Writing Resources: No Plot? No Problem!

Chris Baty: No Plot? No Problem!

There are a million ways to approach writing a novel. You can write a plot outline. You can create a series of scenes and use note cards to organize them. You can use a tried and proven formula from any number of plot writing resources. Or, you can create a couple of interesting characters and just start writing.

In 1999 Chris Baty rounded up 21 friends and together they set sail on a journey like no other. With no map and no compass, they each set out to write a novel in just one month (July).

Some of the crew got lost at sea. Others survived the voyage and reached dry land with scrappy but completed novels in hand.

“That [we] were undertalented goofballs who had no business flailing around at the serious endeavor of novel writing was pretty clear. We hadn’t taken any creative writing courses in college, or read any how-to books on story or craft. And our combined post-elementary-school fiction output would have fit comfortably on a Post-it Note.” — Chris Baty, No Plot? No Problem!

Despite their lack of talent and experience and despite the fact that more than half of the original crew went overboard, Chris Baty and his friends had unlocked one of the secrets of novel writing, and with that treasure in hand, Chris went on to found one of the most beloved and exciting writing events in the world.

National Novel Writing Month

Today, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) takes place every November. In 2007, the event’s ninth year, over 100,000 participants signed up from all around the world, and over 15,000 reported that they finished their novels.

National Novel Writing Month has been expanded with Camp NaNoWriMo, which is basically NaNoWriMo in months other than November (this year, it’s April and July).

Some NaNos (that’s what participants are called) have even gotten book deals and published novels they wrote for NaNoWriMo. Others found that writing a book wasn’t as hard as they thought and went on to pursue a career in writing. A few discovered that writing a novel wasn’t the dream they thought it was and moved on to other endeavors.

But every person who signed up and went through NaNoWriMo came away with a valuable experience and new wisdom about what it means to write a novel.

Writing Resources Can Be Fast, Fun, and Functional

I read No Plot? No Problem! in one night. It only took a couple of hours and I enjoyed every minute of it. The book is straightforward and easy to read, but it’s also packed with humor. I found myself laughing out loud as I made my way through the chapters. More importantly, the book proved to be a useful addition to my ever-growing collection of writing resources.

Chris takes you through his own journey to becoming a novelist and then dives right in to the lessons he’s learned and techniques he’s discovered. Much of his advice centers around plot development (which is no surprise, considering the book’s title), and I was ecstatic since the one wall I kept crashing into with every novel attempt I’d ever made was plot. For each novel I started to write, I had plenty of characters, settings, and scenes. But no plot.

No problem!

Chris Baty solved that problem for me. Oh sure, he touches on character creation, finding time to write, and why you shouldn’t EVER revise while you’re still plowing through your first draft. But more importantly, Chris revealed ideas for tackling plot that I’d never before considered (or even heard about).

A couple of weeks after I read the book, I diligently signed up for NaNoWriMo 2008 and hopped aboard my own ship. The voyage was sometimes smooth, sometimes rocky, but in the end, I reached the far shores as a novelist. And while I’m the one who wrote that novel, I have to thank Chris Baty not only for founding the event that led me to write my first novel in just thirty days, but also for his funny, insightful, and informative book on novel writing and plotting.

Believe it or not, there is a plot lurking around somewhere inside that muddled imagination of yours. There are also characters, scenes, themes, and a whole lot more. No Plot? No Problem! will help you dig through the muck and unearth the novel that’s waiting to be written.

Get Your Novel Off the Ground

Whether you plan on participating in NaNoWriMo this year or if you just want to write a novel at your own pace, this is one of the best writing resources for starting and finishing your novel. My own experience with this book is proof that by changing the way you approach novel writing, you can also change the outcome and finally succeed. Next time you have an idea for a novel or start a novel project, you’ll actually finish it!

Get your copy of No Plot? No Problem! today.

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