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Aug 19, 2008

Richard rated it:

This book is the companion monkey, printed tour guide, and pocket personal adviser on how to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, written by no less than the founding father of the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) himself.

The official NaNoWriMo is November. But you can choose any month you'd like and follow the advice in this guide. However, it's bound to be more fun when you know there are tens of thousands of other people all over the country—the world even—doing the same

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2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Oct 18, 2007

Pat rated it:

If you're thinking about doing nanowrimo in November or you want to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days...this book will motivate you to do it. Has a lot of tips and advice. It isn't a step by step guide to generating a plot. It is a book that will make you see you can write a novel even if you don't have a plot at the start. It will keep you writing until your plot just happens..and it will happen...last year I didn't have a plot but kept writing anyways and one emerged. If the only thin More...

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Dec 17, 2009

Jane rated it:

Last year I was introduced to NaNoWriMo -- the National Novel Writing Month, but too late to actually participate. I've been mulling it over this year -- intimidated by the prospect, but considering participating this November. This book is written by the founder of NaNoWriMo and makes the idea of writing a novel in a month actually seem doable. Anyone who dreams of writing a novel should check out the website www.nanowrimo.org! If participating in NaNoWriMo is tempting, check out this book More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Oct 15, 2007

Cheryl rated it:

I laughed so hard I cried when I read this book last year. I even photo-copies the Novelist Agreement, signed it, and taped it to my desk to remind myself of the commitment. Chris Baty's humorous writing pulls you along for the crazy ride that is the month of November with numerous pep talks and advice. Filled with stories from Nano's over the years it was simply joy to read.

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Nov 30, 2007

P rated it:

How to write a novel in 30 days. Poorly. Not terribly impressed with the author's writing style or ideas. Too bad I got distracted about 10,000 words into my horrendous novel. The problem with the book is that it is all peptalk, and no substance. Blech.

3 comments like (5 people liked it)

Oct 01, 2008

Marck rated it:

Baty has a quick, light-hearted writing style, which is important considering the task this book promises to teach you. "Heavier" writing books (i.e., John Gardner's _The Art of Fiction_) call out for much thinking through your process. But if you're going to turn out a novel in 30 days, we have no time for that! So Baty's book moves along at a fast clip, which means you can get back to writing your masterpiece faster. I knocked out over 56,000 words in my month, and though the first d More...

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Dec 06, 2007

Leippya rated it:

An alternative view to writing, very fun to read. If you tend to see writing as sacred, you probably should not read it. The idea behind the book is to write a first draft very fast, in thirty days, then spend a lot of time revising. Because this book is short and the author quite funny, it makes for a relaxing read.

On another point, if you're thinking of doing NaNoWriMo, the event that's behind the book, this is a good companion to have with you. The first half is about NaNoWriMo, w More...

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Dec 17, 2009

Richard rated it:

This book was the most useful book on writing I have ever read. Most of such books are chocked full of enough second-guessing tactics to completely immobilize any writer. This book was a very freeing, encouraging excercise in lowering your standards just enough to remove the fear from sitting down and working. It helped me realize that creating a less than perfect rough draft of a complete story is infinitely better than agonizing over an emacculate first chapter of a book that will never be More...

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Dec 01, 2008

Debbie rated it:

I wonder why the month of November is the chosen month for NaNoWriMo? Don't the authors have the upcoming holidays and such to take away writing time? The ideal time for me would be January, when it is too cold to go out and both of my jobs slow down for 30 days or so. Such is life, I failed to hit 50,000 words, but did get a lot of writing in before days of having to work and days of endless distraction made me fall too far behind and I felt overwhelmed. There's always next year...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 03, 2008

Lord rated it:

This is a really good book to keep on hand to get yourself motivated to write. It has some great tips and is nice to pick up every now and again just to get the juices flowing. The tone of the book is really grating however and the author's voice is really annoying. It also has a sort of mentality of "let's do this craaazzzyyy, kooky writing thang to brag over the water cooler about at our yuppie job!" tone to it that gets pretty damned grating. If you can overlook that, and use it as More...

