Are you someone who needs to know exactly where your story is going before you write a single word?
Or are you the kind of writer who sits down with a character, a vague feeling, or a single scene in your mind and trusts the story to reveal itself as you go?
Or maybe you have tried both.
Maybe you have built the detailed outline, colour-coded the chapters, mapped out the turning points, and still found yourself staring at the page feeling flat. Or maybe you have tried to “just write” without a plan, only to end up overwhelmed, tangled, and unsure what comes next.
If that sounds familiar, you are in very good company.
The pantser versus plotter debate is one of the most common conversations in the writing world. But the problem is, it is often presented as though writers have to choose a side.
You are either a plotter.
Or you are a pantser.
But most writers are far more nuanced than that.
Your writing style is shaped by your personality, your nervous system, your relationship with structure, your tolerance for uncertainty, your story, and the season of life you are currently in.
So the real question is not, “Am I a pantser or a plotter?”
The better question is:
What kind of writing process actually helps me write?
Why So Much Writing Advice Does Not Work for Every Writer
A lot of writing advice fails writers.
Not because the advice is always bad. Often, it is perfectly good advice. It may even be brilliant advice for the writer who created it.
But that is the key.
Most writing advice is created by a particular kind of writer, with a particular kind of brain, a particular relationship with structure, and a particular way of moving through story.
And that writer may be nothing like you.
Think about the last time you read a craft book, attended a workshop, or listened to someone explain their exact outlining system. Maybe it clicked immediately. Maybe you felt relief because the method finally gave you a way forward.
But maybe you had the opposite response.
Maybe you felt that quiet internal panic when the method being taught made sense intellectually, but felt completely wrong in your body. You tried to follow the steps. You built the outline, or threw the outline away, and somehow neither approach helped you write the book you could feel inside you.
And instead of questioning the method, you questioned yourself.
That is where so many writers start to lose confidence.
They think, “Maybe I am not disciplined enough.”
Or, “Maybe I am not a real writer.”
Or, “Maybe I just cannot finish a book.”
But often, the problem is much simpler and much more hopeful than that.
You may have been trying to write in a way that works beautifully for someone else, while fighting the way your own mind naturally wants to create.
What Is a Pantser?
A pantser is a writer who discovers the story through the act of writing.
The term comes from the phrase “flying by the seat of your pants.” A pantser may begin with a character, a mood, an image, a line of dialogue, or a scene they cannot stop thinking about. They may have very little planned in advance, but once they start writing, the story begins to reveal itself.
For some writers, this approach feels alive.
It allows room for surprise. It lets characters evolve naturally. It gives the writer permission to follow instinct, emotion, and creative impulse.
A pantser may say things like:
- “I have to write the scene before I know what it means.”
- “If I outline too much, the story feels dead.”
- “I discover my characters by spending time with them on the page.”
- “I need freedom for the story to breathe.”
For the right writer, discovery writing can be powerful.
But for another writer, that much openness can create pressure. Too many unanswered questions can lead to overwhelm, confusion, or paralysis. The blank page starts to feel too blank, and the writer spends more time trying to figure out what is happening than actually writing.
What Is a Plotter?
A plotter is a writer who plans before they write.
Plotters often want to understand the shape of the story before drafting. They may create outlines, beat sheets, chapter summaries, turning point maps, character arcs, timelines, or spreadsheets.
For some writers, this creates safety.
They can sit down at the page knowing what comes next. They have direction. They have structure. They have a sense of how this scene fits into the bigger picture.
A plotter may say things like:
- “I need to know where I am going before I begin.”
- “Structure helps me feel calm.”
- “If I have a plan, I can relax into the writing.”
- “I write better when I have solved the big story questions first.”
For the right writer, plotting can be freeing.
But for another writer, too much structure can take the life out of the story before it even begins. The outline becomes so fixed that the writing starts to feel mechanical. The writer knows what happens, but the emotional spark has gone missing.
And this is where the pantser versus plotter debate becomes too simplistic.
Because the issue is rarely structure itself.
