How Do You Write a Book? Three Approaches to Writing From Plan

There are multiple ways to write your book.

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When it comes to the art of writing a book, there is no One True Way™ to do it. There are nearly as many ways to write as there are genres to write in and topics to write about.

You, as the artist, get to choose your own adventure. What do you like to read? What do you desire to write? Do you have the mental, emotional, spiritual, and yes – physical fortitude to get from the beginning to the middle to the end?

Once you decide to write a book, there tend to be 2-3 primary approaches. Writing as a pantser or writing as a planner. (I just learned this weekend that some people dislike pantser and prefer “discovery writer”). The third is an amalgam of the first two and is sometimes called plantser. These break down thusly:

A planner creates an outline to one degree or another. It might be incredibly detailed, touching on multiple elements of the storytelling process. Or it might be a more minimalistic outline.

A pantser sits down at the keyboard or with a pen and paper and writes. They let the story unfold organically as it arrives in their head and makes its way to the page.

A plantser tends to create an overarching plan like a planner, I’m presuming with minimal plotting. But most of the actual writing is as a pantser by the seat of your pants.

Having only recently learned about the term plantser, I see that I can redefine my own approach in that. However, I think this is far more about how you approach writing from a plan than being a separate and unique approach.

Hence, I’d like to share three approaches to writing from plan.

Three approaches to writing from plan

I had the good fortune to participate in some amazing discussion panels at the 2025 Farpoint Convention. One in particular, however, gave me some new perspectives on writing from plan.

Again, there is no One True Way™ to do it. This is also why I’m a tad skeptical about applying the new-to-me term “plantser”. Allow me to elaborate.

One way to plan is to approach the story you want to tell by keeping your plots in mind. Plots include not only your primary, overarching story plot, but also the subplots of characters and situations. You look at each and how they overlap one another. It’s possible while working from this that you realize a subplot is slowing your story down or even interfering with the overall action.

Working from plot and subplot, planning them out in this way, is one way to write from plan.

Another approach to writing from plan is character motivation. What drives this character to be where they are? What are their goals? Is there something that they need to do to drive the story? How do your characters interact with other characters, the world around them, the quest they’re likely going on, and how does that drive it all?

Working from character to character, planning them out in this way, is a means to write from plan.

The third way to write from plan is what I follow. Do the world-building. Create, develop, and write the outline. Sit down with that plan and get to writing.

This third way is very much the plantser notion. But it’s still writing from plan. This, and the other two ways to write from plan I’ve shared here, can have a lot of benefits.

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Does this story hold your interest?

Writing as a pantser at the start of my journey, I once got through two novels in a series before I fully comprehended what the hell the overarching plot was. This meant that the story developed organically. However, it also meant that a lot of rambling occurred as the characters moved around the world to and for their various motivations.

For the record, there is NOTHING wrong with writing as a pantser. For me, however, it means my plot is likely to wander. That’s not to say I can’t write through, find my plot, then go back and edit out the rambling. That’s a good way to handle it. But for me, more focus via my minimal planning is better storytelling that holds your interest overall.

Writing from plan opens you to discovering that your story won’t work before you invest too much time and energy into it. If you have no intent to publish and are writing as a hobbyist, this is far less important. However, writing as an authorpreneur, this is a necessary consideration.

If you lose interest in the planning process, you save yourself from a lot of hassle. This is also, to me, an excellent way to avoid writer’s block – which I’m increasingly believing is more about pursuing a story you’ve lost interest in than being truly “blocked” like a cholesterol-clogged artery. If the plan can’t survive contact with the enemy (the enemy being Resistance and/or the blank screen or page) it’s not likely to become a finished book.

Write from your heart, from plan, by the seat of your pants, or whatever

For the record, I’m not poo-pooing writing as a pantser. However, in showing that there is no One True Way™ to write from plan, I hope you can see that there are multiple options for you to use to write your book. These are also by no means the ONLY ways to write from plan. Whatever works for you is for you.

Thanks for reading. As I share my creative journey with you every week, please consider this: How are you inspired and empowered to be your own creator, whatever form that takes?

A special thank you to Aaron Rosenberg and Mike D’Ambrosio.

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