NOVEL DRAFTING FOR PANTSERS: A Writing Tip by Warren R. Basla • Cleaver Magazine

A Writing Tip by Warren R. Basla
NOVEL DRAFTING FOR PANTSERS: HOW TO REAP THE BENEFITS OF OUTLINING WITHOUT BECOMING A PLOTTER

Are you a Plotter or a Pantser?

What an odd question. Yet to craft fiction, a writer must “know thyself.” The question becomes familiar, the concept as relevant as vowels.

“Pantsers” are writers who ride by the seats of their pants (hence the name). No outline or detailed roadmap. While they may have an overarching sense of where they’re going, they only discover the twists and turns after we’ve started drafting. “Plotters,” on the other hand, well, they plot. Before writing, they meticulously plan their drafts and draw up detailed outlines. They know where each chapter is going before they get started.

Dozens of YouTube writing (para)professionals, editors, and best-selling novelists will provide opinions to the author community on the merits of either drafting style. But if you’re a serious writer — i.e., you have ideas, you write them down, maybe even finish a piece — then you should lean into your preference. No sense in rolling the stone uphill repeatedly.

I’m a Pantser.

While I spend vast amounts of time dissociating behind the wheel or as I cook, percolating the kernel of a story in the back of my mind, I cannot bring myself to write long form outlines. Numerals and verbose “stage direction” to set up a scene or chapter are daunting. The herculean effort to return to a paragraph, expanding it into a flowing narrative, is beyond me. Good work, Plotters.

Now that I’m writing my second novel, I have firmly slipped my feet into the proverbial legs — er, pants — of the Pantser. With book one in the bag, I’ve decided to memorialize my drafting template to replicate with book number two. If I could do it once, I should be able to do it again, right? So far, so good.

Like purging the contents of your gut after a fun bout of food poisoning from a bad food truck (once in 20 years, Philly), I begin my novel-writing process by speed running (writing) a “fast draft.” Get the idea onto paper in as close to chronological order as possible in as short an amount of time as possible. After an obligatory rest, I return to the draft with fresh eyes.

Before investing any more time into the lengthy project, this return is when Pantsers can steal a Plotter technique: outline after you write your fast draft. And I’m not talking about 500 word paragraphs per scene or chapter. Read your draft then write three sentences per chapter. Like this:

Sentence 1: What is the GOAL of the chapter?
Sentence 2: What is the main CONFLICT?
Sentence 3: What is the OUTCOME by chapter’s end?

Bonus tips: Underline which element needs to be strengthened or is missing entirely. Maybe your conflict is weak. Maybe the outcome doesn’t match the goal. Also, I use three different colored pens for each element. This keeps the drudgery of outlining visually appealing.

The outline you’ve just created should illustrate gaps in narrative, story logic, character arc opportunities, and so much more. Maybe a chapter is out of place or missing entirely? Does each chapter end propel you to the next? Your next, slower draft, will be more robust with this simple guide, hopefully truncating the entire writing time.

Discovering my own method (“Get it? I’m a Pantser,” said the on-the-nose author) to complete a manuscript was an absolute thrill. Also, very helpful.

Give it a try. Or don’t. Just write the damn book. Someone famous once said, “You can’t edit a blank page.” Wise words, Plotters and Pantsers. Wise words.

Warren R. Basla is a graduate of Drexel University. He has been a youth advocate for over 15 years and works as a director of development at an education non-profit in Philadelphia. Warren serves on the Blue Stoop Advisory Board and is a member of the local writing group, the Philly Scribes. The Blade of Milan is his debut novel.