The issue is whether the structure supports your creativity or suffocates it.
The Real Problem Is Fighting Your Own Wiring
I once worked with a client who had been writing her novel for about three years.
She had done everything she thought she was supposed to do. She had plotted the whole book. She had a chapter-by-chapter outline. She knew her turning points. She had colour-coded character arcs in a spreadsheet that was genuinely impressive.
On paper, she looked incredibly prepared.
But when she sat down to write, she felt nothing.
The story felt mechanical. She described it as following a recipe when what she really wanted was to cook by taste and experimentation. Every time she opened the outline, she felt the life go out of the scene before she had written a single word.
The problem was not that she lacked skill.
The problem was not that she was incapable of plotting.
The problem was that she had adopted a method that suited a different type of writing brain.
She was a deeply relational, emotionally attuned writer. She needed to discover her characters through experience. She needed to feel her way into the emotional truth of the story. But she had forced herself into a rigid plotting method that left no room for that discovery.
Once we adjusted her process, everything changed.
We kept enough structure to stop her from spiralling, but released her from the pressure of a fixed, prescriptive outline. She still had a map, but it was no longer a cage.
And that is where the writing came back to life.
Your Writing Personality Shapes Your Relationship With Structure
This is where the Bird Writing Personalities become so useful.
Your Bird Writing Personality can give you powerful insight into how you naturally respond to structure, pressure, uncertainty, freedom, and momentum.
These personality types are not fixed labels. They are tendencies. Most writers are a blend of more than one type, and your writing process can shift depending on the book, your life, your confidence, and the stage of the manuscript.
But when you understand your natural patterns, you can stop blaming yourself and start building a process that actually supports you.
Dove Writers: The Heart-Mapped Story
Dove writers are feelers first.
They tend to write from emotion, relationship, character connection, and the moment-to-moment truth of a scene. For a Dove writer, heavy pre-plotting can sometimes pull them away from the intuitive space where their best writing lives.
Doves often need to understand the heart of the story more than every external event.
They may need to know:
- What their character longs for
- What emotional wound is driving the story
- What relationship or inner transformation matters most
- What feeling the reader should carry through the book
- Why this story matters on a soul level
A Dove writer may struggle when asked to lock every plot point into place before they truly know the characters. Their creativity often needs room to discover the emotional truth through writing.
That does not mean Dove writers need no structure.
They often do need structure, but it needs to feel emotionally alive.
For Doves, a “heart map” is often more useful than a rigid outline. A heart map gives them the emotional direction of the story without forcing every scene into place too early.
The guiding question for a Dove writer is:
Where is the emotional heart of this story leading me?
Owl Writers: The Freedom Inside Structure
Owl writers are analytical, thoughtful, detailed, and often deeply committed to craft.
For an Owl, structure can feel freeing.
That may sound counterintuitive, but when an Owl understands the framework, the logic, and the pathway, their nervous system often relaxes. They can write because the unknowns feel manageable.
An Owl who tries to pants an entire novel may become paralysed by too many unanswered questions.
They may find themselves thinking:
- “But what happens after this scene?”
- “How does this subplot connect?”
- “What if the timeline does not work?”
- “What if I write the wrong thing and have to redo it later?”
For Owl writers, uncertainty can become mentally noisy.
A clear outline gives them a place to put all those questions. It turns the swirling mess into something visible, structured, and workable.
But Owls also have a common trap: over-planning.
The outline can become the safe place. The research can become endless. The preparation can feel productive, while the actual writing keeps getting delayed.
For Owls, the sweet spot is enough structure to feel safe, with enough flexibility to let the manuscript evolve.
The guiding question for an Owl writer is:
What do I need to know in order to begin writing with confidence?
Peacock Writers: The Flexible Roadmap
Peacock writers are energetic, expressive, creative, and full of ideas.
They often love the beginning of a project. The spark. The possibility. The excitement of a new concept. The rush of seeing all the potential pathways at once.
Peacocks can be brilliant at generating ideas.
But the middle of a book can feel much harder.
