In case you didn’t read my previous post in the series (or you need a refresher), let’s define today’s post subject. A plotter is someone who outlines—or plots—their story from start to finish before they begin to write it. These are the type of writers who hit all of the plot points and story beats, and they are usually familiar with some kind of story structure (the most common being the 3-Act structure).

(And, no, I definitely did not copy and paste that from the first post in the series.)

Most plotters are extremely organized. They have detailed character profiles, note-cards, timelines, maps, and lists for everything. Plotters tend to be perfectionists, with an eye for detail. Because of this, it is crucial for them to be able to zoom out and get a bird’s eye view of their story.

This is why outlines are so useful to plotters. It helps them keep track of everything and neatly file it all away for them to pull out at a moment’s notice.

But does this hinder their creativity at all? Not a chance.

To plotters, a blank page with no guidelines is a formidable foe. They need some kind of structure—some kind of direction—before they can just start writing. A plot to a plotter is not a roadblock or a hindrance… it is a channel through which their creativity can flow more quickly and precisely.

If this is beginning to sound a lot like you, you just might be a plotter.

So what now? What does one do as a plotter? How can you embrace your writing method?

If you are a plotter, I would encourage you to do research. Find out as much as you can about story theory, character arcs, and structures. Try them on for size and see which of them fits you the best.

And, trust me, if you really are a plotter, this stuff is going to fascinate you. You might find yourself enthralled by the Thematic Square, enraptured by the 3-Act structure, or enamored with sequel scenes. You may even plot out your favorite books or movies just to see how it fits.

It might seem a bit overwhelming at first, but once you become familiar with the different terms and ideas, you will find them extremely useful in your writing life.

I won’t go into every bit of plotting and outline advice right now, or this post would become a 12-volume book. But I do want to share a few things that might give you some direction.

The most common structure is the 3-Act structure, which, as you might have guessed, consists of three Acts. The First and Third Acts will each be about 25% of the story, with the Second Act taking up the other 50%.

Now, underneath the structure, there are two main things to be concerned with: plot and character arc.

Plot is the external—the action, the dialogue, the events. Character arc is the internal—the MC’s struggle, the Truth and the Lie, the Theme. Together, these two things make up a good story. Some stories will be more plot-driven, while others are more character-driven, but you will always find some of each.

The good news? Both plot and character arc follow the same structure! So, while you will have to keep both sides in mind as you outline, you only need to use one structure. If you do it right, plot and character arc will seamlessly blend together into a well-rounded story.

The above information is going to be crucial for you to know as a plotter. You will want to research plot and character arc to find the structure that works for you.

If this is something that interests you, I have a lot of resources available on this blog for plotters. I would recommend starting with this series, Plots and Character Arcs, that walks you through the basics. For more examples of character arcs, you can also check out this series on The Story of Humanity. And I’m always referencing plots and character arcs in my posts for my plotter friends.

Once you’ve learned enough about structures, it’s time to actually start putting that knowledge into practice. I encourage you to come up with some kind of template (or use the ones that are available through my Plots and Character Arcs series) and fill it out with as much or as little detail as you need.

You can also go the extra step and create other lists and charts to help keep everything in order. You can map out the story on your wall, do character interviews, make a genealogy chart, or even start a calendar to keep your story events straight.

While it might seem like a lot of work, these kinds of preparations will save you many headaches in the long run. As a plotter, you will probably need a lot of these resources during the actual writing process, so doing it all beforehand will enable you to continue writing your story uninterrupted.

There are some pitfalls, however, to being a plotter. Often, plotters get so hung up on details that their story becomes much too complicated to follow. By trying to land every story beat exactly where it’s supposed to, you might remove important scenes—or add unnecessary ones.

So while you should embrace your identity as a plotter, don’t be afraid to experiment outside of that. Try writing a short story without any kind of outline. Put your notecards aside and craft that tricky scene from your own mind.

If nothing else, you will know what it’s like to be in the shoes of other writers. And you just might learn something from them, as well.

And what if you’re not a plotter? If you’ve made it this far, don’t worry, I have something for you, as well. Hopefully now you understand a little bit more about this world of outlines and structures, as well as what goes on in the mind of a plotter.

While, to you, all of that extra work and paper might seem wasteful, they are the inner workings of a plotter’s story—the wheels and cogs that the reader will never see. Just because the method doesn’t work for you doesn’t mean it won’t work for them.

And perhaps it wouldn’t do you any harm to learn a bit about plot and character arc, either.

Comment below which kind of writer you are!