#pantser

[writingwithfolklore]

Making the Most out of your First Draft

As someone who used to write every first draft without planning and then use that to figure out characters and outlines, I have a lot of experience in first drafts that are incredibly helpful to forming an actual story, and drafts that don’t add much.

              So here’s how to make the most out of your first draft:

1. Write what doesn’t make sense

One of the most helpful first drafts I ever wrote abandoned plotlines and started new ones as though they had existed all along like several times. It was also the longest draft I had ever written because I had packed so many ideas into it. The reason why this is helpful is because you can test out what a plot point will look like in the middle or even end of your story without having to go back to the same beginning again and again.

It doesn’t need to make sense, just try things out. Disappear characters who don’t work, add a best friend near the end that acts like they’ve been there the entire time, whatever idea you’re interested in you can try out without worrying too much about what makes sense or what you’d need in place to set it up. It's like literally stream of consciousness writing, and you're going to learn so much more about your world, plot, and characters than trying to make it make sense.

2. Write poorly

I spent a lot of that first draft having characters monologue to themselves or each other about their interests and problems and lives which allowed me to explore their backstories and voice even if that’s not something I would do in a final draft. I had the wackiest plot points to see how my characters would react, what would happen to the plot, and if I didn’t like it I would keep going like nothing had happened, I did a lot of yadda-yaddaing over worldbuilding and setting the scenes and making up things on the spot to see if they’d stick, skipping sometimes to the interesting stuff, or adding in a random scene just for fun.

It doesn’t have to be good. Even a little bit. You’re learning about your world and your characters and the story you want to tell, but you aren’t writing it yet. Allow it to be the worst thing you’ve ever written.

3. Make notes on what you like

As you go through and throw spaghetti at the wall (figuratively speaking), make notes on the things that stick. If you write a line of dialogue you really like, or a piece of backstory or even a vibe, make sure to make a note of it somewhere. This will help you narrow down your ideas to what you want to keep when you start writing your story. And if you’re like me and you want to outline or plan your subsequent drafts, these notes will be invaluable to start forming your planning.

Anything else I missed?

[starchaserdreams]

Me, writing 6,000 words today:

And then what happened???? *Type type type*

And THEN what happened???? *Type type type*

NO WAY. Then what??? *Type type type*

[we-are-ignited]

Question for fellow writers

(Especially if you struggle with demand avoidance or similar issues)

Is “Save the Cat” ACTUALLY good?

Look, I know, everybody recommends it. The writing craft has rules and structures that work for a reason.

That being said, everybody recommending it makes me not want to pick it up. Why would I want to follow the exact same beat pattern as everybody else? I feel like this is why some books lose unique feelings in terms of structure and set up.

Logically, I don’t recognize that issue as much as a reader. As a writer, my brain just can’t get past the hurdle.

I feel like personal, specific opinions and advice will help me to either get over the feeling (or feel justified, depending on the response).

Any and all responses would be lovely! Tell me if it’s amazing, if I’m thinking of it too literally, or if it’s not something you enjoy at all.

[veryrealauthorthings]

[includedisco]

Being a pantser in fanfic-writing is totally a thing

I've seen a lot of tips on how to be the best fanfic writer and everyone talks about planing your story or creating an outline first. No doubt this advice is great and I admire writers who can do this.

But i'm here to talk about writers who just can't plan. I want to tell you not to feel bad about it. If being a pantser works for you, go with it, no apologies or guilt. In a way that's what makes you and your writing unique.

My process is: I jot down 3 or 4 dialogue pieces or one paragraph of a scene that comes to mind(initial story idea) and I literally build on that as I write the rest of the way without jotting down or outlining anything else again after that. I have written many long stories too btw.

I've been writing for years under 3 pseuds on ao3 and my stories are doing great over there. I'm comfortable and happy being a pantser, and my readers are happy with my stories. That's all there is to it.

Do what works for you as long as it gets the job done.

[selenekallanwriter]

I actually do try to write outlines. But my characters just laugh and laugh and do whatever the fuck they want 😭

[grapelollipopenthusiast]

Some advice as a discovery writer is to outline.

