Wednesday, January 23, 2013

WRITERLY WISDOM: Steve DeWinter




It's time once again for WRITERLY WISDOM where every Wednesday we will sneak a peek into the world of writing and publication. I met Steve DeWinter while lining up authors and established writers to post on this new series.  

You can find Steve on his website, http://www.stevew.com, or follow him on his blog, http://steve-dewinter.blogspot.com, connect with him on Twitter at #%21/stevedw, or send him an email to writer@stevedw.com.  Take it away, Steve…





Pantsing or plotting?
By Steve DeWinter


Pantsing or plotting?

Which is better?

Which one is the right tool for the job of writing a story?

If you have been around for a while as a writer, you might already know what these two terms mean. If these are new to you, let me sum them up.

Pantsers write by the seat of their pants with little direction beyond the spark of an idea. The story grows organically and can take sudden twists and turns.

Plotters outline the story from the beginning to the end. They already know the story’s direction, and ending, before they write the first line of prose.

But which one is better? A quick Google search reveals many lively debates on this issue.

The pantsers main argument against plotting goes a little something like this: Plotting kills the muse. I want my characters to surprise me. I want to experience what my readers experience and not know how the story ends until I write it. If I plot out my story ahead of time, the characters will be one-dimensional and the story will be predictable. My story will be cookie-cutter garbage.

The plotters have just as strong an argument against pantsing that sounds a little like this: Pantsing results in a wandering mess that requires umpteen revisions to mold it into a cohesive story, usually resulting in tossing out large chunks of previous drafts as unusable during each rewrite. What a waste of time.

Looking at the graphic at the beginning of this post, you might think you know which side of the fence I land. If you think I am on the side of plotters, you would be half-right. If you think I am on the side of pantsers, you would still be half-right. I firmly straddle the fence on this issue because (drum roll please) both sides are right.

To be honest, I am not sure why anyone is debating these as two conflicting methods of writing. It is a little like debating whether the hammer or the screwdriver is the best tool for the job. For the repairperson staring into the toolbox, it would depend on the job as to which tool to use.

Plotting is your roadmap. It gives you direction and lets you know right away if a path strays too far from the main story. Plotting provides focus (i.e. the plot) for your story. If your story is unfocused, and is instead a rambling mess, you will lose and confuse your readers. That is the worst crime a writer can ever do. Life does not make sense, but our fiction has to.

Pantsing is the detailed experiences of that journey. Here is where you discover the sights, sounds and emotions in your story. Pantsing provides character for your story. It is the voice of your writing style.

Writing a book is not a singular activity. It is a collection of separate and distinct activities. Pantsing and plotting are two unique tools in the writer’s toolbox to be employed at different times during the writing process. Using both skills shapes your story in the most efficient and well-organized manner while still allowing for the thrill of discovery.

I urge everyone who wants to take writing as a serious business to look at every tool in your toolbox and see the benefits of using each one where necessary. Plumbers and engineers use a variety of tools in order to complete the different tasks of their job. The same is true for the writer.

Learn and practice every writing tool at your disposal and learn how to use the right one at the right time, every time.






Steve DeWinter is an American born adventure/thriller author whose evil twin writes science fiction under the pseudonym S.D. Stuart.   His latest novel “The Wizard of Oz: A Steampunk Adventure” is available now: 

Kindle 


Trade paperback 









25 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. So long as you keep those pants on, Janet, just keep those pants on...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  2. Great post, Steve. I believe that, like you, I straddle the fence most of the time. I don't like to outline but I do usually have a direction for my stories before they are written(plotting). I then sit down at my computer and let my muse take control, allowing it to throw out a few surprises as I make my way to the end. (pantsing) Each author has his/her unique style and none is right or wrong. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Hi Debbie and welcome to my blog! I find I am generally a pantser, but if I'm working on a novel I find at some point in that novel I have to turn to plotting...even if I only do so in my head...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  3. My belief is what works for you works for you. Each writer needs to discover that for him/herself. And sometimes, depending on the body of work, that 'need' changes. I wrote my first YA novel basically from the seat of my pants. The sequel, I'm somewhat plotting out, somewhat letting the characters have their way with it. We'll see if it works for me. lol

    Thanks for sharing, Steve!

