatNav. I’m old-fashioned. If I’m driving from Land’s End to John o’Groats, I’d like to know roughly where it is and what’s on the way, so that if I’m near Birmingham and the SatNav starts directing me to Cardiff, I’ll know something’s not right.
Anyway, Planning doesn’t necessarily mean meticulous detail. Some writers have an outline of every chapter (equivalent to having a street map of every town you’re going to drive through or near), others know broadly where they’ll be at the half-way or quarter-way mark in their tale (‘It’s lunchtime, so I must be near Leeds.’).
If you like to do things this way, you’ll find downloadable Planning Framework forms on many writing tips sites.
Cons – it can take a long time to plan in great detail.
I read of one noted author who said the planning of their latest novel took a year. Then another year to write it. On top of that, add editing, proofing, etc. Wow!
If you’re painstakingly strict with yourself (maybe even a bit anal?) about sticking to the plan, you may not be happy when potential deviations arise, such as a new plot point.
Imagine on your family trip to John o’ Groats, the kids hear on the radio that Nessie is swimming around on the surface of Loch Ness – but you refuse to detour because it’s not in the plan! So, you miss the chance of making this a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. Aaargh!
Pantster
Pros – Let’s be honest, it’s a lot less hassle.
It’s spontaneous and could be more fun. It might make the process faster if you’re simply spilling it all out onto the screen. Stephen King said with this method he could draft a book in three months! That’s without the editing, proofing, and rewriting, of course. Seemingly, he simply starts with a situation, then writes on, letting the story develop. But then, he’s Stephen King so he can do whatever he likes, I guess. The point here is, there’s no shame in being a Pantster.
Cons – For less illustrious writers, that may not work.
Try it and find out, if you want.
You can sit at your laptop, typing away, believing that it’ll all come good in the end, because you know the finish. And because you’re typing, you’re a writer.
You might know what you’re aiming for, you just don’t know how you’re going to get there. This means you must think on your feet – or in this case, your ass! Which could mean, for normal mortals, it takes longer.
Hybrid
I have a feeling most of us are hybrids – a bit of each. We draft a basic outline and fill in the gaps along the way.
We have an idea of the starting point; what triggers the action – two people lock eyes across a crowded room, or, the world is about to end in a massive fireball, or, your neighbour turns out to be an alien robot, or, something. And we have an ending. The couple marry, our heroine saves the world, your robot neighbour fixes all your electronic devices and keeps your wife happy in bed! And we work it out from there.
If nothing else, I’d recommend having a fairly good idea of your ending. If not, then make certain you have a file on your computer labelled ‘Work in Progress’ or ‘Bottom Drawer’ for those part-written stories where you’ve run out of ideas. All writers have them. I have half-a-dozen waiting for me to come up with the rest of the story. They’re brilliant; packed with amazing characters and intrigue and terrific settings and . . . I’ve no idea how to complete them.
Whichever approach you take, you’ll need to have in mind how stories are structured, so your writing isn’t all over the place leaving readers baffled. See my blog on Plot and Structure.
Finally, here’s a thought from Agatha Christie, a writer who knew a thing or two about the subject . . .
“The best time to plan a book is while you’re doing the dishes.”
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