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The Pocket Guide to Pantsing: How to Write a Novel Without an Outline (With Confidence)
do you want to ditch outlining forever but don't know how?
Maybe you've tried to write by the seat of your pants, but you got lost in the weeds. Or, you just need some structure.
Writing a novel without an outline is like solving a complex puzzle—daunting, but not impossible. Master this technique and you'll write stories that you never dreamed of--and readers will pay you for it.
In this practical, no BS guide, prolific M.L. Ronn will talk about the pantsing process he's followed to write over 20 novels without an outline.
You'll tried-and-true structure for writing your book without an outlineHow to win the war against self-doubtWhat to do when you get stuck, and exactly what to write nextHow to edit your novel as you go and produce a clean first & final draftOnce you write your first novel without an outline, the next one will be much easier. All you need is practical advice. Click the buy button to take your writing skills to the next level.
V1.0
Maybe you've tried to write by the seat of your pants, but you got lost in the weeds. Or, you just need some structure.
Writing a novel without an outline is like solving a complex puzzle—daunting, but not impossible. Master this technique and you'll write stories that you never dreamed of--and readers will pay you for it.
In this practical, no BS guide, prolific M.L. Ronn will talk about the pantsing process he's followed to write over 20 novels without an outline.
You'll tried-and-true structure for writing your book without an outlineHow to win the war against self-doubtWhat to do when you get stuck, and exactly what to write nextHow to edit your novel as you go and produce a clean first & final draftOnce you write your first novel without an outline, the next one will be much easier. All you need is practical advice. Click the buy button to take your writing skills to the next level.
V1.0
- GenresWritingNonfiction
216 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2021
35 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 14, 2021
As the author claims, there aren't many books on pantsing when you compare it to the vast number of books on outlining. One of the reasons might be that pantsers themselves don't like to be stifled by how-to books, so there just might not be a big market for it. I fall somewhere in the middle of the plotting-pantsing spectrum, meaning that I don't write very detailed outlines beforehand, but on the other hand: I also don't fly into a project with your eyes closed. And I picked this book up, because as the author already said--there aren't many books on pantsing, so this intrigued me.
The author credits Dean Wesley Smith's 'Writing into the Dark' and in all honestly, if you have to choose pick up Wesley's book or at least read that one first before you read this one. I thought Wesley's book was more concise and practical compared to this book.
That's not to say there's nothing of added value here, but... I don't know, I found it lacking at certain points. If you add in something like the stitching method, it would've been so helpful if there'd been more examples of that! I thought it was a super interesting concept, but he briefly discusses an example from Jurassic Parc and then moves on to the next section. I think taking note of this while you pants could be very useful to keep on track, so I would've liked to have this explained a little more in-depth.
Some of the graphics are impossible to read on your Kindle. Perhaps it's better on a tablet, but I think it's common courtesy to include a link to download graphics, seeing how they're difficult to read on an e-reader device, even when you zoom in.
When the author claims that pantsing a book shouldn't be detrimental to great character development, he cites Alex Cross by James Patterson as an example. Patterson is known for using extensive outlining, so to me that really weakened his point. There are so many pantsers who create brilliant characters, so why did the author use an example of an author who extensively outlines? It made no sense to me whatsoever!
I enjoyed the author's encouraging voice--he really does seem to practise what he preaches in this book and I always like reading how other authors work. Did I learn a lot from it? Hmm... doubtful. Though I did like the 500-word stitch, I'll definitely be paying attention to that in the future.
The author credits Dean Wesley Smith's 'Writing into the Dark' and in all honestly, if you have to choose pick up Wesley's book or at least read that one first before you read this one. I thought Wesley's book was more concise and practical compared to this book.
That's not to say there's nothing of added value here, but... I don't know, I found it lacking at certain points. If you add in something like the stitching method, it would've been so helpful if there'd been more examples of that! I thought it was a super interesting concept, but he briefly discusses an example from Jurassic Parc and then moves on to the next section. I think taking note of this while you pants could be very useful to keep on track, so I would've liked to have this explained a little more in-depth.
