In today’s post, we’ll be talking about plantsers. These are hybrids of the plotters and pantsers, and they’re on a spectrum rather than extremes like the other two. Plantsers usually plot out some things but dive into writing sooner than plotters do. However, they still stick to some kind of outline, differentiating them from pantsers.

Plantsers are often harder to identify because of how diverse they are. Some tend to be more logical and particular, while others are more chaotic and creative. A plantser will most likely have some characteristics of both a plotter and a pantser.

While plotters and pantsers have many struggles of their own, some plantsers don’t exactly know where to fit in. They relate to certain aspects of the other writing types, but not enough to call themselves one or the other.

If you’ve come this far in the series and still haven’t figured out which kind of writer you are, it just might be that you’re a plantser.

As a plantser, you might be tempted to feel like an outcast. There are resources out there for plotters and pantsers, but what about for you? What are you supposed to do to make your writing life easier?

The first subject to study is yourself. What are your tendencies? Your strengths? Your weaknesses? While they might not fit neatly into the category of either plotter or pantser, this information will help you to know what to research.

And, yes, do research. Do a lot of research. Figure out what tools other writers are using. You don’t know what’s available to you until you look.

Once you have enough information to go off of, just start experimenting. Try different methods from both sides of the spectrum. Try things outside of your comfort zone. Keep trying until you find a routine that works the best for you.

Most of the posts on this blog will be helpful information for you as a plantser. And if you prefer videos, make sure to check out my YouTube channel here.

As with the other writing types, there are pitfalls to being a plantser. Sometimes, you will feel like you should stick to one type or the other—pick one so you can have a category to fit into. But you can’t force yourself to use methods that simply don’t work for you.

In the same way, writers often go through different phases of life. You might find that, while leaning more towards plotting used to work for you, now you find yourself wanting to write by the seat of your pants.

As a plantser myself, I sometimes find myself stuck being a plotter or a pantser. That’s when I have to take a step back and try a new approach that will allow me to write freely. I have to find ways for both sides of my writing personality to work together, inside of letting them fight against each other or shutting one part out.

So experiment with all of the different tools available to you… you might be able to find new techniques and methods that can make you a better writer.

If you aren’t a plantser, perhaps you can learn something from the diversity of this writing type. By seeing how plantsers use both plotting and pantsing techniques to write great stories, you, too, might be encouraged to try something outside of your normal routine.

Comment below which kind of writer you are!