I update my outline after every scene because I make everything up as I go and change everything, but I need to know where I'm going in order to know how to start a scene.

Only do the major plot beats if you really can't outline, but try it. Some benefits may include:

Strong pacing

Confidence in scenes

Knowing your subplots

Foreshadowing

Less editing

Less writer's block/easier to overcome

It can also take a bit of practice and finding what works best for you, writing doesn't have rules.

[rickie-the-storyteller]

I did the Author Type Test!

Link here.

I'm basically right in the middle.

Makes sense... I mean, I never knew whether to call myself a plotter or pantser, since my approach has always been a good mixture of both. I like having a plan and basic idea of where I want my stories to go, but I also put a lot of emphasis on developing my characters, and what they want to do isn't necessarily what I plan for them to do lol. I tend to just write what feels the most right for them in the end, even if it doesn't line up with what I had in mind to begin with.

This is so interesting, though!

Tagging some people to try this next if they haven't already (but this is also open for anyone to try out if they want!): @mysticstarlightduck, @jay-avian, @beginning-of-wisdom, @winterandwords and @kaylinalexanderbooks.

[writtenbyaris]

my creative writing process as a planner 🌟

the idea:

story ideas come to me at the most random and inconvenient of times. right before i fall asleep, when i'm in the shower, during my classes, etcetera. my main rule is to always write them down, whether it's in my notes app or a slip of paper or a journal... i'll forget it if i don't.

i try keeping it simple at this stage and not thinking too deeply about it, otherwise it becomes quite overwhelming. sometimes ¡'ll make a pinterest board depending on what the idea is. if it's more of an aesthetic, then i can make a moodboard out of it to help inspire me more. however, if the idea is a plot of some sort, that can be a bit more difficult.

character and world building:

this is my favorite part. once i have an idea set in stone and i'm ready to work on it, i begin building the characters and the world around it. i figure out the mechanics of the idea and how it can relate to characters and the world they're in.

at this point, i'm definitely making pinterest boards, playlists, and picrews to feel more immersed in the skeleton of the story.

i still keep it as simple as possible, and try to enjoy it. when i try juggling too many things at once, i end up wanting to abandon the project. slow and steady is the key for me :)

creating the story:

now we get down to what being a writer actually is.. transforming the idea into a story. i have to at least come up with one major plotline to start. i usually write in my journal during this stage, but sometimes i'll use notion to organize everything and keep track of it all.

oftentimes, the main plot will come to me when i'm working on character and world building. sometimes it's even the idea that first popped into my head. the story is usually influenced by dreams i've had, my own every day experiences, and other media i consume.

arcs, subplots, themes, etc:

this stage is for the smaller details that are vital for the story to flow and actually work. it's like a puzzle that's finally coming together.

for me, a story isn't a good one without arcs and themes, so those are of utmost importance. subplots are necessary to make the world more immersive, give readers insight on the characters, and keep the story naturally flowing. everything has to be woven back in to the main plot or idea, though.

i will say, this is the stage that tends to give me the biggest headache :P

zero draft:

jumping into a first draft as a heavy planner is too scary for me. so i came up with the idea of a zero draft. basically- zero expectations.

this is the backbone of my story. in this stage, i'm basically just taking myself through the steps of the story. i organize the plot and subplots into chapters, and with each chapter i go through all the beats of each scene. literally every. single. thing. that happens.

i don't usually include dialogue in this phase, but i do mention when a character will be in a conversation. all the focus should be on putting a needle and thread through the story and tying it all together.

first draft:

the first draft is somewhat easier for me because i do a zero draft. so, i know everything that will happen in a chapter and just have to utilize my writing abilities to make it rhythmic.

this is the first stage where i write dialogue, so it tends to be corny. a lot of my writing can be cliche and basic as well. that's what editing is for though!

i usually stress the most when writing my first draft, because it's the first time the story is actually being written in the format of a novel. by the end, it's not always very good either. but i do not look back at all, which means absolutely no editing until the first draft is finished.

and so on…

once the first draft is finished, then comes draft two. it's enjoyable to be able to read your own work all over again, though it's sometimes embarrassing as writing does improve with practice.

i focus on one chapter at a time-reading slowly, editing, filling in plot holes, fixing anything that changed later in the story. i try to catch as many details as i can.

usually, after as many rounds of editing one likes, the draft would be sent to an editor and beta readers. then i'd look into publishing companies (can you tell i haven't gotten to that point yet? lol)

are you a planner or a pantser?

