 Noticing Newbies: October 18, 2023 Issue [#12231] |
This week: Plotting, Pantsing, and Plantsing Edited by: Jeff  
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"You never know what you can do until you try,
and very few try unless they have to."
-- C.S. Lewis
About The Editor: Greetings! My name is Jeff and I'm one of your regular editors for the Noticing Newbies Official Newsletter! I've been a member of Writing.com since 2003, and have edited more than 400 newsletters across the site during that time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email or the handy feedback field at the bottom of this newsletter! 
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Planning, Pantsing, and Plantsing
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is almost upon us, and with it comes a whole host of activities and challenges. In addition to the traditional personal challenge itself, here on Writing.com you can participate in the "October Novel Prep Challenge" this month to prepare, and/or you can participate in the "NaNoWriMo Write-A-Thon" once November rolls around, to raise funds for some great WdC groups and activities while you write. But NaNoWriMo always comes down to the writing of a novel, which requires plotting.
A lot of writing advice will break down writers into two types: plotters and pantsers. That is, people who prefer to outline/plan out their novels before they start writing, versus those who prefer to write "by the seat of their pants," or just start writing without preparation and see where the muse takes them. In recent years, there's been widespread acknowledgement of a third category; a hybrid or middle ground between the two affectionately called a plantser. Someone who likes to have a general idea of where they're going but still wants spontaneity to play a part at least some of the time.
I often compare these three types of writers to the three types of people who create itineraries.
Plotters are the people who have a roadmap and plan the whole day out precisely. "I'm driving around running errands today. First, I'm going to go to the bank. Then, I'm going to go to the pharmacy. Then I'm going to go to the grocery store, but I'm going to go to the one on Main Street instead of my usual one because that's closer to the place I need to meet my friend for lunch..." A plan is followed knowing each and every step along the way.
Pantsers are the people who have no particular plan and just go where they feel led. "Today I need run some errands but I'll just get in the car and start driving, and I'll figure out the stops as I go." There isn't a plan so much as a general goal in mind, and the confidence that you'll figure it out as needed.
Plantsers are the people who have a basic structure, but don't want to be overly programmatic about it. "Today I know I need to get some errands done. I'll start at the bank and end at lunchtime when I meet my friend, and will figure out the order in which I go to the pharmacy and grocery store depending on how the day goes." It's not a complete laissez-fair approach to planning, but it's not rigidly structured either; it's specific milestones and goals without fine-tuning the specifics.
In the metaphor of a cross-country road trip, plotters know how many miles they're going to cover, and each and every stop they're going to make along the time. Pantsers just get in the car and drive and see where the road takes them. And plantsers know the basics (e.g., where they're going to stop every night) but leave room for a little exploring and discovery along the way.
When it comes to NaNoWriMo, if you're a plotter... chances are you've already been thinking about your novel and are starting to pull together a plan for how you're going to write it next month. If you're a plantser, maybe you're thinking about the big picture, or general points you want to hit as you discover your novel in the writing next month. If you're a pantser, you might be mulling over ideas but are mostly just waiting for the starter pistol to fire on November 1st so you can start discovering your novel as you write.
There is no right and wrong approach; only the approach that works best for you. If you're new to NaNoWriMo (or novel writing in general), figure out which approach sounds the most appealing and give it a try. If you've already got your writing process figured out, follow that during the month of November. And if you're still trying to discover your optimal process, NaNoWriMo can be a great opportunity to experiment, try something new, and see if it works for you. Whatever your motivation or approach to NaNoWriMo this year, I wish you the best of luck with your writing efforts!
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"New & Noteworthy Things" | "Blogocentric Formulations"
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This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
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EXCERPT: I jangled through my keyring to find the one that fit in my car. It was a Saturday morning unlike my usual, I originally intended to wake up early to brew some tea and to stare out of my window. I loved humid weather when it was cold, the sound of raindrops soothed me. Especially the mist, it was so enchanting. Time seemed to slow down, as if only if you looked in the right places and in the right times, magic was real. It was the perfect time to escape from all sorts of human interaction and worries that came with the unforgiving passage of time, or rather, the fleeting and slippery weekend. It was just a nice bit of wonder to me, a little sparkle in what was my uninspired life.
EXCERPT: "Hello?" A voice resounded through the void. Startled, Maeve whipped her head around, trying to figure out where the voice came from. As she continued to look around her, the concrete under her feet bobbed and rippled, turning into hardwood slabs. The fog surrounding her swirled around, forming tall walls. Bookshelves slid into place, lining the walls from floor to ceiling, as a large desk fazed up into the center of the room. Stacks of books upon books surrounded its surface with ink jars thrown around on top as well. It's as if Maeve stepped into a grand study in an esteemed estate. Maeve could hear small crackles of wood in a fireplace and as she looked around some more, she noticed a large chandelier hung from the tall ceilings right above the cluttered desk. She could make out the small flickers of flames from the candles that lined its arms.
EXCERPT: "I'm not going in there."
His eyes shifted to the door open just a crack, darkness beckoning beyond.
"Too afraid of what happens in the dark?" Dylan said, leaning against the wall.
"Bet he doesn't know what happens in the dark," another shouted.
EXCERPT: Your letter, written yesterday, lies on the table amongst the fall of petals a week old. Those sent, I hoped, might say sorry, a hopeless gesture for a man of words. So, I’m off to live without you, spill my guts out somewhere else and not in my backyard.
EXCERPT: "When you graduate, will you be my doctor?". Her question made me blush. This woman whom I just met ten minutes prior, and of all places, a deli shop, saw my heart devoted for the right reasons. I love medicine because it administers evidence-based treatments with a philanthropic heart.
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