There’s the old writer argument about which is better–plot out a story in advance or just write and see what develops. Personally, I’ve found a mix works best for me, and here are the merits, and drawbacks, I’ve found in each method.

Plotting–this is where you figure out the actions and motivations and put things together. To me–an old-time jigsaw puzzle fan–there is an attraction here. It is fun to work out pieces, and for action stories or mysteries this is important. The drawback here is that the plot can become a shiny object that pushes characters into the background–it is too easy to end up with undeveloped stereo-types who are forced into actions and situations just to make the plot work.

Pantsing–this is the approach were nothing is planned and the story is allowed an organic growth. The fun side of this is that the story–and the characters–have room to surprise the author, and since the story comes from character they have more freedom for development and growth. Characters get the focus. There is a downside here, too, however. Just allowing a story can flow can lead to a dead-end or to a tangle that makes no sense. The writer has to control tension and pacing with a more instinctive approach–and sometimes what that means is fixing a lot of things with revision.

Why Pick? The mix I’ve found works best for me is to write about 50 to 100 pages–that gives me enough information about the characters to know if I have an actual story and if the characters are likeable and strong enough to hold up in the story. Then I go back and start to sort out things like conflicts, backgrounds, and main story points or turning points that may work. These are not set in stone. I found out early on that if I knew too much about my characters they turned wooden, but if I knew too little the story stalled out. The trick became to sort out just enough–and also to occasionally to have to write some background scenes that I needed but which weren’t needed in the story.

Some pantsing, or winging it, is both freeing for the story and allows for really nice twists to come from the characters. Some plotting allows more control of the story tension and pacing with the action. With this mix, I still have revisions–new ideas pop in that will need to be foreshadowed, and sometimes I will abandon a plot I though would work because there’s planning and then there is making the characters come to life, and that’s always the harder task.

Writing styles evolve as well–after doing this for some time I have more technical skills I can lean on, I have useful habits, and I know the habits I have to watch out for since they are not the helpful ones. It also helps to keep the writing interesting by trying new things–by mixing it up. At one time night-owl writing worked best for me, but these days I’m up before dawn with my coffee and ideas and the fresh day. But I’m still open to changing that up–and trying something new.