Outlining for pantsers: When pantsing isn't quite right

Are you a pantser or a plotter?

It's a question often asked of writers. Are you the kind of writer that carefully plans out the dirty details, or the kind that grabs your writing by the seat and just goes for it? What if you don't do either? You, my dear reader, just might be a plantser.

Unlike the title would have you believe, plantsing doesn't actually require plants, though if you can make that work I highly encourage the creative effort. No, plantsing is a term used for a writer who loves the freedom that pantsing provides, but needs the structure of an outline. It's the grey area between the two types of writers and can be in various degrees leaning towards one or the other.

Now, it's all good and well just to know that plantsing exists, but the question remains: How?

Here are the three methods of plantsing I have used both in the past and in recent days.

Method #1: The skeleton

Imagine a skeleton. Each bone represents an idea or point in your story. For some, that could be plot points that you want to make along the way, or it could just be scenes that you have imagined and want included. These bones should start out vague and then built upon later in the writing process.

For me, my skeleton starts with an idea, a possible beginning, the ending, and the main conflict. these are the big bones that are the main support for the story. Now, you could stop here. However, if your skeleton feels incomplete to you like it does me, you can start building upon it with smaller bones such as subplots like a romantic interest within an adventure/action, or mystery within a fantasy; or with minor scenes that help build the story.

From here, you have a basic idea of what you want to write and how to accomplish it. the skeleton you have built has given you a structure in which you can start filling in with details that can change and adapt as you go, but with a set destination to keep you from wandering too far yet still allowing creative freedom.

Method #2: Plot as you go

This, out of all three methods, is by far the closest to traditional pantsing. Plotting as you go allows you all the perks of pantsing, but also gives a game plan to those who tend to steer off course while they're writing. You can divide them by chapter or by scene, starting with the first section you've decided to write. After your outline is complete, you can write using the outline as a guide as to how to plot out the next section. I highly suggest linear writing for this particular method because if you don't, your plots are going to be jumbled and contrary, and you'll end up spending more time on the editing than on the actual writing.

I like this method because it allows for deviation without the need to rewrite an entire book's outline. While structure as a writer is important, I also know what it's like not to have a decent idea of what exactly I want to write until it's written out before me. This also prevents little inconsistency mistakes by reminding the writer what has been previously written and where it was going.

Method #3: The daydream method

This is probably the closest to the plotting side of the spectrum, but also, in a way, the closest to pantsing. Many of us already do this without realizing it, and it is simply to plan your stories out in your head like a movie. You can watch the whole thing in your own brain, flesh out details, work on scene delivery, watch the body language for better descriptions, play out dialog, and more.

This is more than simple daydreaming, though. This method is used for people who tend to do better work in their own heads than on paper. This isn't fantasizing, although, to put yourself into the perspective of your characters could help you better understand their emotions and how better to describe them. You're still creating a plot-line to follow, and the details are still meticulously thought about. The difference is, is that we aren't using flashcards or outline spreads.