Harper St. George writes historical fiction romance set in various time periods from the Viking Era to the Gilded Age. Her latest series are The Gilded Age Heiresses and The Doves of New York. She lives in the Atlanta area with her family.

Fiction writers fall on a creative process spectrum with plotting on one end and pantsing on the other. For clarity’s sake, plotting is when writers create an outline for a story and have a detailed plot and arcs for the major characters before they begin writing their story. Pantsers are the other extreme. Also known as discovery writers or intuitive writers, pantsers may have a basic idea of their story, but they will not have the details nailed down because they prefer to discover them as they write. Neither method is wrong and writers usually fall at different points along the spectrum.

As an intuitive writer, I’ve always needed to feel the story out as I write. Plotting can feel intimidating when you’re wired this way. This is because most pantsers thrive on discovering the story as we write. Planning an entire story ahead of time feels like trying to put a leash on creativity. However, the downfall of pantsing is that it can make the writing process excruciatingly slow. My pace for the first half of a book will be much slower than the second half.

I tried plotting to speed up my writing process and, as you might have guessed, I failed. But I did pick up a few plotting tricks that have helped me write faster as a pantser. Guess what? Plotting doesn’t have to mean scripting every chapter. While I still don’t consider myself a plotter, these are the five most important lessons I learned about plotting that have helped me write faster while still experiencing the thrill of discovery and letting my characters surprise me.

Lesson 1: Know your characters

Know your protagonist and your antagonist before you start writing or as early in the writing process as you can. Create character profiles for your main characters. Not only will you list basic stats like hair color and eye color but ask your characters the important questions. What do they want? What is their biggest strength? What is their biggest flaw? What is their deepest secret? How did they get to where they are when the story starts? How will they need to change by the end of the story?

Try to answer all of these questions for yourself before you start. Don’t worry if you can’t. You can always use the first few chapters to figure it out. Hint: Try to let the reader know the protagonist’s biggest flaw as early as possible in the story. I’m talking page one, if you can. This helps them connect with your character and hints at the conflict to come.

Lesson 2: Rigid outlines are not necessary

If outlining isn’t your thing, you don’t have to frustrate yourself by plotting out every chapter ahead of time. In fact, less is more for a pantser. Jot down the mood of the story, big tropes, the dynamic between the leads, and how you want to hook your reader. Once you have an idea of where your story is heading, write some basic back cover copy. This doesn’t have to be in-depth, and it doesn’t have to tell the story’s ending. The idea is to give yourself something to look back on as you write. Use it as your guide.

Lesson 3: Find your goalpost scenes

Once you have a brief synopsis or back cover copy, find the goalpost scenes within your story. Each of these scenes will have an internal element that speaks to the character arc you’re developing, and an external element that will serve as the action. The earlier in the writing process that you know what these scenes are, the easier it is to write yourself to that scene.

  • Opening hook – The very first scene in your book, this is where you introduce your protagonist, their flaw, and their external challenge.
  • Point of no return – Also known as the doorway of no return, this scene leads to the journey your character will go on in the story. Whether they choose this path or they are forced into it, their life will no longer be the same.
  • Midpoint – This scene changes everything for your protagonist. In a romance, it’s usually where the main characters realize they are falling in love—sometimes against their will. In a mystery, it can be a big clue reveal that takes the story in a whole other direction.
  • Dark moment – This is a moment of failure for your character. They have been so changed by their journey that they cannot go back to who they were at the start of the book. It makes a clear resolution to their journey seem impossible.
  • Resolution – This is how the protagonist will overcome the dark moment. This is the scene that pulls it all back together and resolves the main conflict of the story.

With these goalpost scenes in place, you don’t have to feel overwhelmed. You simply write the opening scene (the hook) and then write towards the next goalpost (the point of no return). From there you write to the midpoint and so on. This can break your story up into smaller portions that are easier to digest.

Lesson 4: Plot as you go

I am using the word plot here very loosely. What I really mean is to keep a dedicated notebook by your side as you write. If you don’t use notebooks, then keep a separate document on your computer for story ideas. Believe me, your subconscious will be chewing on those goalpost scenes as you work. The second you get an idea, write it down.

You would be surprised how those portions of dialogue and setting ideas can coalesce into entire scenes once you note them down.

Lesson 5: Keep yourself organized

Create one character file and one setting file for your story. As soon as you introduce a new character, open the character file and record their biographical information. This isn’t as detailed as the questions we asked above. This is strictly to keep track of their age, appearance, location, and anything else you deem important. Since pantsers do not plot this information out ahead of time, it is imperative that we keep this data somewhere easy to find. Otherwise, we end up with several characters who look virtually identical or all have dogs with the same name.

The same goes for setting. Take note of important details for each setting, especially if the characters will visit it more than once. Jot down wall color, flooring, description of furniture mentioned, anything that you might forget when they come back to the location in a later scene.

These lessons have transformed my writing process. They help me go into the story knowing what I want to do while still leaving enough space for surprise and discovery. Don’t be afraid to bring elements of plotting into your process, you might find that a little structure can give your writing speed a boost.

Eliza and the Duke by Harper St. George

Eliza has always been a hopeless romantic with a lust for danger buried in her heart. But when forced into a marriage of convenience, she knows she will go quietly into a simple and dull life, so she steals away for one night of adventure and freedom with the Duke. The Duke, a talented boxer, is one match away from saving his sister’s one heirloom, and he refuses to let himself get distracted by the graceful and beautiful Eliza, but agrees to give her a night to remember. Eliza knows her time with the Duke, picturing the life she could have lived, will haunt her forever. So, she sets her plan in motion. A plan that could bring her and her Duke together or send them both into ruin.

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