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    1. Hi Sheri! I agree with you...whatever you do to dance with your muse is always the RIGHT way to be! ;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  4. Nice post. I've always fancied myself a pantser, but now that you mention it, all the mind writing I do puts me closer to on-the-fence as a sort-of-plotter. I just do the plotting in my head.

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    1. Hi Genevieve! I just KNEW we had a lot in common...lol..I'm q little bit of both as well!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  5. Thanks for having me here today Donna. Great comments everyone. It is nice to recognize that plotting also takes place in the head and does not need to be written down as an official outline. As long as you know where the end is before you start, your story is more focused.

    I am in the middle of the sequel to Wizard and, after plotting out what happens throughout the story, realized only four pages in with the full prose that my "plot" was already derailed and the story was heading in a new direction. The end is unaffected, but how they get there has completely changed.

    I should have expected this, though. I am used to a longer turnaround between writing out the prose of a new novel of at least a year or more as I let the story marinate. I plot it out in my head during that year. The turnaround for the sequel was a little less than two months and I had to do some speed marinating. Plotting out the story ahead of time allowed me to become familiar with my characters and how they relate to this new story so that when I began writing again, they were complete enough to take over and help me along the way.

    Thanks again for having me on your blog. This was a fun posting to write.

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    1. Thanks, Steve, for wanting to be a part of this series. I know I'm learning a lot from all the gifted authors and writers I've lined up and I'm sure my readers feel the same!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  6. I like Steve DeWinter's take on "Pantsers" vs. "Plotters."

    As a blog writer, I've been both, and my blog posts of each type have been very good...and been very horrible. (They never seem horrible at the TIME I write it...I only make this discovery afterward...usually LONG afterward.)

    I agree that one is not better than the other. From what I can tell, the writing method probably just needs to suit the writer. Embrace yourself, and write like you do. Some people won't like what you, regardless. Why worry about them? I'd rather focus on pleasing the people who MIGHT like me...or how I describe things, anyway.

    Good interview, Donna. I enjoyed reading it.

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    1. Hi Chris and welcome to my blog! Thank you for your kind words...I'm glad you enjoyed it!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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    2. Thanks Chris. It really isn't so much a "vs" and doesn't deserve to be debated so hotly. I write the type of books I like to read. Fortunately, I am not alone in how I like my books.

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  7. I am a pantser, but I would like to become a plontser - part pantser part plotter - because I think both are valuable. Wouldn't it be great to find the happy medium? Thanks for a great post Donna and Steve!

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    1. Hi Susanna! I find myself driven to be a pantser most of the time but will end up plotting on my novels. I'm just grateful I know how to do both...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  8. I'm more of a pantser, but I sometimes come up with scenes before I write them, so I can anticipate events! :D

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    1. Hi Erik! You do whatever helps YOU develop yourself as a writer, be it pantser or plotser and your stories will do the rest! ;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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    2. I consider any time spent thinking about my story when I am not at the keyboard as plotting activities. The pantsing comes at the keyboard and sometimes wipes out all my plotting. For the better, I might add.

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  9. Thanks, Donna...it's important for us to hear what other writers/authors are doing. Steve...I love that you encourage us to use any and every writing tool...pantser or plotter...how about pantser and plotter.:)

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    1. Hi Vivian! I'm glad you liked this post and I hope my readers will continue to benefit from the all the writerly wisdom coming their way!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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    2. Hey Vivian. Thanks for stopping by.

      Yeah, it really tans my hide to hear writers discredit other writers' methods as less than ideal since the way they write is perfect for them so it must be perfect for everyone.

      I agree, it is not an "or" thing but an "and" thing.

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  10. Thanks...great post. I'm a bit of both..for longer stories, I'll outline but for shorter ones the plot is in the head.

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    1. Hi Sylvia! I'm the same way...so nice to discover similar mindsets when it comes to the writing thing...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  11. I enjoyed your post, Steve. It's good to learn that I am not the only fence straddler. Although I have to say, I straddle with a slight lean to the panster side. But I never forget to lean back over to the plotter side to grab that tool when the time is right for me.

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    1. Lol, Alayne...sounds a lot like me...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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