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Jan 15, 2012

Alisha rated it:

This book was not what I expected at first. When I bought this book I thought it was going to be talking about story plots, the different kinds of plots, and writing in general. This is how I found out about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Chris Baty, who is founder of NaNoWriMo and this book, wrote the book in a very simple and understanding way. I love that this tells about the challenge of NanWriMo, and even have a chart on page 50 of him breaking down how many words per day you to More...

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Oct 03, 2011

Todd rated it:

I bought this book several years back and it's not a book I'd recommend for writers who want to learn how to write a usable 50,000+ word first draft in 30 days. It is recommended for writers who need motivation to write every day.

Some writers need this kind of motivation, so the book shouldn't be discarded as nothing more than a glorified advertisement for NaNoWriMo. For those who need and want the daily writing goal motivation, this book has some useful tips.

Since NaNo More...

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Nov 30, 2010

Jeff rated it:

If you've always wanted to write a Novel, but have had trouble getting started, or getting it completed, then I highly recommend this book. Special thanks to Chris Baty author of No Plot? No Problem, and founder of National Novel Writing Month, and the crew at NaNoWriMo for providing the inspiration, guidance and wisdom for thousands of happy readers and writers on the road to becoming Novelists. I took the challenge and completed the first draft of my Novel in under the 30 days suggested, and More...

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Jun 10, 2009

Cyn rated it:

Ever heard of NaNoWriMo? Chris Baty came up with the idea of writing a novel in a month with some friends- this quickly became "National Novel Writing Month" (NaNoWriMo- celebrated every November.) Baty uses his experiences with with NaNoWriMo, or writing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days for fun as a way to write. Serious writers may point out that it takes longer than a month to write. But for people who are hesitant, procrastinators, or just plain inspirationally crippled (like me) More...

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May 04, 2009

James rated it:

This book is hard to rate because different writers will get different things out of it. But first, let me give some context:

I picked up this book a couple of weekends ago at a used book store at the LA Times Festival of Books at UCLA. It was nice to see that Chris Baty had managed to monetize the Novel-in-a-month schtick in this book. I met Chris in 2002 when he convinced me to join his NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) crusade and jump into my own novel. And for a crazy More...

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Aug 01, 2011

Cari rated it:

Confession: I avoided this book for years due to an overwhelming aversion to the title and all the stupidity it implies. (No Plot? No Problem! Really? Way to reduce a creative endeavor into something minor, without worth, and to a level so low even imbeciles might try their hand at it, as if there isn't enough bad writing flying around as it is.) I couldn't stomach it, so I always rolled my eyes and left it on the shelf, perfectly content in my elitist ways.

Further confession: More...

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Jul 30, 2011

Anna rated it:

SUM: Chris Baty walks his readers through the trials and triumphs of writing a novel in 30 days, most specifically linked to National Novel Writing Month, in November.

REV: I love Chris' humor, of course. His guilt monkeys and superhuman literary cyborgs. Certainly I don't think it's entirely necessary for people to read this book in order to succeed at NaNoWriMo, but it is a witty guide that will help you through the trickier parts of the month, where all you want to do is give up, o More...

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Jan 22, 2012

Michael rated it:

Want to laugh while writing 50,000 words in 30 days? This book is for you. “No Plot, No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days” by Chris Baty puts your inner insanity to work for you.

Baty, who founded the National Novel Writing Month contest, writes this book assuming the following:

You want to write a novel.
Having knowledge of how to write a novel is optional.
The book’s writing style is engaging and casual with enough sarca More...

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Sep 24, 2010

Kendra rated it:

I read this book because the idea of me having anything to do with a creative writing program at the library is really funny. Lucky for the participants, I am only acting in a supporting / marketing role and have a whole huge organization with an awesome website (nanowrimo.org) from which I can steal content and advice from should someone ask or expect it from me with my "librarian" status.

That disclaimer being made - this was such a funny book! I loved it. Chris Baty is More...

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Dec 01, 2008

Kerri rated it:

Baty is a clever and entertaining writer, and he seems to genuinely stand behind the premise that anyone can write at least 50,000 words in thirty days or less. I actually genuinely believe him, but I'm not sure I'm a fan of his philosophy that junk writing is still worthwhile writing, mostly because I'm pretty sure I would turn a unique shade of insane if I reached my monthly word goals and had nothing usable sitting in front of me.

