Pantser vs plotter - I switched sides after one disaster of a novel

I spent years as a hardcore pantser, writing by the seat of my pants with zero outline. Then I tried to write a 90,000 word mystery novel in 6 months and ended up with a plot hole so big you could drive a truck through it. Around chapter 12 I realized the killer had no motive and I had to rewrite 40 pages. That was the breaking point. I switched to plotting out my next book chapter by chapter on a whiteboard in my office. Took me 3 weeks to plan it all out. The actual writing went so much smoother even though it felt less exciting. Does anyone else find plotting kills the spark but saves your story?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

bettym891mo ago

My mystery novel died the same way, except I found out at chapter 20.

2

sarahh811mo ago

Wait you actually had to rewrite 40 pages because of no motive? That's brutal. Hardcore pantser here too but I've never had a plot hole that bad.

1