No Plot? No Problem!

No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty
Published: 2004

If there was ever a year I was going to participate in NaNoWriMo, this wasn’t it, but I’ve had this sitting half-finished on my shelf for a few years now and decided just to give it a read anyway.

This is meant to be a companion book to read while you’re attempting to write a novel in a month, so after the introduction it’s split up into four main sections, one for each week. Each of these contain anecdotes from previous winners, inspirational essays, and some advice for tackling common problems that people often run into at that particular stage of the writing process. It ends with a chapter on what to do after you’ve finished the novel.

Even though I just read straight through this without writing anything, I still enjoyed it. The main purpose of this book is build up the excitement and motivation needed to get through the month, and I think it probably does that quite well. The secret to writing and publishing a great novel is not to be found within these pages (or any pages really), but that’s not really the point. It’s a fun book that makes you want to put down as many words as you can on paper.

It’s certainly worth picking up if you’re going to attempt NaNoWriMo, but it’s still an enjoyable read if you are a wimp like me.