Plotters like to plan everything out in advance. They don't like to start writing until they're sure of where they're going and how they're going to get there. Plotters are the writing equivalent of travelers who plan every detail of the trip before they even get in the car to go. They know the route in advance, and even where they're going to stop along the way. Plotters find security in knowing what's ahead of them. They don't work well without a well-tested road map guiding them. The preparation required, though, can come in a variety of forms. Some Plotters will do a broad-strokes outline that's maybe a half-dozen pages long. Other Plotters will use index cards to arrange and organize their scenes. Still other Plotters will actually pre-write drafts or parts of drafts to get the kinks worked out. And there is no end to the number of writing tools that are marketed to Plotters; everything from how-to books to story systems to character worksheets to presentation boards all designed with the Plotter's need for advance organization in mind.

Pantsers, on the other hand, feel stifled by that kind of organization and pre-work. Sometimes called "discovery writers," they prefer to just start with the first blank page and see where it takes them. Pantsers are those travelers who just get in the car with a destination in mind and only a vague sense of how they plan on getting there. They're not necessarily sure of the route they're going to take, where they're going to stop, or even what'll happen along the way. Pantsers find creative inspiration in the act of actually writing, and probably despise the idea of trying to plug preconceived components into a narrative. Some Pantsers will literally start with a blank page and nothing else. Others will know their characters and the general premise they want to write about. And other Pantsers still may even have a pretty good idea of where they want to go and how they want to get there, but prefer to surprise themselves with the little details along the way.