On the Architect and the Gardener

It’s common for anyone writing to look to the successful for advice. Most commonly you will hear two types of responses. Someone who writes as they go with a general idea in mind would say, “Just write it and get the story out.” The ‘pantser,’ the ‘gardener,’ or Stephen King. The other response, often regarded as the opposite, would be someone who plans their story, and then writes it out. They say, “You have to plan or else you’ll lose track of where you’re going.” The ‘outliner,’ the ‘architect,’ or J.K. Rowling.

Everyone’s style of writing is different, yes. That doesn’t mean we don’t fall into the same track of storytelling. The problem with these advices, directly yet near imperceptibly, is the timeline that is implied. Either of these methods just is the beginning of the process, a way to write the first draft. There are at least two more drafts after this: a rewrite of some kind, and then a revised edition. But, we often attribute writing method to only the first draft, and thousands upon thousands of writers take the advice of the first draft rather than just writing it. It’s going to be bad. That’s the point. Ernest Hemingway once said, the first draft of anything is trash. Well, not exactly, but in a vaguer more family friendly way, that is what he said. The problem I believe is this: we think that there are two ways to write a first draft (generally.) However, this is untrue. Let me show you why.

George Martin distinguishes the ‘two methods’ as the ‘gardener’ who nurtures their story as it grows each draft, and the ‘architect’ who arches the whole story before putting down the first story brick. However, I think that both of these can be simplified into a single method.

Someone just writing the story as they go along has a plan. They know what they want in a very vague way, but they aren’t quite sure it will land where they originally believe. All the clichés they favor will likely surface. The one planning their story, plans out where their story will land, but really, don’t know if it will land their either possible revising their plan several times. So really what is the difference between these methods? A gardener grows his plan, waters it, nurtures it, pays it attention every day; yet, the architect revises their initial drafts several times from sketches, then to drawings, and then to models and variations testing what they favor. It seems like they are different, but they both focus on growing the story. They both grow the story. One grows in drafts. And the other grows in outlines. Growing in drafts, there are going to be chunks and portions that are altered and dropped. Growing in outlines, you really have to test it in writing before anything solid is produced. An outline is a story’s shadow.

There is no story without growth. Growth is the only method of storytelling: steady growth. What you grow and how you grow it is a nuance of your own ‘style.’ But really, that is how stories are made. You write your first thoughts. You read them back again, and more thoughts come to mind. And you research and you write the thoughts again. And you do this, by outline, by drafts, by edits, until you have more than half a manuscript in front of you.

It’s the Steady Method. And regardless of how, we all participate. So don’t feel obligated to belong to one group or the other. Be your own writer because no one writes like you do.

Thanks for reading, and I’m sure your writing will only improve as time goes on. Happy Writing.