Some of the graphics are impossible to read on your Kindle. Perhaps it's better on a tablet, but I think it's common courtesy to include a link to download graphics, seeing how they're difficult to read on an e-reader device, even when you zoom in.
When the author claims that pantsing a book shouldn't be detrimental to great character development, he cites Alex Cross by James Patterson as an example. Patterson is known for using extensive outlining, so to me that really weakened his point. There are so many pantsers who create brilliant characters, so why did the author use an example of an author who extensively outlines? It made no sense to me whatsoever!
I enjoyed the author's encouraging voice--he really does seem to practise what he preaches in this book and I always like reading how other authors work. Did I learn a lot from it? Hmm... doubtful. Though I did like the 500-word stitch, I'll definitely be paying attention to that in the future.
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November 22, 2025Most writing books of this nature are written with plotters in mind. Even when they acknowledge that some of us don't plot, they try to convince us to become a plotter and explain why that technique is better.
The Pocket Guide to Pantsing is another good book for those of us who "pants" instead of plot. The first is Writing into the Dark by Dean Wesley Smith.
Both acknowledge that there's a different way to write stories, which works just as well as plotting. So don't try to fit a square peg into a round hole. If you're a pantser, lean into your method. That's how you'll be most productive and write your best stories.
The Pocket Guide to Pantsing is another good book for those of us who "pants" instead of plot. The first is Writing into the Dark by Dean Wesley Smith.
Both acknowledge that there's a different way to write stories, which works just as well as plotting. So don't try to fit a square peg into a round hole. If you're a pantser, lean into your method. That's how you'll be most productive and write your best stories.
January 25, 2024
Top 5 craft books out there
They say that mastery is just doing the fundamentals really, really well. This book illustrates that. Clean, simple concepts, that are easy to put into practice, and difficult to misunderstand. Can't recommend the book enough for thirsty authors.
They say that mastery is just doing the fundamentals really, really well. This book illustrates that. Clean, simple concepts, that are easy to put into practice, and difficult to misunderstand. Can't recommend the book enough for thirsty authors.
April 13, 2025
brilliant book to get rid of fear in writing
Wonderful gem on pantsing with really great suggestions, diagrams to explain and even templates to download and use. Its the best book o pantsing I’ve read and i have a whole host of writing books on the shelf, highly recommended for pantsers And outliners
Wonderful gem on pantsing with really great suggestions, diagrams to explain and even templates to download and use. Its the best book o pantsing I’ve read and i have a whole host of writing books on the shelf, highly recommended for pantsers And outliners
September 5, 2025
Read on Hoopla the 2021 book, The Pocket Guide to Pantsing by M L Ronn.
I learned about this book from Bethany’s August 27, YouTube video about First Draft Hack.
I’ve always been a Panser when I write. Great book to help me understand why I write this way and how it works best for me.
Good read indeed
I learned about this book from Bethany’s August 27, YouTube video about First Draft Hack.
I’ve always been a Panser when I write. Great book to help me understand why I write this way and how it works best for me.
Good read indeed
August 17, 2024
I think as a pantser with completed manuscripts, this wasn't the book I needed to read. However, it does contain some good advice. I believe that someone new to writing who wanted to write without an outline could glean some gems from it.
September 24, 2022
Doesn't add anything
The author say, read Writing into the Dark first. I'd say read it instead because this book doesn't add anything of value.
The author say, read Writing into the Dark first. I'd say read it instead because this book doesn't add anything of value.
February 5, 2024
Excellent source for Outline guidence
Highly recommend Michael’s book, wish I had read it before my first novel.
Excellent list of resources and their value.
Highly recommend Michael’s book, wish I had read it before my first novel.
Excellent list of resources and their value.
August 31, 2025
Very helpful. Confirmed how I like to write and gave me great advice to move forward. Aka. Editing while writing.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews