Plotter or Pantster

Which type of writer are you?

I am delighted to host a guest blog from my writer friend, Gina Challen. I first met Gina on the M.A Creative Writing course at Chichester, where we both studied, and was immediately impressed by her beautiful, lyrical writing. Here is a little more about her:

Born in London, Gina Challen moved to West Sussex in 1979. Although originally a city girl, the Downlands stole her heart, and are the inspiration for her writing. She holds a Masters Degree in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester. Her work can be found in various anthologies and online. Two stories were shortlisted for the prestigious Bridport Prize and in 2018 a further story was longlisted for the RSL, V S Pritchett Price. Her critical essays are online at the Thresholds Short Story Forum. Her debut collection of short stories, Chalk Tracks, was published by Valley Press in July 2019. She can be found at www.ginachallen.co.uk.  @ginabchallen

Plotter: A writer with a plan.

Pantster: A foolhardy writer who sallies forth without a plan. A writer who writes by the seat of their pants and types, (metaphorically,) with their fingers crossed!  

I’m a Pantster. I own up. My writing brain is a vague and messy place, and yes, I start each piece of work with nothing more than an idea, an image and a great deal of optimism.  That’s the thing with Pantsters, we write hoping to chase the story down as we go. It’s an unsettling way to work. It’s about holding our nerve and pushing on. Pantsters are anxious writers.

There’s joy when a piece begins to takes shape, when we’ve listened to our instincts and got it right. But, more often than not, we Pansters write ourselves into a corner and, with no clear objective, find we are well and truly stuck. With no way forward there are two options: either abandon ship or waste hours, (days/weeks/years!) bashing about on the rocks. The most productive of these is to jump, having first stashed the unfinished piece in a file for future use. My file is unimaginatively named, ‘Bits and Pieces’ and, truth be told, there’s a lot of forsaken writing in there.

And it’s at this moment, when we are hopelessly smashed on the rocks, that we Pantsters long to be Plotters. We want to be organised writers who know what they’re doing. No floundering around with only a glimmer of an idea, a mug of tea and a biscuit for the resourceful Plotters. They’ve invested a lot of time and energy into their piece before they commit words to the page. We understand this and wish we’d done the same. Plotters, we feel, are confident writers because they have a plan before they start. And we want a plan.

Now, here’s a confession, I’ve tried to change sides. I’ve tried to be more like a Plotter. I’ve written bullet points and outlined a story. I’ve made notes and a plan. And then I struggle. I can’t put the flesh on the bones. I can’t hear the heartbeat. Honestly, it’s hopeless. My intentions were good, yet I happily ditch them into ‘Bits and Pieces.’ Perhaps it’s in my DNA but for me, it’s once a Pantster, always a Panster. Which type of writer are you?