Discovering a New Writing Identity

Legend has it, there are two kinds of writers.

The first type is the plotter.

The plotter plots out the whole novel before writing it. They draw story arcs, write three-act structures, and create intricate outlines complete with roman numerals, lower-case letters, and proper indenting. They know the beginning, middle, end, and every twist in between before ever typing the first sentence. (Note: This is probably only somewhat true. I don’t really know because I’m not a plotter.) The point is, they plan out the story first, which sounds really smart and adult and responsible. I kind of wish my brain worked that way.

The other type of writer is… [deleted]. (We’ll come back to the name in a minute.)

This writer gets an idea, starts writing, and discovers the story as they go. They may have a general concept of the work or a big picture theme or an inkling of how they want things to end, but they figure out the twists and turns as they write rather than planning beforehand. This is what I do. My ideas usually start with a character, a setting, a voice, or even just a first sentence. I start writing, letting the characters’ actions and dialogue lead me. It’s only when I’m well into the story and beginning to feel stuck that I stop and “outline” (usually not formally) the next steps.

I like this method. I enjoy jumping into a story idea and seeing where it goes. It’s fun and freeing, and it works for me. What I don’t like about it is the name. It’s called… *shudder*… pantsing.

In the world of writers, there are plotters and there are pantsers. Plotters plot out what they’re going to write, while pantsers write by the seat of their pants. I don’t know who came up with this name, but I can assure you it wasn’t a pantser.

Problems with the Term “Pantser”:

1. It’s demeaning.

“Flying by the seat of your pants” is not a well-respected quality in most professions. You don’t want a financial investor who flies by the seat of his pants or a surgeon who decides she’s just going to “wing it.” I’m a serious writer, and I want a label that acknowledges that.

2. It’s inaccurate.

At the risk of shocking my readers, I would like to point out that pants are not required for novel writing. I have written many great chapters sans pants. And what kind of pants are we talking about? I am currently a sweat-pantser, but I’m often a pajama-pantser. Sometimes I’ve even a skirter.

3. It invokes bad memories.

I taught middle school for almost twenty years. In that setting, “pantsing” referred to boys trying to pull each other’s pants down in the hallways between classes. I’d rather not have my creative processes connected to that behavior, thank you very much.

4. It just sounds dumb.

Plotter is a real word recognized by my computer. “Pantser” and “pantsing” get squiggly red underlines every time I type them, which annoys me.

Identity Crisis Resolved

Luckily, I have good news for all the writers out there hiding under the covers from this lackluster label. I’ve noticed a new descriptor popping up for those of us who don’t outline our books beforehand: Discovery Writer.

Doesn’t that have a lovely ring to it? “Discovery writer” is a respectable term that accurately portrays my writing style while not reminding me of impulsive middle schoolers. And it’s recognized by Microsoft Word. What more could I ask for in a writing identity?

I’m proud to call myself a discovery writer.

Discovery writing is not perfect. Sometimes we discover that we’re lost. Sometimes we discover that what we’ve written is crap and needs to be thrown out. Sometimes we discover cat videos on Facebook instead of our writing goals. What I actually sat down to write today was the final chapter of my middle grade novel. Instead, I discovered that I wanted to write this. Perhaps if I had plotted out my story before beginning, I would have stayed on task. On the other hand, discovery writing has gotten me all the way to the end of my book, so I must be doing something write. (<– That was an accidental typo, but I’m leaving it. 😊)