WOW! Women On Writing Blog: pantsing method of writing

Thursday, February 08, 2024

Photo courtesy of Pexels/Jill Wellington

A few years ago, I wrote a post called “Confessions of a Free Spirit Writer.” I discussed the differences between being a free spirit writer (also known as a “pantser) and the type of writer who prefers outlines and projects that are planned out before attempting them.

I’m here today to announce that I’ve almost grown out of my free spirit writing attitude (maybe). I’m on the verge of finishing up a massive edit of a book I wrote during NaNoWriMo in 2021, and I wouldn’t have been successful without the use of sticky notes on my office wall explaining the major plot points. I also have accompanying documents for this book that list the different characters, brief backstories, and physical attributes that are mentioned. The outline for this book is around 5,600 words, which is longer than some short stories I’ve written!

This book features fictional podcast transcripts, newspaper articles, POVs from different characters, and diary entries. I’m not sure I would have been able to keep everything straight if I hadn’t organized the material before writing and revising. While I’m still more of a “free spirit” with short stories, I prefer now to be more organized when working on book-length projects and nonfiction.

If I’m writing an article for a magazine or website, I’ll interview sources, find background material, and then write out a rough outline of how the piece will flow. When I’m working on a script for my podcast (I like to write them out rather than talk off the cuff with bullet points) I’ll compile the research and then create an outline that reads something like: Introduction, Title, Case #1, Case #2, Sponsor Messages, Case #3, Call to Action, Outro. Because I have weekly deadlines for the podcast it helps me to format each episode this way. However, I still don’t have a long-term plan for podcast episodes and usually plan them out one to two months ahead of time.

Now, when it comes to coming up with ideas for writing projects, I still feel like a free spirit. I’m constantly writing ideas down in notebooks and discussing ideas with other people without finalizing the next steps. But I think that’s all part of being a writer and creator, right? I already have ideas for a non-fiction book based off my podcast and a novel following the “Out of the Bottle” formula. And you’d better believe I’ll be outlining that one!

Have you gone from being a free spirit to an outliner/planner or vice versa? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer and host/creator of the podcast, Missing in the Carolinas.