In the world of writing, there are two extreme groups of writers: Plotters and Pantsers. Plotters, like the name implies, plot out their stories before writing. Outlines, notes, and diagrams all lay out the road map they will take. Pantsers go in by the seat of their pants, coining the term "pantser." There are a multitude of hybrids, shades of gray in between the two, but they are all variations of plotting and pantsing.
For me, I think I'm somewhere in the middle. I started of as a full-on pantser, but then I would never finish the projects. I would end up writing myself into a corner that I could never write myself out of, and I would scrap it. I would then feel like a complete failure, and "give up" temporarily until another idea hit me, and then I would repeat the process.
I have recently started a hybrid blend of both. I start off pantsing it, but then follow up with summaries per chapter. This gives me the guideline of what needs to happen in each chapter, and how they tie together. If I come up with a cool quote or detail that just has to be in there, I can go back to that chapter and stick it in. So far, it seems to make sense to me. I haven't officially finished a project, but I have gotten twice as many words written. It's impressive what a change in style will accomplish!
Any new writers out there, I would recommend playing with both styles, and create your own method. There's nothing wrong with dabbling! Experiment, and find what fits you!
So how about you: Do you plot, pants, or fall in the middle?
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