Planner Or Pantser - How Do You Generate Ideas?

Finding Our Process

Every writer has their own process. Every single one of us.

We don’t copy systems, classes, or styles. We take pieces and build something unique.

Of course we do—we’re creators. Our voice, methods, and ideas are our signature.

But that doesn’t make it any easier for someone searching for their process.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched a “how I write” reel and thought, Really? That’s how you do it?

Comparisons like that can fuel our doubts, because we never ask whether they’re doing it wrong—only whether we’re doing it right.

So let me begin by saying this: You are not doing it wrong. Neither are they.

We’re all searching for a path from idea to finished draft.

Not the academically correct path. Not the one someone showed us on social media.

Just a path.

It doesn’t matter how we get there as long as it works for us.

Discovering how you naturally generate and organize ideas is an important part of finding that process.

Writer Types

Typically, writers are placed into two categories:

Planner and Pantser

These are stereotypes—but they’re useful ones. They describe how most writers organize their thinking before and during a draft.

The Planner

A planner outlines the story from beginning to end before writing.

They figure out scenes and structural details first, often using templates, outlines, beat sheets, mood boards, or character workbooks.

The Pantser

A pantser writes first and plans after discovering the story.

This method is known as flying by the seat of your pants.

Many pantsers begin with a single moment—a snippet of dialogue, an image, a conflict—and let the story expand outward from there.

The difference between planners and pantsers isn’t just when they start drafting.

It’s how they generate ideas.

A planner composes a story mentally and records the highlights.

A pantser builds a story through prose and discovers the highlights along the way.

Each type comes with strengths and pitfalls.

Both are usually surprised when they discover other writers don’t work the same way they do.

So where do you fall?

Let’s take a closer look.

The Planner

As a pantser by design, I’m always a little in awe of planners.

Mood boards.

Character templates.

Bullet-pointed outlines.

Their structure looks like a blueprint for a castle while I’m still building walls as I go.

The strength of planning is simple:

By the time you sit down to write, you already know where you’re going.

This usually leads to tighter pacing and more confident execution.

But there’s one common trap planners fall into.

Planning a novel instead of writing one.

It’s easy to build a portfolio instead of a draft:

a twenty-thousand-word outline

a mood board

a dozen character sheets

and not a single scene written.

If you’re a planner, there are ways to lean into your natural strengths while avoiding this trap.

The Pantser

Many famous authors identify as devout pantsers. They often give relaxed advice about following your instincts and letting the story lead the way.

Let me be clear:

These authors usually have years of experience and intuition supporting that instinct.

Pantsing isn’t always that clean when you’re still learning your process.

The greatest strength of pantsing is momentum.

Words appear on the page quickly.

They may not be in order.

Half of them may not survive revision.

But they exist—and that gives you something to work with.

The difficulty comes from direction.

This is the curse of pantsing: Writing the story that never ends.

I spent decades trying to finish a novel for exactly this reason.

Every day online we hear the same advice:

Just keep writing.

Write every day and you’ll eventually reach the end.

I humbly submit that this isn’t true for most pantsers.

I can write forever—or at least until I run out of steam.

Without structure of some kind, there are no guardrails. Stories expand outward. Worlds drift into fog. And when we finally stop, we often have less progress than we hoped.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Pantsing can feel like magic—but there are ways to fly by the seat of your pants inside a structure.

The difference between a planner and a pantser is how they generate ideas.

The Plantser

Many writers eventually land somewhere in the middle:

The Plantser

This usually happens after some trial and error while discovering your own process.

Plantsing blends discovery writing with planning tools. It’s a balance between instinct and structure.

Some writers treat this hybrid category like an achievement unlocked.

It isn’t.

It’s simply what happens when experience teaches you which tools help you finish a draft.

A balance can always be built between your natural pattern and the tools that support it.

The key is staying open to experimentation—and refinement.

Which One Are You?

So are you a planner or a pantser?

Maybe you’re a little of both.

Maybe you’re still discovering how you write.

Here’s a small secret for you, my friend: We’re all still discovering our process.

There’s always something new to try. Always something to refine.

Keep going. Keep writing. Keep building your system.

You can do it. I believe in you.