Plotter vs. Pantser: How I outline (Or Don't)

I'm going to be honest with you: I'm an extreme plotter. Like, embarrassingly detailed. If there's a spectrum from "I just start writing and see what happens" to "I have a color-coded spreadsheet for every scene," I'm hanging out at the spreadsheet end with my storyboards and character timelines.

This isn't me saying my way is the right way—plenty of brilliant authors write amazing books by following their instincts. But if you're curious about what an obsessive planning process actually looks like, welcome to my brain.

It Starts With an Idea

Every book starts with something that leaves me thinking. For Guardian Borne, it was a college student whose supernatural abilities manifested right when he was trying to live a normal life. For A Future Undone, the story follows someone who travels back in time to prevent an AI apocalypse, only to fall for the person whose invention is behind it.

I sketch out a few interesting and unique aspects of the character and story—the pieces that make me want to write this particular book. This part is messy. I'm just capturing what feels compelling.

The Overview (A Couple of Pages)

Next, I write out the story idea in an overview—usually a couple of pages. This is where I'm figuring out: What's the main conflict? What are the stakes? How does it end?

This isn't an outline yet. It's more like me convincing myself this story has enough substance to sustain a full novel.

Character Work

Then I figure out my main characters and their backstories. Not just what happens in the book, but what shaped them before page one. What do they want? What are they running from? How do they talk?

For Finn, I knew he was a competitive swimmer and computer science student who processed everything analytically. I knew his parents died when he was a baby, and his grandfather raised him with secrets.

For Alex, I knew he came from a dystopian future, that he'd lost Jamie, and that his mission would force him to get close to Ethan Blake—complicating everything.

Timeline and Key Conflicts

This is where I map out the story's skeleton. I create a timeline and outline the key conflicts: both external plot and internal character arcs. Where does the protagonist start? Where do they need to end up? What has to happen to get them there?

I'm looking at story beats: inciting incident, escalating conflicts, midpoint, crisis, climax, resolution. It's structured, but I'm still figuring out how each piece works.

Chapter Outline

Now I create a chapter outline with short descriptions of what happens in each chapter. This goes through multiple brainstorming sessions and revisions. I'm constantly checking: Does this flow? Does this build tension? Are we moving forward?

At this stage, I might have:

Chapter 8: Finn's first real training session with Liam. They clash. Finn's frustration with Guardian traditions vs. Liam's discipline. Their abilities unexpectedly synchronize.

It's short, but I know what the chapter needs to accomplish.

Fleshing Out the Details

Once the high-level novel chapter outline is done, I add more detail to each chapter description. This is where I'm focusing on developing character arcs and refining settings. What does this scene feel like? What's the emotional beat?

I also build storyboards during this phase: images of characters, settings, and key moments. Visual references help me see the world I'm building.

Scene Breakdown

Here's where I convert chapter descriptions into specific scene descriptions. Each chapter gets broken down into multiple scenes with their own purpose.

That Chapter 8 training session becomes:

• Scene 1: Training arena, Liam explains the exercise

• Scene 2: Finn struggles, gets frustrated

• Scene 3: Their abilities accidentally synchronize

• Scene 4: Awkward aftermath

I run through the entire story at this level to make sure everything flows the way I want it to.

Writing the Draft

Once all of that is "finished" (it's never really finished), I start writing. Chapter 1, scene 1, all the way through to the end of the novel.

Despite all my planning, the story comes alive in ways I don't expect. Scenes evolve. I move things around. I refine as I discover what actually works on the page versus what worked in the outline.

Sometimes, a scene I thought would be crucial falls flat and gets cut. Other times, a small moment becomes pivotal. The outline is my roadmap, but I adjust it as needed.

Revision

Once the novel draft is complete, I read the entire manuscript, starting from the first page, making edits. This can take a couple of passes to tighten dialogue, sharpen character voices, and make sure every scene earns its place.

It's not unusual for me to make significant changes during these passes.

What Surprises Me: Characters Change

Despite all the upfront work, backstories, voice documents, and carefully planned arcs, the final version of a character can look different from my initial vision. They grow and evolve as the story unfolds, regardless of how much planning I've done upfront.

In GUARDIAN BORNE, Finn's grandfather, Patrick, is a perfect example. He started out as overly fearful of Finn getting hurt, someone whose role was mainly about creating obstacles through his protectiveness. But as I wrote, Patrick evolved into an integral part of the story. His own Guardian past, his relationships with other characters, and his strategic thinking all became essential to the plot in ways I hadn't originally planned. The character grew beyond what I'd outlined because the story demanded it.

In A FUTURE UNDONE, Alex changed from a soldier to a soldier-scientist. That shift in how he approached problems and interacted with the technology around him became crucial to the story.

My Process Works for Me

I'm an extreme plotter because all that planning gives me freedom to change things when I need to. I know the story's structure well enough to see when something isn't working and fix it.

The outline is my foundation. It lets me take risks. Your process might be completely different, and that's fine. This is just what works for me.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? What does your process look like?

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