Once you have a story idea you’ll want to decide what approach to take. There are two basic approaches to writing a story. The first approach is good old-fashioned plotting. You sit down and create an outline of your story. You know what happens in the beginning, the middle, and the end. You know what the climax of the story is and you plan exactly when it’s going to happen. Some plotters outline every scene before they actually begin writing.
The other approach is the opposite of plotting. It’s called writing by the seat of your pants. It means that you sit down at your computer and you just start writing. The plot unfolds as you write and each scene may even surprise you.
Plotter, Pantser, Or Somewhere In Between?
There is a third option and it’s where many people find themselves most comfortable. You may have a loose idea about the plot and story arch. However, you don’t have a formal outline or a scene-by-scene plan.
There really is no right or wrong way to approach your book or fiction material. Write in a way that feels most productive to you. For example, you may find that writing with a structured outline feels too rigid and slow. Others find that without a plan, they tend to stare at blank screens because they have no idea what to do with the next scene.
Best advice…try both options. Try outlining your plot and try writing by the seat of your pants. What’s more important than your plotting approach is your day-to-day writing approach. Let’s look at how to plan your writing.
Do you think you will be a plotter, a pansters or something in between?
Read the other blog posts in the series here.