Are You a Panster?

 By Cindy K. Sproles

 

I’ve never liked the word panster. It feels unorganized, though I completely understand the title. I’m a bit on the hyper side, and though my mind shoots in a zillion different directions, I’m never just guessing that life will happen. You know, Que Sera Sera-ish—whatever will be, will be. Nope, I have a plan and a direction, I just don’t implement it the way others do. I prefer to say, I write from the hip.

When I did my research, I found tons of writers who consider themselves pansters. In other words, writers who really don’t write by an outline. They, for lack of better words, fly by the seat of their pants. Still, I find the word a little misleading. Even pansters have an idea of where they want to go.

There are a couple more popular ways to look at developing a novel. Some use an outline. They take a sheet of paper and list each plot point, then follow that to a tee through the end of their work. Then others claim to just sit down and write. Here we go, Que Sera Sera.

The truth is, even pansters must have a plan for developing their story. And this is what I want folks to understand as they pursue a writing career. When I begin a novel, I know how I want my story to begin, where I want the plot to be at the middle (or the arch) of the story, and how I want it to end. It’s a plan. It’s not every plot point written down, but it’s bones. As I write, I begin sculpting the story with twists and turns, adding essential characters and events that meet perfectly at my arch. Then I do the same thing until I find a resolution at the end. In essence, my characters guide my story.

Think of the letter W.  At the top of the first line in the letter W, my story begins. It follows the path, downward to the bottom of the first line on the W. This is my character beginning their journey and going down the road they feel the story leads them. Angst happens. Problems arise. At the bottom of that line, my characters are in a mess, and they have to begin fighting their way back to the top of the middle line on the W. That top has to be the arc of the story, the place where change begins and my characters start seeking resolution. Down they go to the bottom of that last line in the letter W. Their lowest point and the place where they decide to fight to the end. Resolve issues. Come to a satisfying close. 

But you say pansters don’t write by a plan. You are wrong. Pansters especially have to have a plan, and I think this is where the confusion comes in. We cross our wires on plot twists and turns. I allow my characters to make swift turns. As I write, I’m always thinking but what if? And rather than sticking to the obvious, I veer off to the what if. It’s what makes my stories so relatable because these are the things we do in our everyday lives. We make unexpected decisions, last-minute changes, and sometimes impulsive actions that lead us to conflict, trouble, and eventually, resolution.

When you allow your characters or story to veer away from the normal, I believe that is what makes you a punster—or what allows you to shoot from the hip. There are those folks who are very analytical. They draw out every twist and turn to meet their plot points. Rarely do they listen to the voice in the background that says, but what if? Those of us who shoot from the hip find great joy in bouncing down a pathway and taking The Road Not Taken, so to speak. You’ll always find the unexpected in a story from a panster.

When you follow the mechanics of writing, you will find your way to a successful end. How we write is very personal. Don’t be misled by a title and think that a panster just rolls out helter-skelter, throwing words on the page. They have to have a plan of where the story begins, where it is at the arc, and where it should be at the end. It’s the in-between that makes them a panster.

Learn to write the best you can, whether you write following a step-by-step outline or whether you climb the rise and fall in the letter W. Follow the mechanics of writing. Learn the craft, and you’ll become a strong storyteller.

 Photo by Buddha Elemental 3D on Unsplash

 

Cindy K. Sproles is proud of her Appalachian Mountain heritage and loves to share it with others. She is an author, speaker, and conference teacher, teaching across the country. Cindy is the co-founder of Christian Devotions Ministries, and she has served as a managing editor for two publishing houses. Cindy is the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference, held each February at the Cove, Asheville, NC. She is married and has four adult sons and two grands.