To Pants or to Plot: That is the Question (When Writing Romance Screenplays)
Every writer, whether novelist or screenwriter, comes to a fork in their creative road at some point, in which they must decide: “Do I fly by the seat of my pants? Put my hands on this keyboard and just see what happens? Or do I plan every story beat before I type and format a single word?”
When it comes to writing romantic screenplays, chemistry, romantic story structure, and emotional arcs are paramount. So deciding whether to “plot” or “pants” can be feel stressful.
Let’s chat pros and cons, and see if there is one definitive right way to begin writing your screenplay.
What Does “Pantsing” Mean?
Pantsing = the writing equivalent of ‘flying by the seat of your pants.’ This means you don’t outline— or if you do, it’s rather loose. There’s no real roadmap. Simply a blank slate, your instincts, creative juices, and a reliance on “the flow state” to get you to and from each next story beat.
PROS of Pantsing:
Pantsing lends itself to natural dialogue, organic rhythm, and a sense of play and discovery.
Surprising twists and story turns can read as genuinely spontaneous.
It can feel like a less stifling and more creatively fulfilling way to tackle the writing process because the page is truly your oyster.
CONS of Pantsing:
Story structure and pacing can suffer when there is no roadmap or markers guiding you.
You can write and write and write and then realize 20 pages from the end that there is a huge plot hole and now the ending doesn’t pay off. Which means an enormous re-write and overhaul of your entire script.
You can risk losing sight of important things like theme, character authenticity, tone, and critical emotional arcs.
Plotting Out Your Screenplay
Plotting = generating an outline or beat sheet that covers the main story points before you begin the actual script-writing process. At the very least, you have sketched out a meet-cute, midpoint, end of Act 2/ Top of Act 3 break-up, and resolution which leads to one glorious dry kiss.
PROS of Plotting:
More likely to elicit the maximum amount of emotion in an audience by hitting the right beats at the right time.
Less likely to have to do major overhauls to the plot or massive rewrites.
Typically leads to a quicker script-writing process as much of the story is already laid out, now you simply have to format it into your Final Draft screenwriting software and generate witty banter.
CONS of Plotting:
Plotting is far less fun, creatively speaking, than letting your pen fly and seeing where your creative whimsy takes you.
It can be easy to fall into a rigid “paint by numbers” feeling if you try to stay too closely within the lines, without allowing surprises and organic moments to cut through.
So… which is better? Pantsing or Plotting?
The good news is, you can write an amazing made-for-TV romance script (or any genre of screenplay for that matter) by pantsing OR plotting. There is no one right way.
Screenwriter and Director, Marianna Palka, is the ultimate pantser when it comes to writing her screenplays. She will take herself on a writing reatreat and write an entire screenplay, top to bottom, in one weekend without any kind of outline. She taps into her creative muse and let’s her fingers fly.
That works for Marianna. It doesn’t work for everyone.
I have found a happy medium between both plotting and pantsing my romance screenplays. I typically plot out my story, but as I write, I leave ample room for discovery. There are always scenes that appear in my scripts that were never included in my outlines, because sometimes my characters and my story have a way of their own.
That said, when I sell a story based on the idea alone, rather than a completed spec script, I am required to provide an outline to the production company I am working with and must receive their approval before proceeding with writing the script. In this case, pantsing it isn’t even an option.
Which is why I would encourage any writer to at least get familiar with the plotting process.
Some outlining/story structure references that help me:
Blake Snyder’s “Save the Cat” 15-story beats.
Michael Hauge’s - 6 Stages of Story.
Gwen Haye’s “Romancing the Beat.”
How to Pants and Plot: Best of Both Worlds
Try “plantsing” it.
Wow. What a pleasing word to say. Really rolls of the tongue.
Here’s how “plantsing” might look for you:
Knowing the genre beats (this could be the 9-act cable structure, the Save the Cat story beats, whatever tool you are using to organize your romance story.)
Sketch out the big moments ahead of time, like tent-pole scenes. (ex: meet-cute, midpoint twist, the big break-up, the apology and kiss.)
Explore all the spaces in between these story beats. Fill in the gaps with organic dialogue and creative story telling that feels exciting for both you as a writer and for your audience.
Writing a Christmas Romance Movie?
If you are in the process of writing a Christmas Romance movie with the hopes of selling it to Hallmark or Lifetime, I have a great resource for you!
This summer I am teaching a live, 90-minute webinar all about writing made-for-tv Christmas romance moves— Just in time for Hallmark’s Christmas in July!
In my Zoom webinar I cover:
The 9-act cable structure (Hallmark & Lifetime use)
Key elements of a romantic story structure
How to write a killer logline, pitch and query your project
All the do’s and don’ts of writing for low-budget movies.
Followed by a Q & A!
Let’s write your holiday love story, together!