What Kind of Writer Are You? Other than a Good One!

Are you wondering what a discovery writer is? I once heard Joanna Penn admit that in the UK, they call underwear pants, so what we call a “panster” in the US, she calls a “discovery writer.” Since then I’ve heard the revised name a lot more in general and can’t help but laugh when I hear “pantser.”

I started out on my author journey as a solid discovery writer. I didn’t even know what an outline for a novel even looked like. The only kind of outline I was aware of was the Roman numeral, followed by letters, followed further by Arabic numerals like I used in history class. And let me tell you, neither has good memories attached to it.

As I delved into learning the craft, I came across authors who swore that plotting was the only way to write a novel and discovery writers who swore that plotting limited where their story could go. And when I hear there’s only one way to do something, I’ll move hell and high water to prove there’s another. (The teenage rebel in me is a permanent resident, rent-free.)

I didn’t swear by either one and was fully open to trying new experiences. So through the years, as I traveled the writer’s journey, I discovered how many variations of outlining there are. I tried numerous methods to see if any clicked with me and fit with my style. Some were dry, like I remembered in high school, some were so-so but didn’t set me on fire, and some served a purpose for a short time.

And then I found “the one.” (Well, actually two.)

Plottr software sold me that outlining isn’t only productive, it’s fun! And that’s a must for me. It’s like exercise, if it’s not something I enjoy, I most likely won’t stick with it. Plottr is the perfect outlining/plotting tool, super reasonably priced, and has a free trial. (I do not receive any compensation for this endorsement, I’m simply sharing something that has made a huge difference to me.) It’s user- friendly, they have tutorials galore, they keep making improvements and truly listen to the users in what they’d like to see, and customer service is amazing. Oh! And it’s colorful. Having never been a “colorful” kinda gal, usually opting toward black or brown, I’m discovering what I’ve been missing out on. 🙂 Reach out to me via email if you’d like to know more about Plottr.

The second game-changer is so basic it’s almost embarrassing I hadn’t thought of it before. It’s a simple template with 10 boxes per page to jot down scenes, one scene per space, with a little box next to it for noting the placement of each scene so you can order them accordingly when you begin drafting the manuscript. My mistake in the past has been to force myself to keep the scenes linear, the order in which they appear in the story, usually forgetting scenes I’ve kept in my head until I “reached that point.” Writing each scene as it pops into my head and not worrying about organizing them until they’re on paper, has made my plotting process so much quicker and easier. This game-changing idea came from Sarra Cannon, uber-successful indie author and podcaster. I get so much inspiration, motivation, and creative ideas from watching her YouTube videos. She’s absolutely delightful. Can I do the same thing in Plottr? Yep! So why would I use something additional? Because it’s fun and it works for me. Added fun and productive? I’m in!

I’d love to hear from my community…what best describes you best as a writer?

Discovery Writer?

Plotter?

Or somewhere in between?