Which One Are You? A Brutally Honest Look at Writing Habits You Didn’t Know You Had
This is the first in a 7-part series exploring the most common (and most relatable) types of new writer.
Do any of these sound familiar?
- The Eternal Outliner
- The Scene-Hopper
- The Over-Editor
- The Praise Addict
- The Fearful Genius
- The I’ll-Finish-It-One-Day
- The Silent Novelist
Don’t worry—we’re not judging. (Okay, maybe a little.)
Let’s start with the one who plans everything… and finishes nothing.
✍️ Post #1: The Eternal Outliner
Subtitle: You’ve mapped the journey. Made character sheets. Built a world bible. So why haven’t you written the damn book?
🧠 Who They Are:
The Eternal Outliner has a plan for everything.
Beat sheets? Multiple.
Plot arcs? Color-coded.
Timeline? Covered.
Actual novel? Page 1.
They treat writing like defusing a bomb—terrified to cut the wrong wire. The goal is to build the perfect framework before writing a single word. But here’s the kicker:
You’re not building a house. You’re digging for buried treasure.
💪 Strengths:
- Incredible story instincts
- Natural with structure and pacing
- Rarely writes themselves into a corner
- Worldbuilding chops most writers envy
⚠️ Pitfalls:
- Confuses preparation with progress
- Rewrites outlines instead of drafting
- Overthinks every choice to avoid failure
- Never discovers their voice, because they never write long enough to hear it
🔓 Why You Stay Stuck:
Deep down, you believe that if you just get the outline right, everything else will fall into place. That the draft will be clean, smooth, and worthy from the start.
But the truth is brutal and beautiful:
No outline will ever save you from the chaos of a first draft. And it’s not supposed to.
Writing is where discovery happens. It’s where the characters fight back. Where the story grows teeth. Where you learn who you are as a writer—not just who you want to be.
✅ Next Steps for the Eternal Outliner:
- Write one messy chapter. No plan. No polish. Just permission to be bad.
- Use your outline as a flashlight, not a cage. You’re allowed to veer off-course.
- Set a deadline to stop outlining. Then start writing, even if it’s uncomfortable.
- Accept that your first draft is your real outline. Everything else was warm-up.
🔖 Badge of Honor:
“Recovering Outliner. Drafting in the Wild.”
💬 Comment Prompt:
Sound familiar? Tell us your outlining habits—and what’s helped you break free.
👇 Or tag a fellow Outliner who needs to read this.
