How to Plot When You're a Pantser

Here's a hard truth no pantser wants to hear: if you're going to write a series, you have to outline your plot. (I know... I totally get it but try to contain your groans of pain and suffering until I finish telling you why this is a good thing.) Book series are entirely different beasts compared to their stand-alone cousins. They require leagues more planning. Things that happen in books two or five must be foreshadowed in earlier books. But if you don't know what will happen in later books, you can't possibly do the proper setup. (Unless you're psychic, and in that case, why are you reading this post? Get back to writing!)

For years, I was a dedicated pantser. I wouldn't touch an outline with a ten-foot pole. I found plot outlines to be restrictive. They felt like they were squeezing all the life out of my creative flow. Instead of going in the direction that felt right for the story, I thought I had to go in the direction established in the outline, no matter what; that I had to stick to the tried-and-true plot structure method of the three-act story structure. (Spoiler alert: I didn't.) But I was thinking about plotting all wrong. I'd find a blank outline online, usually a basic three-act structure, and would fill it out. I already knew where I wanted the story to end and where to begin, so I thought following a predetermined flow would help me figure out the middle bit (the part I struggle with like a cat trapped in a plastic bag. It's painful to watch as well as experience).

But this botched method only created flat plots, with little to none of my usual flare. It was predictable and boring, and I hated the work almost immediately. I needed room to breathe, damnit! But I knew my three-book series HAD to have an outline. There was too much going on, too many moving parts, character arcs, and thematic devices to try to keep track of. I'd ended up making a huge plot hole I couldn't possibly dig myself out of. But what other options did I have? Outlining didn't work. Pantsing didn't work. I felt like a failure. (Sobs hysterically.)

But then it hit me (after a couple of months of dignified wallowing, of course). What about pantsing an outline? I had to have one, there was no if-ands-or-buts about it. No amount of pathetic grumbling was going to change this fact. But filling in an outline stunted my creativity. So instead, I opened a blank document on Scrivener (you can use whatever writing tool you want) and started plotting each plot point in order. My outline ended up being a stream of consciousness, rather than a traditional outline, which is usually how my first drafts are written. There were no labels for "inciting incident" or "darkest point". I'd connect scenes and plot points as I went and when I'd get stuck on how to proceed, I'd write out what-if questions or list all the possible ways in which the story could continue. You also don't have to go in chronological order, you can hop around if that's where the flow is taking you. That's the whole point of this method, FREEDOM!

This method allowed me to explore my characters in-depth. I could explore what they - as real people - would choose to do. I could think about the pros and cons of each course as I needed. I ended up making drastic changes to both my characters and the ending of my series because I came up with better ideas that fit my theme and the characters on a much deeper level than what I originally came up with. And the end product was better than I could have hoped for. I had a finished outline (don't get me wrong, it looked like that meme from It's Always Sunny in Philidelphia.

Ya know, this one.) But it made sense to me and allowed me to plan for foreshadowing and helped me catch plot holes before I was 30,000 words deep in my manuscript with no hope of redemption. (Yes, I've made that mistake too. That was what killed draft two, may it rest in peace.)

Also, you don't have to stick with your outline. If a scene feels like it should go differently as you're in the thick of writing, write it that way. You can always update your outline. It's much easier to make changes to some bullet points than to cut and rewrite whole sections or even acts of your manuscript after you've already finished because you didn't go with your gut. (I made that mistake with my third draft. Big regrets, I tell you. Don't do a me.) As a pantser, you have an innate understanding of story structure. Trust your gut over any "right" or "proper" process. I've stated before in other posts (like this one right here) about how every single writer has a different writing process. There is no right way to craft a story. There is only what is wrong for you.

Pantsing an outline gives you the freedom your creativity needs while still having the structure your story requires. The worst thing you can do as a pantser is force yourself to be rigid. If rigid structuring worked for us, we wouldn't be pantsers in the first place. We write by the seat of our pants, for better or worse, so finding a planning/plotting style that plays on those strengths will exponentially improve your overall writing experience and the work you create. Just because you have to plot does not mean you have to plot like a plotter. Be you at every step in the process and you won't be disappointed with what you create.

-Good luck fellow writer,

G.E. McKnight