In the spirit of National November Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), we had a discussion about what our members think is the best way to tackle this challenge. If you don't know what NaNoWriMo is, it is essentially a challenge to write 50,000 words in the month of November. It is a daunting task, and our members have some thoughts to say!

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Question posted on Nov 5, 2022:

Is it better to approach Nano as a planner or a pantser? What are the benefits of your preferred side and why? 

*note, all answers are slightly modified for grammar and structure*

Winning answer by UnicornCosmic:

Taking part in Nano is supposed to be fun. It should be tricky and challenging but fun too, so it gives you the perfect time to find out what works for you, and what is better where you're concerned. If you don't normally plan and want to give it a go for Nano, be sure too. But in terms of what I'd recommend, I'd say go with what normally works for you. 

For me, I'm a Pantser, but it doesn't really work because I just ramble on until I get to chapter seven where I nearly always run out of ideas and steam and then I put it in my draft box and don't know how to continue it. Being a Pantser can help you to get that creative freedom that stories so often need, but can't often help someone finish a story. Planning allows you to know where your story is going, where your aims are. 

So overall, I think that being a Plantser is the best way, why? Because you get to know where you're going and why, what the aims of your stories are and also can help you achieve your goals, but also help you to get that creative freedom that's needed when writing a story yourself and gives you the chance to explore your characters as people and find out what they'd do in the scenario. I don't know how to end this, so in conclusion I'd say what works for you is good, but if I really had to pick one, I'd choose a Plantser.

1st Runner-up (tied) answer by ToWolfKin:

Is it better to go into Nano as a Planner or a Panster? Honestly, whatever works for you, works. However I would personally say having at least a loose plan in hand helps a whole ton. This is for a few reasons. 

First, knowing where you are going and where you have come from saves time. With a plan, you at least know what your beginning, middle, and ending. This cuts down on the semi-aimless wandering around or mucking around in a sub plot that isn't important pansting brings, and leaves a lot less to edit later on! 

Second, having a plan motivates you. When you don't know how exactly or almost exactly to get where you're going, it's really hard to motivate yourself. When I first started out A Fallen HomeKin, I had no clue what I was doing. I got to the fith chapter before losing motivation; I didn't know how to get where I was going or say what I wanted to say. What I had was a blithering mess full of holes, mushy puddles, and inconsistencies, and I wanted to shove it in a hole and let it die. However, when I revisited it with a plan, with a better idea of the steps to take towards the end--and how to get where I was going--I could and wanted to write again. Even when writing became hard, I could press through because I could tell myself, 'you only have to get him to X spot. Then you're X amount of chapters away from the end.' 

Third and lastly, writing with a plan removes stress. You don't have to worry if you're twiddling your thumbs or going too fast. All of that is done in the plan, and all you have to do is write.However! You do not need a super detailed plan! A loose one with a general, Vague idea of the steps in between (eg. [They have fun here] or [fight with Antagonist]) will do wonderfully. 

I'd like to take a moment to say that this may not work for everyone. Some people really benefit going on the fly. Some people can't work within the constraints of an outline. In the end, whatever works, works.

1st Runner-up (tied) answer by Siberiathewriter:

One thing I've noticed (and experienced) is that the more a writer's "creative intuition" develops, the less reliant they become on detailed plans or outlines. A few people have mentioned that without a plan they got lost, or alternatively that planning helped a lot to finish a novel. On the other hand, those who already have a few books under their belt find less structure more freeing. However this debate isn't about having a plan, but rather approaching Nano as a planner or a pantser. Some people will say planners have the advantage, but just because someone is a pantser doesn't mean they don't have an idea of where the story could go. Keeping this in mind, I suggest:

For someone struggling to cross that 50k finish line, approaching as a planner will motivate and give direction, as it allows them to move quickly from one point to the next.

For someone using nano to speed up a project or work on one for fun, approaching as a pantser will be less burdensome and energizing, as it removes the pressures of a traditional writing routine and allows them to go with the flow.

1st Runner-up (tied) answer by MoniTheTigerEmpress:

My argument is going to be in the middle, but I am definitely a pantser. 

Firstly, I'd say there are both pros and cons to both, it just depends on the individual. With my nano project I only planned out the names of the characters, the name of the city, and a rough estimate of what I want to happen at the start or the end of the story, but I don't go planning it all. I'd say from my stand point it is important to know where you want to go with the story, like if you want a vampire in there, if you want it to be set in a cafe, if you want some sort of mystery happening, etc. 

 Another thing I'd say is it is important to know what motivates you. Is it music? Is it sprinting? Is it having someone pushing you to write? Like find your own schedule and what works for you to help you write. Personally I find sprinting works but also when I shut off discord and my socials and just focus on my sheet itself. 

I'd also add: don't force yourself if you genuinely can't write. Take care of yourself, drink plenty of water, make sure you are looking after you and your needs in real life because at the end of the day, your health is important. At the start of Nano I felt so confident, but then by day 3 when I realised I was behind, it kind of broke my motivation and desire to write so I'd say try not to focus on the word count and write what you can. Don't be like me; I tried to write 1600 words a day and that took a massive toll on me.

I've probably strayed very far from the point but the pro's of a planner is that you have the basics of what you want to happen in each chapter down so you can just write the thing and know where you are heading. The con's that I see is that one might not always follow this outline and stray away from it. As a pantser I'd say the pros are writing whatever you want. The con's I see is that you might hit a roadblock and not be able to write without stressing about it. There isn't anything wrong with either but I personally am in the middle of both. My advice would be focusing on your writing and not the word count. Yes, Nano is usually 50,000 words but try to write what you can and not worry if you cannot hit those words. Have fun with your writing. You guys can do it!

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And that's all! Thank you to everyone who participated in this round's discussion questions, and congratulations to the winners! Feel free to leave any additional thoughts in the comments. 

See you next round, debaters!