No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days

by Chris Baty

• ISBN10: 1452132402
• ISBN13: 9781452132402
• Publish Date: 2014
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 200
• Language: English

Reviews

[celinenyx]

Meant to be read during Nanowrimo, No Plot? is a light-hearted and snarky motivational book to get you to sit down and pound out a 50,000 word first draft in a month. You won't get much in way of craft advice from Baty's book, and a lot of it is just a bit too snarky to be useful, but it does make this mad project seem like a fun idea. I'd recommend it if you need a bit of a push to get started putting words on the page.

[CrowNoYami]

While it took me a while to read this book (I've been busy), I found it a helpful read for anyone wanting to start their own novel. It breaks down not only NaNoWriMo and where the idea came from, but how to deal with the stress/emotions/life of writing your novel. There's some very helpful tips and tricks that I've used in past years (wish I would have read this BEFORE then) and I look forward to seeing where this advice takes me this November.

[Kait ✨]

Interesting and engaging book packed with writing tips and advice on how to “win” NaNoWriMo. According to their website, NaNoWriMo is “National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30.” I would definitely recommend to those trying to write a novel for the first time.

The author mostly talks about “pantsing” and there’s not a lot of tips for outlining. It’s more pep talk / general advice than specifically how to write a novel in thirty days. That being said, it’s a very quick read, especially if you skim, and I think there’s lots of use in here if you’re a new writer (I highlighted lots of bits to refer back to later). Basically, Baty is here to help you get your butt in your chair and pump out some words—and not particularly good ones, either. I happen to subscribe to the idea that first drafts should be really, really shitty, so I’m okay with this. If you don’t, or if you’re looking for more specific or structured writing tips, this is probably not the book for you.