Weekend Writer: No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty – Chapter One
Hey all, Sam here.
Even with taking out the chapter’s title from this post’s title, it still feels like a long title. I guess that’s what happens when the book has a long title and so do some of the chapters. That’s okay though.
Anyway, hello, and welcome back to Weekend Writer. NaNoWriMo is coming. If you don’t know what that is, NaNoWriMo–National Novel Writing Month–is an annual writing challenge that takes place in November, where people all over the world try to write 50,000 words in just 30 days.
This challenge started back in 1999 and grew from a tiny thing with only 21 participants to something that now is tackled by hundreds of thousands of people each year.
I first learned of NaNoWriMo in 2005 while browsing through stories on fictionpress, and decided to give it a try for the first time in 2006…you know, sure, easy enough to do as a first year college student, why not. I did manage to succeed that first year, but I had no region, no fellow writers in the area, nothing. But I did intrigue a few new friends, who then joined me in 2007, and in 2008 I officially started a region in our college town and became the region’s ML (Municipal Liaison). Basically I planned write-ins and scheduled hang-outs to get us through the month, and tried to send out encouraging messages to help my fellow writers balance classes, on-campus jobs and activities, and writing a novel all at the same time.
And I have participated almost every year since. For the first twelve years I participated, I crossed that finish line of writing 50,000 words in 30 days. 2018-2022 were years when life got a bit too much in the way.
That being said, I figured it was about time for me to pick this book up again and read it another time. And I figured it would be beneficial to bring all of you along with me.
The first few chapters are NaNoWriMo prep chapters, which is fitting because this is the prep time, and then chapters 5-8 are week by week breakdowns for November, then the book concludes with a look at the Now What? or post NaNoWriMo time.
So…let’s get started.
Chapter One: Secret Weapons, Exuberant Imperfections, and the End of the “One Day” Novelist
Chris Baty, founder of the wildly successful literary marathon known as National Novel Writing Month, has completely revised and expanded his definitive handbook for extreme noveling. Chris pulls from over 15 years of results-oriented writing experience to pack this compendium with new tips and tricks, ranging from week-by-week quick reference guides to encouraging advice from authors, and much more. His motivating mix of fearless optimism and practical solutions to common excuses gives both first-time novelists and results-oriented writers the kick-start they need to embark on an exhilarating creative adventure.
You’ve always wanted to write, but . . . just haven’t gotten around to it. No Plot? No Problem! is the kick in the pants you’ve been waiting for.
Let Chris Baty, founder of the rockin’ literary marathon National Novel Writing Month (a.k.a. NaNoWriMo), guide you through four exciting weeks of hard-core noveling. Baty’s pep talks and essential survival strategies cover the initial momentum and energy of Week One, the critical “plot flashes” of Week Two, the “Can I quit now?” impulses of Week Three, and the champagne and roar of the crowd during Week Four. Whether you’re a first-time novelist who just can’t seem to get pen to paper or a results-oriented writer seeking a creative on-ramp into the world of publishing, this is the adventure for you.
So what are you waiting for? The No Plot? approach worked for the thousands of people who’ve signed up for NaNoWriMo, and it can work for you! Let No Plot? No Problem! help you get fired up and on the right track.
I know that normally I do a more in-depth breakdown of these chapters, with lots of quotes and sometimes personal thoughts that go along with those quotes, but this is a book that I: a) definitely recommend picking up a copy for yourself if you want to participate in NaNo or if you just want to write a book on a short deadline, and b) have read a few times myself, so that combined with having done NaNo many times, I occasionally have a lot to say.
There will still be plenty of quotes though.
Oh…and I should just go ahead and say that yes, you can get this book at your usual book retailers, but you can also purchase it directly from the NaNoWriMo online shop.
All right…to start with, once upon a time, Chris Baty believed that in order to write a novel you needed to have heart-fibrilating amounts of coffee, plot, character, and setting.
What was discovered in the early days of NaNo is that you don’t actually need to have those ideas really (although having some idea of what you want to write does help).
What you need to write a novel, of course, is a deadline.
Deadlines are the dynamos of the modern age. They’ve built every city, won every contest, and helped all of us pay our taxes reasonably close to on time for years and years. Deadlines bring focus, forcing us to make time for the achievements we would otherwise postpone, encouraging us to reach beyond our conservative estimates of what we think possible, helping us to wrench victory from the jaws of sleep.
A deadline is, simply put, optimism in its most ass-kicking form. It’s a potent force that, when wielded with respect, will level any obstacle in its path. This is especially true when it comes to creative pursuits.
