Plotter or Pantser? The results are in!

Well – what a week for democracy it has been. And we apologise for taking so long to report the final result, but we had a few plotters in Pennsylvania that had mailed their pants in and, well, everything had to be verified.

But now that the polls have closed, the legal challenges have been laughed off, and the press conferences have been landscaped, AWC is now able to project that the PANTSERS have delivered the writing world a clear victory – winning a decisive 64% of the vote. In doing so, they have established a clear mandate for writers to continue to “make it up as they go along” with true creative abandon.

PANTSERS: 64%

PLOTTERS: 36%

(100% of the vote counted)

It should be noted that according to many exit surveys, some of the pantsers were divided in their loyalties when casting their vote. Because while many did identify with the chaos and gleeful terror that comes with making up stories ‘by the seat of your pants’, they wistfully wished that they could one day aspire to the heavenly heights and serene storytelling bliss that surrounds the plotters.

Upon hearing the result this week, PLOTTERS across the world expressed their shock and dismay at the outcome of the vote. Ironically, they had not planned for such an eventuality and worry about the example this will set for their children and their beta readers. “Everyone we polled said they wanted to be a plotter,” one disappointed spokesperson said. “But it turns out, when it came time to vote, they were actually silent pantsers all along…”

Of course, luckily this is the world of writing not politics, and this whole vote is just a bit of fun. In fact, the world is a far more interesting place with both plotters and pantsers in the mix. And no matter HOW you write your story, having a solid structure is essential if you want your readers to enjoy the ride. So be sure to grab our new Fiction Essentials: STRUCTURE course available from 11 November!

Thanks again for voting and god bless the manuscript!