Stephanie Gunn

Definitely and unequivocally a pantser. As when I was studying computer science, I could never my head around the idea of writing it out first in pseudo-code and then writing it out properly. Hence with my writing — even technical writing — I write it out organically and discover the plotline as I progress. I suppose I enjoy the discovery while writing that the reader does while reading. Which is probably Not Good.

I suppose my half-baked reasoning is that this is how we learned to write creatively at high school (who remembers English class where you had to write an essay or story there and then, with no preparation? I nearly always got an ‘A’ for such work, so I must have been doing something right? So why change now?) and… that’s what draft edits are for. Vomit the words onto paper or screen and tidy it up afterwards.

Having said that, I really really (really!) want to try outlining in my creative work. Perhaps it’s a case of the grass being greener, but I’m envious of those who have half the creative work — and therefore, at least in theory, any plot holes — sorted, and are able to get to the business of waxing lyrical without the second-guessing. I haven’t even looked into it, though, so have no idea why techniques are out there — except perhaps the idea of outlining by hierarchical levels (which seems intuitively obvious and therefore, to my mind, suspect ).