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By: Delany Diamond
I’m a pantser, also referred to as a discovery writer or intuitive writer. Unlike plotters, we write stories without an outline, “flying by the seat of our pants.” That means the story organically unfolds as we write.
Early in my career, I found it difficult to locate how-to books that aligned with my writing style. Typically, they encouraged me to become a plotter or offered advice from a plotting point of view.
The rigid structure and demand for planning left me frustrated and struggling to get words on paper. It didn’t help to hear about the many authors who started where I did and turned into plotters. I was certain that if I also learned to plot, I’d write faster and better stories.
The opposite turned out to be true.
Off and on over the years, I had moments when I tried to change my writing style. I read books on plotting, took a couple of classes, and practiced using an outline. Still, each and every time I struggled, and when I did finish a portion of my book, the story didn’t excite me. Eventually, I’d give up until the next time I got it in my head to try again.
Then I discovered Writing Into the Dark, which validated my process and allowed me to accept my pantsing ways. I didn’t have to learn a new way to write! Being a pantser was perfectly valid, and I needed to stop fighting it and lean into the technique.
Since then, I’ve discovered three other books that have all, in different ways, helped me improve my writing: Keep Your Pants On, The Pocket Guide to Pantsing, and Story Trumps Structure.
I’ll tell you about each book and why I like it. I’m certain you’ll appreciate them as much as I do.
Writing Into the Dark by Dean Wesley Smith
This book is short but packs a punch by encouraging you to toss out your outline and “write into the dark.” Dean addresses how your critical voice stops you by insisting that you’re wasting your time when you write this way. His counterargument is that writing new words is never a waste of your time because even if you can’t use all of them, there is a benefit: you’re practicing the art of writing.
What I Like
Dean takes you through the process of writing a story using the pantsing method, step by step, until the end. He includes the strategy of writing out of order, which is something I do frequently.
My only issue in the book is related to Dean’s ideas about second drafts. He doesn’t believe in them and says they’re a waste of time.
At the beginning of each writing session, he cycles back over previously written words by rereading them and then making revisions. When that task is complete, he doesn’t review the words again, which would be impossible for me to do. I also use the cycling method, but when my manuscript is completed, I review it and make additional changes.
But just like plotters, pantsers have different processes, and that’s his process. It wouldn’t work for me.
Favorite Quote
Trust the process.
Keep Your Pants On by Nina Harrington
Keep Your Pants On is specific to writing romance novels. It touts outlining, but not in the traditional sense. Harrington suggests you focus on the characters and how they’re going to transform as a result of the relationship.
She recommends mapping those emotional changes and tying them to specific scenes. The process starts with bullet points and then expands into more details. While her method contains too much structure for me, taking those steps might be beneficial to other pantsers, and even plotters.
What I Like
Harrington acknowledges that when you start writing, you probably don’t know the whole story. After all, you’re a pantser. But with her method, you don’t need the whole story. You just need to start. The book contains examples and tips specific to romance writers, making the recommendations easy to apply because they relate to the genre—such as the falling-in-love stage and then the pivotal point when ‘all is lost.’
Favorite Quote
We need the reader to identify with the character and care about the outcome of the story. So it pays to make the character suffer and set them against overwhelming blocks to achieving their goals.
The Pocket Guide to Pantsing by ML Ronn
Ronn’s book starts by differentiating between pantsing and plotting and dispelling the myths surrounding discovery writing. Like Dean’s book, he goes step by step through his process and is therefore able to touch on problems that occur while writing this way—such as words coming easily initially, but after the first quarter, you might find yourself struggling with what to write next. Been there!
What I Liked
The Pocket Guide to Pantsing acknowledges the difficulty in writing without an outline as a newbie, but it’s also encouraging, letting you know that the more you write, the better you’ll become. Ronn also validated something I’d learned recently about myself: those days when I pushed through but felt the writing was subpar, when I went back to the manuscript, the pages were no worse than the pages I had written with confidence.
So push through.
Favorite Quote
If you practice consistency in sitting down regularly and typing even when it’s hard, you will eventually emerge on the other end of the rough spot.
Story Trumps Structure by Steven James
I had this book on the to-be-read list of my Kindle for several years and didn’t know what I was missing until I finally read it.
I review it once a year, and it never fails—I always learn something new. Story Trumps Structure is not specifically about pantsing, but it’s an excellent resource for us and, frankly, anyone who wants to write stories readers can’t put down. It teaches you the importance of building suspense, having tension on the page, meeting reader expectations, and writing characters readers not only identify with but care about.
What I Liked
The book is organized in an easy-to-read fashion, starting with the basics—what is a story?—and ending with how to fix plot flaws. There are numerous tips on storytelling, which resulted in my book being filled with highlights and bookmarked sections. Of the four books, this one is my favorite. Not only because it validates the concept of organic writing, but because it offers, in an easy-to-understand way, a master class on how to write better stories.
Favorite Quote
…it bewilders me that rather than dive into this essential aspect of story—tension—so many writers get stuck asking, “What should happen next?” or “What does this character do?” when the more vital questions are “What should go wrong?” and “What does this character want?”
Conclusion
The common theme of all four books is to lean into your pantser writing style. If you’re an organic writer, I hope you take a moment to check them out. These resources provide encouragement for your technique and will help you improve your craft.
By the way, if you’re aware of other books on pantsing, share them below.
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Delaney Diamond is the USA Today Bestselling Author of more than 50 contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels, and dozens of romance short stories. When she’s not spinning tales of romantic fiction, she’s in the kitchen trying out new recipes, dining at one of her favorite restaurants, or traveling to an interesting locale. She enjoys learning about time management and ways to increase productivity and shares her recommendations on the For Authors page of her website. She also offers self-publishing consultations, leveraging her extensive experience to guide and support authors through the writing and publishing process.