Once the novelty fades and the book asks for sustained focus, a Peacock writer may start craving something new. A new idea. A new character. A new premise. A new project that feels exciting again.
Too much rigid structure can make the writing feel dull.
Too little structure can make the book lose shape.
Peacock writers often do best with a flexible roadmap. They need enough direction to keep moving, but enough creative space for the journey to stay exciting.
Helpful structure for a Peacock might look like:
- A loose beat sheet
- A visual story board
- A list of exciting scenes to write toward
- Milestones with creative rewards
- A flexible map that can change as the story grows
Peacock writers need the destination to feel compelling. They also need the path to hold some surprise.
The guiding question for a Peacock writer is:
What structure will keep this exciting enough for me to finish?
Eagle Writers: The Fastest Path With Emotional Depth
Eagle writers are decisive, goal-focused, efficient, and results-oriented.
They usually want the clearest path from idea to finished manuscript. They like momentum. They like progress. They like knowing what the target is and how to get there.
Eagles are often natural plotters because outlining feels purposeful.
They can make decisions quickly. They can map the path. They can move.
But the challenge for Eagle writers is speed.
Sometimes an Eagle can move so quickly through the planning or drafting process that the emotional depth of the story does not have enough time to develop. They know what happens, but they may need to spend more time with why it matters.
For Eagle writers, the best structure includes more than plot events.
It also includes emotional turning points.
An Eagle may benefit from asking:
- What does the character feel here?
- What changes internally in this scene?
- Where does the reader need a moment to breathe?
- Where am I rushing because I want to get to the outcome?
- What emotional truth needs more space?
Eagle writers can be powerful finishers, but the work becomes stronger when they give the emotional layers enough room to land.
The guiding question for an Eagle writer is:
Where does this story need me to slow down so the reader can feel it?
Most Writers Are Somewhere In Between
Most writers are not purely one thing.
You might be an Owl with a strong Peacock streak, which means one part of you craves structure while another part of you needs creative freedom.
You might be a Dove with Eagle traits, where one part of you wants emotional connection and another part wants progress, completion, and momentum.
You might be a Peacock with Owl traits, full of ideas but also aware that the book needs a stronger shape.
These combinations can create internal tension.
One part of you wants to outline everything before you begin. Another part of you feels bored the moment everything is planned.
One part of you wants freedom. Another part wants certainty.
One part wants to move fast. Another part needs time to feel into the emotional truth of the story.
That does not mean you are inconsistent.
It means your creative system has different needs.
And rather than forcing yourself into one identity, you can begin asking what this particular book needs from you now.
Because your process can shift.
The book you wrote last year may have needed a detailed outline. The book you are writing now may need more discovery. The book after that may ask for something else entirely.
Your job is not to cling to a label.
Your job is to listen to the story, listen to your creative wiring, and build the right bridge between the two.
How to Find Your Writing Style for This Book
Instead of asking, “Am I a pantser or a plotter?” ask yourself better questions.
These questions will give you much more useful information than any fixed label.
Does a Detailed Outline Make You Feel Relieved or Restricted?
Imagine creating a detailed outline for your current book.
Not in theory. For this actual manuscript.
What happens inside you?
If your body relaxes, your mind clears, and you feel more confident, structure is probably supportive for this project.
If your chest tightens, your energy drops, or the story suddenly feels flat, a rigid outline may be too much too soon.
That reaction is useful data.
Your body often knows whether a method feels supportive before your mind has fully explained why.
Do You Need to Know the Ending Before You Begin?
Some writers need the ending before they can start.
Knowing the destination helps them make choices along the way. It gives the story a sense of direction.
Other writers discover the ending through the process of writing.
They may need to spend time with the characters before the true ending reveals itself. They may know the emotional feeling of the ending, but not the exact events.
Neither approach is better.
The question is simply:
What helps you move?
If knowing the ending gives you clarity, use it.
If forcing the ending too early shuts the story down, give yourself permission to discover more as you write.
When You Get Stuck, Do You Need More Structure or More Freedom?
This is one of the most important questions a writer can ask.