Page 32
Because the fact of the matter is, most of us could spend months or years trying to fit the pieces of our book shaped puzzle together so that they are absolutely perfect before we ever sit down to write. We could agonize over word choice or sentence structure to the point that we’re stuck at one passage for ages, waiting for that divine inspiration to strike so we can continue on with the story.
Writing on a deadline—and importantly, sticking to it–changes that issue. Having an end date means that you have to just move on and worry about polishing things later. You don’t have the time to attempt to make things perfect from the beginning.
The NaNoWriMo goal of 50,000 words in 30 days equates out to 1,667 words per day, which is something manageable and achievable, while also still providing enough of a challenge. And if you only give yourself a month, 30 days, then you’re only overturning your normal schedule for a month and then things can go back to normal.
The insanity only lasts a month–just long enough to get “write a novel” checked off your to-do list. And then normal life, with its regular showers and reasonably clean apartments, can begin again. Should you decide to take your month-long novel and revise it to perfection later, you can do that. If not, you’ll still have experienced a creative month like no other.
page 35
Now, why did Baty decide on 50,000 words as the goal for NaNoWriMo? He grabbed the shortest novel on his shelves at the time, did a rough-count of its word count, and thought that seemed like a good figure to use.
In this book, Baty says that average typists can write the daily word goal of NaNo in about an hour and a half, which seems doable even for someone with full-time jobs and chaotic home lives. I remember when I was really going full-force into writing, where I did it pretty much all the time through college and for a couple years after, I would pretty much hit the daily goal in about 30-45 minutes, which feels absolutely insane to me now. I’m a little rusty.
One of the next important things Baty talks about in this chapter is to give yourself low expectations for this novel in a month. This round of writing is going to give you a “vomit draft,” something that will need to be rewritten and edited and polished to make it really shine.
Many, many books on writing will tell you this, and Baty chooses to use a quote by Ernest Hemingway: “The first draft of anything is shit.” But that doesn’t mean that the shit you write in this month of writing is bad…it’s just absolutely wonderful shit.
A first draft is an anything-goes space for you to roll up your sleeves and make a terrific mess. It is a place where the writer’s battle plan is redrawn daily; a place where recklessness and risk-taking is rewarded, where half-assed planning and tangential writing can yield unexpectedly amazing results. It is, in short, a place for people like you and me.
pages 36-37
But in order to allow ourselves the space to write this terrible, horrible, messy draft, we have to embrace the imperfection of it all. Too often in endeavors, especially creative ones, we give up and pack it all away because we fear not being good enough. Because of expectations at school and at work, we judge ourselves based on skill level and achievement. We stick with our routines because they are comfortable and familiar, and we can meet those expectations.
Give yourself the permission to be bad at writing this first draft, this novel in a month. This is a learning experience. In this month of writing you will be learning about your characters and the setting and the plot. You’ll be figuring out sentence structure and cliffhangers and all manner of literary devices…although worry about foreshadowing when it’s time for your editing/revising drafts. Trust me, it’s way easier to foreshadow when you know the eventual outcome.
Aside from a deadline, the next big, important thing you need for this upcoming month of writing is company. Trust me, I know this from experience…having others who are also writing with you is a big help. Yes, writing is pretty much a solitary thing (unless you write with a co-writer/co-author). You’re the only one who can put the words on the page…but it doesn’t mean you have to be alone to do it.
Find other writers and have “write-ins” together, whether in person or digitally. If you don’t have writer friends, then just have some supportive friends and family who will hang out with you. Now, this isn’t a writing group where you all read passages of each other’s work and give critiques (although, that can happen in the Now What? months). You need an actual writing group where you meet up to each work on your own projects.
I am one of the MLs for the Iowa::Elsewhere region…basically this region covers anyone in Iowa not covered by the other regions (which is mostly the bigger areas like Des Moines and stuff). Obviously it is difficult for my group to meet in person because the state of Iowa is actually pretty big and most of us don’t want to drive a few hours each way to write for a couple hours.
So we have a Discord group…and honestly, I don’t even care if you don’t live in Iowa. If you want to join my online writer’s community, feel free to: https://discord.gg/F3NY4fJB2w
You can also search for a local region through the NaNoWriMo site. A lot of them will be holding in-person events, either in October as a NaNo Prep/hangout time, or during November to be able to write with other writers.
I’ve always enjoyed attending write-ins. It’s nice to be able to get real time support and advice from others, and being surrounded with all that creative energy and camaraderie is honestly very inspirational.
So there you go…set a deadline (and stick to it) and have a community/support group. Now you just have to do it.
That is all from me for today. There are plenty more chapters to go for this book, and it will take us through the beginning of December. I hope these will be helpful for you, and if you are joining in for NaNoWriMo, I hope you are able to write all the words you need to cross that finish line.
Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.