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Oct 13, 2007

Vivienne rated it:

This is a wonderful resource for anyone taking part in the NaNoWriMo event in November. It is chatty and witty giving all kinds of encouragement and tips for surviving and completing the month.

It is tailored for this high pressure event though its advice might well appeal to others seeking to write fiction.

It will be living on my desk throughout the month of November when I plunge again into NaNoWriMo.

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Oct 27, 2011

Rita rated it:

Re-reading it now just to hype myself up even more for this year’s nanowrimo.

Awesome little how-to book that doesn't want to make you roll your eyes all the time or "waste" your time with little exercises when all you really want to do is read and write. It's down to earth and straight to the point. A must for anyone who writes, and specially those who dream of writing but just don’t dare to JUST DO IT!

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Feb 07, 2009

Deirdre rated it:

I did NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) for four years. I didn't discover Chris Baty's book until the last year. Any book on writing will offer something. I find I can get distracted by reading about writing rather than writing. Or distracted by remembering what I've read and playing around on this site.

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Jul 25, 2011

Laura rated it:

This was an amusing, somewhat motivating, book to read. I want to be able to think I could write a novel in 30 days, but frankly I know I'm not capable of doing so. . . . unless I was put in prison. Hmmmm. Future crime spree?

The only quality I didn't much care for is the tone affected by the author. Most of the book is written in the manner of the "Dummies" books, lightly ironic with a come-on-you-can-do-this-madcap-zany-writing thing.

It seems clear, as mentio More...

9 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 01, 2010

Jasmine rated it:

Happy thoughts!!

so I'm not quite done with this yet because you are suppose to read the last 4 chapters as the weeks occur. But this book is great. There are good reasons to write your novel now (it won't be the same novel in 3 years) reasons to write in 30 days (you don't have time to be self critical) and solid reality checks (this is not going to be genius).

In short it changed horrible fear into excitement which is definitely nice.

and now we More...

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Aug 07, 2010

Sara rated it:

No Plot? No Problem! offers a week-by-week guide to the writing process, everything from the exciting initial ideas, the frustrating middle lag, and when the finish line first comes into sight. It’s funny, motivational and a quick read.

The most important thing the book stresses? “Exuberant imperfection.” The idea of National Novel Writing Month is to sit your ass in the chair and get it done. Banish your inner editor and embrace quantity over quality. Rewriting is for another day. W More...

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Feb 22, 2009

Amy rated it:

This is a great book if you want to get motivated to write that next great American novel. Chris Baty is clever and witty, helping you as the budding author learn not to take yourself too seriously as you travel the bumpy road that is novel writing.

This book is broken down into the before, during, and after process of drafting a novel. In the first section, you learn how to gear up and get prepared for the process of writing a 50,000 word first draft of a novel in 30 days. The ne More...

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Jul 15, 2007

Heather rated it:

if you're thinking about writing a book, buy this. it's witty, smart, and challenges your ideas of what is possible with your life. although i have not done the 30-day book plan yet, this did give me a framework for visualizing its completion in the near future (when i'll have less extracurricular activities). excellent writing resource.

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Oct 19, 2011

Tina DC rated it:

Chris Baty's "No Plot? No Problem" is written in a straight forward, conversational style that makes this how-to book a quick and fun read. The tips and advice are just the thing for NaNoWriMo, or any other month when you want to get that first draft of your newest novel out of your head and down on paper or your hard drive. The author gives you the keys to success, as evidenced by participants of NaNo from around the world over the past decade.

The first section deals with More...

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Dec 20, 2011

Kyle rated it:

Thanks to a cousin, I sat down last month and wrote a novel.

This never would have happened if it weren't for National Novel Writing Month, the weird brainchild of Chris Baty. His proposition: the reason you haven't written that brilliant book you've had in your head for years is because you haven't had a deadline to do it by. His solution: by November 30, you'd better have 50,000 words.

Strangely enough, it works. It works well. The journey is a long and strange one, but i More...

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