Planner vs Pantser — Which Are You?

I’m a planner. I even schedule spontaneity. I kid you not, I literally put into my calendar on some days with blocked off time that is titled “Flexible time”. 😳Every day I work through a list of things to do on my Todoist list with a set of focus activities for each weekday. For example, today’s focus activity is to “post on my Medium blog for the OSH Writer”. So, yeah, safe to say I’m a planner.

That is…with everything except how I write. ✍️

Amongst my various activities, I am studying/training to become a Book Coach through Author Accelerator. It’s a great program so far, especially as it is an ‘at your own pace and time’ kind of program. It’s a great program so far, except it is an ‘at your own pace and time’ kind of program. 😜 You know what I mean! 😁 The main aspect of the program is helping writers to work through a Blueprint of their books. Regular advice is given that, if we are also writers, we should follow the Blueprint process ourselves as well to understand the potential ‘pain’ we will put our future clients through.

So, as a planner — we’ve established that and agree, right? — I figured this would be no big deal. OMG, was I wrong?! 🤯

I have discovered there are different types of planners aka managers. There are time managers, project managers, vacation planners, schedulers, and those of this ilk. Then, there are the planners like architects, engineers, textile designers, etc. and some writers. Let me tell you, these are VERY different styles of planning.

In the writing world, there are terms like planner vs. pantser — do you plan your writing with an outline or do you sit at the computer and see where the muses take you?

As a planner of the former variety, I imagined my writing method would follow suit. Well, in full transparency — it doesn’t.

Hands up, 🙋🏽‍♀️ I am a pantser when it comes to writing. I sit down and fly at my seat. It provides me with a sense of freedom. It provides me with a sense of confidence. It provides me with an outlet that releases me from my regularly structured world. So, I embrace it — wholeheartedly.

Still, I can appreciate the need to follow an outline/blueprint. It is painful work and as a future Book Coach, I now have complete empathy, sympathy and compassion for any future clients that I will force to complete said task.

Even now, I am working through the Blueprint for my novel because it’s hard to stop myself from looking out on a view and letting the muses take me away. However, I believe a balance can be reached: schedule in time to do my outlining AND for letting things just fly! 😅

Which are you when it comes to opening 📖 the sunshine ☀️ into your heart ❤️ to tell the stories📚 we all have waiting to be told?