Which Writer Are You?

Why Plan your Novel?

It seems I’m forever arguing this point, but bear with me please.

Why do we plan our novel?

So that we can finish it, obviously.

I am not writing today to people who have finished their fourth novel.

I am writing today to people who have started their fourth novel… but finished none of them.

Everyone can pants their way through a chapter. Sometimes two or three.

But writing is a lot of work. Hard work. Not hard in the manner of digging a ditch, framing a house or pouring asphalt.

But mentally tough. You have to be able to doggedly work through Act II, which often takes heroic determination. You think reading Act II is tough? Try writing it.

I have a number of catch phrases I often say, such as…

“Proper planning prevents poor performance.” Click To Tweet

I say this as a failed Pants’er, who realized I am not a pantser, but a planner (I am amused by all the “take this poll to find out what kind of writer you are” – invariably they say I am a pants’er).

My statistical research shows me that 90% of writers claim to be pants’ers – and my research also shows me that 90% of those never finish a novel.
I keep reading about a fifty-fifty split, but that’s not my experience. Interview ten writers who’ve never finished a novel, and the answer is 90% say they are pants’ers.
Interview ten authors who’ve finished novels, and find out 9 out of 10 are planners.
This tells me most authors never finish novels, and of those, a disproportionate amount are pants’ers. I’ve yet to meet this 50% split I keep reading about.

The odds tell me two things – statistically those who consider themselves pants’ers – the vast majority of writers – will never finish a novel.

This tells me also that most of you must therefore be planners.

So I labor mightily to prove to you that if you have NEVER finished a novel you 1). Do not have the talents to be a writer or 2). Are using the wrong process.

Going by my 90/10 split theory, I’d say that 90% of those of you who’ve never finished a novel are using the wrong method – and 10% of you do not have what it takes to write.

How do I determine which bracket you’re in?

Have you EVER written something that moved you or someone else emotionally?

You’re in the 90%.

Here’s how I break it down.

Out of 10,000 writers, 1% finish their novels (100)
Of 100 writers, 10% (ten people) are pants’ers. If you’ve tried pant’sing your way through a novel and never finished one, you’re not in this group.
Of this total number 10% of you are truly gifted writers. This is 1 out of 100.
10% don’t have what it takes to write. Sorry. Truth. If you’ve ever written something others have said, “Hey! That was great!” you’re not in this group.
Of the remaining 80% of the 10,000 writers, you’re planners. Embrace it, move on. Of this number,10% of you will be truly gifted writers. That amounts to .08% of 100, or 80 of the 10,000.

Breakdown – 8 out of ten – planners.
1 out of ten – not a writer. First, switch methods and finish a novel. If four of your novels are terrible, Move on.
1 out of ten – pants’er.

"Almost everyone who fails at writing a novel is using the wrong method." Click To Tweet

Further breakdown – of the 90% who are writers, 90% of them claim to be pants’ers.

If you have never finished a novel, and think 1600 words a day is impossible, you either are the 10 “not a writers” or you are using the wrong method. Statistically I would say the odds are highly against you being “not a writer”.

I would say statistically almost everyone who fails at writing a novel is using the wrong method.