{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Writing Tips: Plotters vs. Pantsers","description":"In today\u2019s installment of our \u201chow to write a book\u201d mini-series, we\u2019re diving into outlines! And, yes, I know outlines aren\u2019t the most fascinating topic, so I\u2019ll keep it short. : ) Here\u2019s what you should know: not every author uses an outline. In general, there are two camps in the writing community: Plotters, who plot their novels in advance Pantsers, who follow where the book leads (writing \u201cby the seat of their pants\u201d) I\u2019ve mentioned before that, in drafting the sequel to Ahead of Her Time, I\u2019m trying to base my process on that of Elizabeth Peters. She was a fanatical outliner. In research I did on her writing process, she almost universally had multiple outlines for each book (a short 1-3 page outline, and a longer 7-15 page outline). Here\u2019s what I\u2019m doing differently, though. Rather than write a synopsis-style outline, as she did, I\u2019m creating a chapter-by-chapter outline. Since I (officially!) decided to dually-narrate this one, I just find that it\u2019s easier to keep track of things if I outline by chapter, rather than writing a miniature version of the story! What are your thoughts on outlines? For essays, I\u2019m a firm believer in their necessity, but I\u2019m not experienced enough with novel-writing to have strong opinions for books yet! ","author_name":"Vocabbett - Fun Vocabulary & History Stories","author_url":"https:\/\/www.vocabbett.com","html":"