I’ve Done It Both Ways—Here’s What Works Best

Writing into chaos and clarity

When I started my novel, I tried outlining.

That’s how I write my nonfiction books—planned out chapter by chapter so I know what themes, research, sources, and examples to cover.

But with fiction, it just didn’t work. The process felt slow and limiting, so I switched to blurting the story straight onto the page. This is what many call pantsing—writing from the seat of your pants without a set plan.

Now I’m on the second draft, and I’ve gone back to plotting, using an outline to plan out the story. But this is not your English teacher’s outline.

Instead, I went into the first draft and broke the story into chapters, key scenes, clues, and other details. I plotted the whole book, and now I’m revising around that outline.

It’s like writing with training wheels—I can still be creative while staying within the structure of the story. You can push forward without falling over.

Plotting vs. Pantsing

Plotting means planning your story ahead of time. You outline major plot points, character arcs, and key scenes before you start drafting. This structure helps you stay focused, avoid dead ends, and theoretically catch inconsistencies early.

Pantsing is more about discovery. You start with little or no plan and let the story unfold naturally. It encourages spontaneity and can reveal unexpected twists or deeper character insights you might never have planned.

Why I’m Using Both

Since this is my first novel, I’ve treated the whole process like an experiment—trying different approaches and seeing what works. Both methods have helped me.