Pantser 👖 or planner 📒?

Weekly writing prompt #110

Good morning Juicers,

This week’s newsletter is for my prose people. Are you a pantser, planner, or somewhere-in-betweener? After spending the last year or so giving pantsing a fair go, I can say that planning is my true nature.

To me, pantsing—or writing “by the seat of your pants” without an outline—feels like driving without a map. I simultaneously feel like the kid in the backseat parroting, “Are we there yet??” and the bleary-eyed parent at the wheel. When I do outline, I have an easier time getting to where I need to go.

That said, outlining comes with its own set of challenges. It is the process of making the decisions a pantser would make, but all upfront. It can be draining. One tip I got (shout out to fellow Juicer Eva for this one!!) is to take the pressure off by writing the story in the most basic terms possible: think fourth-grade book report. Then, expand the story, beat by beat, and you’ll soon have a fully fleshed outline.

Hope that helps,
Jamie

Weekly writing prompt:

Are you a pantser, planner, or somewhere-in-betweener? In both writing and life or not? What’s that like?

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Last week’s submissions: Black holes

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Writing inspo of the week

A poem often has two subjects: a starting subject and then the discovered subject.

Billy Collins

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