Craft Glossary · term

Outlining vs. discovery ("plotters vs. pantsers")

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Plain English: Two legitimate routes to a draft — plan the structure first (outline), or write to find out what happens (discovery / "pantsing"). Most working novelists are hybrids: a skeleton outline, discovery inside the scene.

Rule: Match the method to the book. A tightly-plotted set-piece adventure (RELIC's quest-relay) needs the outline up front so the key-chain can't break; a character/voice piece can afford more discovery. Whatever the route, the revision is where the book is actually made.

Fail: Treating the outline as a cage (killing a better idea the draft surfaces) or treating "pantsing" as a license to skip structural revision.

See: CLAUDE.md (pipeline stage 1) · Outline

Arjuna Badger Press · Craft Library

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