Are you a plotter or a pantser? (For those of you who don’t know, pantser refers to those authors who write by the seat of their pants.) This is a common discussion among writers. Those who are plotters defend their position of outlining complete with Roman numerals and letters and writing out thirty page synopses. Pantsers feel equally strongly about their more free-wheeling techniques and love the spontaneity of writing whatever comes into their mind at any given moment.

Where do you fall? Are you a logical and precise plotter or an emotional and intuitive pantser? Or do you fall somewhere in between?

Not sure what you are? Let’s examine the differences between plotters and pantsers:

You are probably a plotter if you:

• Like to plan out most aspects of your life. You like to schedule your day down to the hour or even the half hour. Your vacations are planned a year, or at least six months, in advance.

• Don’t work well with distractions.

• Tend toward linear or step-by-step learning.

• Zero in on details rather than the overall pattern. (You see the trees rather than the forest.)

• Like a structured environment.

• Make decisions based on logic, facts, and reason.

• Like to do one thing at a time.

• Enjoy learning when facts and numbers are presented.

• Learn best when new information is presented in sequential form.

You are probably a pantser if you:

• Have only the most general of ideas of where your story is going.

• You are spontaneous in how you live your life as well as in how you write.

• You make decisions based on intuition and emotion. (You are usually right in your decisions.)

• You see the forest first, then the trees.

• You expect your characters to tell you what they’re going to do next.

• You don’t mind if your story diverges from what you expected.

• Learn best when information is presented in anecdotal or story form.

• Respond better to lessons that you can relate to on a personal level rather than an abstract level.

• Respond well to visual learning.

• Can work with distractions.

Do you recognize yourself? Do you find that you are drawn to the statements describing the plotter? Or does the description of the pantser resonate within you? Perhaps you have characteristics of both.

How does knowing what you are help your writing? Understanding yourself is imperative in making the most of your strengths and working around your weaknesses.

For those of you who are plotters, you find satisfaction in knowing exactly where your story is heading. Your characters are well-behaved in doing what you’ve directed them. You stay on schedule and complete a book in the time you’ve allotted yourself. This is especially important when you’re on deadline. You are an editor’s darling because you always turn in a manuscript on time. You’re never late and may even be early. Congratulations. Is there a minus side to being a plotter? It depends.

You may lose some of your enthusiasm and passion for writing with such strict demands placed upon you. You may also miss out on a chance to take your story in new and interesting directions if you are adamant about sticking to your outline and/or synopsis. Your challenge is to combine the best of your plotter techniques while being open to new ideas that may strengthen your book.

For the pantsers among us, you may write scenes out of order. This has the benefit of allowing you to jump from one part of the book to the next. You aren’t plagued by writer’s block because you can don’t have to finish a problematic scene when the words refuse to come. You wake up curious and excited about what your characters will do today? Will they get themselves out of the trouble they were in yesterday or will they dig themselves in deeper. The downside to being a pantser is that you must later go back and put the pieces of your book puzzle together. This can be a frustrating and time-consuming process. (I know because I sometimes write in just this way.) Your challenge is to keep your spontaneity while maintaining some kind of work schedule.

Plotter or pantser. Both have advantages; both have limitations. As always, find out what works for you and then do it.

Jane McBride Choate is the author of 32 books and a Contributing Editor to Children's Book Insider. Her latest book is Larrabee's Luck from Avalon Romance. Read an interview with Jane at Avalon Authors.