Because not all blocks come from the same place.
Sometimes you are stuck because there is too little structure. You need to pause, map the next few scenes, clarify the character’s goal, or work out the next turning point.
Sometimes you are stuck because there is too much control. You have planned the life out of the scene, and what you really need is a messy exploratory draft where the characters can breathe again.
The skill is learning to tell the difference.
When you are stuck, ask:
- Do I feel lost?
- Do I feel boxed in?
- Do I need a clearer next step?
- Do I need more creative space?
- Do I need to solve a story problem?
- Do I need to reconnect emotionally?
A lost writer usually needs a map.
A boxed-in writer usually needs room.
What Has Worked Before, and Is It Working Now?
Look back at the times when your writing flowed.
Were you following a plan?
Were you discovering as you went?
Did you have a loose roadmap, a detailed outline, or just a strong emotional pull?
Then ask yourself whether that same approach is serving this book.
Sometimes writers get stuck because they try to recreate the process that worked last time, even when the new story is asking for something different.
A process that worked beautifully for one manuscript can feel heavy on another.
That does not mean the old process was wrong.
It simply means this book may need a different doorway in.
You Are Allowed to Build a Hybrid Process
You can be a little bit pantser and a little bit plotter.
In fact, many writers are.
You might plot the major turning points but discover the scenes as you go.
You might write the first few chapters freely, then pause and create a structure once you understand the characters.
You might outline the emotional arc but leave the external events flexible.
You might create a chapter map, then give yourself permission to change it.
You might know the ending, the midpoint, and the black moment, while allowing everything in between to unfold.
A hybrid process might include:
- A loose story map
- A few major turning points
- A character emotional arc
- A list of scenes you are excited to write
- A flexible chapter outline
- A discovery draft followed by structured revision
- A planning session every few chapters rather than all at once
There is no prize for being a pure pantser or a pure plotter.
The real win is finding the process that helps you keep writing.
Structure Is Meant to Serve the Story
Structure is not the enemy of creativity.
But structure that does not fit you can become a problem.
The right structure gives your creativity somewhere to flow. It supports the story. It gives your mind enough direction to feel safe while leaving enough space for the magic to happen.
The wrong structure can make writing feel like pushing through wet cement.
That is why self-awareness matters so much.
When you understand how you naturally write, you can stop forcing yourself into methods that create resistance and start building methods that create momentum.
For some writers, that means a full outline.
For others, it means a heart map.
For others, it means three major turning points and permission to discover the rest.
For many writers, it means adjusting the process as the book unfolds.
Your writing process is allowed to be alive.
It is allowed to change.
It is allowed to respond to the book in front of you.
The Goal Is to Stop Fighting Yourself
You do not need to declare yourself a pantser forever.
You do not need to become a perfect plotter.
You do not need to write like your favourite author, your writing teacher, your critique partner, or the person online who swears their method is the only method that works.
You need a process that helps you show up to the page with clarity, safety, and creative aliveness.
That is the goal.
Not a label.
Not a rule.
Not another reason to judge yourself.
The goal is to understand what helps you write, what shuts you down, what gives you momentum, and what allows the story to keep moving through you and onto the page.
Because your story came to you for a reason.
And the way you write it is allowed to be as unique as the story itself.
Listen to the Related Podcast Episode
This article is based on Episode 45 of the Write the Darn Book podcast.
If you would love to hear the full conversation and explore the pantser versus plotter conversation more deeply, you can listen on Apple Podcasts here:
Want Personalised Clarity on How You Are Wired to Write?
If you are ready to understand your own writing process more deeply, my Writing Personality Blueprint Session is designed to help you see exactly how you are wired to write.
In this one-on-one session, we look at your Bird Writing Personality profile and explore your creative strengths, your resistance patterns, and the kind of structure, rhythm, and writing approach that will actually support you.
You will also receive a personalised Blueprint Report with practical strategies you can return to as you keep writing.
If you are ready to stop forcing yourself into methods that were never built for you, you can book your Writing Personality Blueprint Session here:
