You may have heard the term “pantser,” as in one who writes by the seat of her pants. Like many other writers, I prefer the term discovery writer, which, to me, sounds more purposeful.

You may identify as either a plotter or a discover writer. However, I seen this as a sliding scale.

A discovery writer doesn’t open a new Word doc with absolutely no idea what she wants to write and expect to create a 75,000-word novel. At least that’s highly unlikely.

And only the most detail-oriented plotters create outlines that include the entire skeleton of the manuscript down to the stapes (the smallest bone in the human body).

Several years ago, I had an idea for a speculative fiction story, but it wasn’t until it dawned on me to make the main character a young woman about to become her nation’s ruling princess that I became excited about how the story would unfold.

And because I love to surprise myself while I write, I completed approximately half the story until I found myself uncertain as to where to go next.

At this point, I wrote the last chapter.

Why would I do that?

Because then I knew I had to get my MC from where she was to that final scene.

To further help me plot my course, I’ve begun to create a list of things that have to happen in the as-yet unwritten chapters.

I may or may not write one or two sentences summarizing these chapters. But even if I do, there will still be lots of surprising discoveries along the way. Those discoveries keep me motivated to keep writing.

Therefore, when it comes to fiction, I would refer to myself as a discovery writer who, when necessary, creates a high-level outline to keep me moving forward.

When it comes to nonfiction, however, I need more structure. Far earlier in the process will I ask myself the following questions:

1. Who is my target audience?

2. Do I want to encourage, challenge, or instruct readers?

3. What author voice will I use? Casual or academic? Down-to-earth or authoritative? Lighthearted or serious?

4. Do I want to include anecdotes? If so, where will I find them?

5. Where will I publish my work?

Although I can’t foresee ever creating an extensive outline, I would likely know far more about a nonfiction project than a work of fiction.

How about you? Are you a discovery writer or a plotter? What do you want to know before setting out to write your first draft? What details do you include in your outline when plotting your work?