[thesorcerersapprentice]

Hi, Writeblr! I made a thing for Altaluna, the protagonist of my fantasy novel, The Sorcerer's Apprentice. I hope you like it!

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[writingwithfolklore]

Planning or Pantsing?

                When I was younger I was totally a first-draft pantser. I would just write like the wind, get all my ideas out onto the page, and then pick it apart in the editing and form some sort of cohesive narrative. At least in theory.

                For those of you who don’t know, pantsing is the technique writers use where they start writing a draft without outlining and see where the story takes them. It has advantages in that you don’t have to worry about creating a fully formed plot before you begin writing, and there’s a lot of room for spontaneity and fun.

                However, I began to find that pantsing my first draft made it incredibly long and overall ended in more work and effort in the long run. I ended up having to work through pages and pages of stuff without knowing which parts were usable or not. I also personally found that I would create a lot of ‘darlings’ in this first draft that I would have a hard time cutting out to create narrative later—the point of the story would actually be several stories I had tried to mash all together.

                Pantsing definitely works for some writers, and I know a lot of professional writers use this technique as well, so if you feel like it works best for you, don’t doubt yourself.

                The advantages of planning are a lot more helpful to me. Knowing where your story is going throughout keeps me on track, and creates less scenes to cut out in the end. I also feel that elements of the narrative weave together a bit more naturally—I don’t forget motifs or storylines like I do when pantsing.

                In the end, how you write is entirely up to you. However, if you’ve always been a pantser, try planning out your next draft. If you always plan ahead, try just opening a document and writing as you think. You might find the other side actually works a whole lot better for you.

                How do you prefer to write?

[starchaserdreams]

Me, writing 6,000 words today:

And then what happened???? *Type type type*

And THEN what happened???? *Type type type*

NO WAY. Then what??? *Type type type*

[ramonag-if]

As Chapter 7 is approaching completion, I was curious to know from those of you who write (IF or just regular novels) what type of writer you are.

One of the biggest tips most IF writers get told is to plan for stuff because there are tons of paths to keep track of and it can be easy to digress and get caught in plotholes.

A fun fact for those who were wondering, at least 90% of Crown of Exile is written on the fly. My plans consist of chapter outlines that are almost always ignored and honestly, nothing but the major plot is planned (in my head because who needs to write it down?).

This is just for the sake of my curiosity because it feels weird being 400K words into the game without having details of chapters planned out 😅

[veryrealauthorthings]

[toriwritesstories]

just found this note from Apr 2nd when I was still just starting Reignited, it's so cool to see the original idea jotted down versus how it played out, because I'm a pantser and I don't do proper outlines or anything, just little ideas like this that come to me while I'm already writing haha

[girlfromthecrypt]

Me trying to be a plotter:

I recently learned about plotting and pantsing, and guess what category I normally fall into. The thing is, I believe I am a bad pantser. Planning my writing is tiresome and sometimes blocks off my creativity, but I feel like I can't rely on myself not making mistakes or creating plotholes anymore. Seeing as I recently decided to turn one of my batshit ideas into a novel, I want to be particularly careful. This is my first shot at true long-format writing, and if I'm not meticulous about working out the content of every last chapter beforehand, I think Imma run this into the ground.

It's not like I've never plotted out anything before, it's just that I normally write down bullet points and then get lost in the flow once I actually start writing. I want this book to be something I can actually be proud of. If that means I've set my expectations too high, so be it. (I'm saying this now lol. Hope I don't regret building this pressure later. Ngl I prolly will but I'm just super pumped rn sooo)

Also, working title is

A Fucked Up Fairytale.

God, I love tumblr fonts.