An enjoyable read, even if you're not planning to write a novel.

A very funny, quite possibly practical, and even insightful guide to "four exciting weeks of hard-core noveling" from the founder of National Novel Writing Month ("NaNoWriMo"--also known as "November").

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How to write a DRAFT, not a BOOK.

Baty's NO PLOT? NO PROBLEM! book is definitely funny. It's easy to read. It's interesting. But is it a path to writing a book in a month's time? Maybe not.

I believe the book should be called ROUGH DRAFT IN THIRTY DAYS. That would be, in my opinion, a much more accurate title. After 30 days, you will have a draft, according to Baty's plan. NOT a book. He wants you to CALL it a book, though, because it sounds more prestigious to say BOOK than DRAFT.

Baty's empahsis is on just writing more or less WHATEVER in 30 days in order to fill up 50,000 words. Then, after you have gotten to that point, you may find that you have written some stuff that is actually interesting along the way (amid all the crap you also wrote during that month).

The book to me was worthless (aside from being very humourous) until Chapter 4. Prior to Chapter 4, Baty prattles about writing utensils, work space, and the need for chocolate while a person writes. Usually funny, yes. But not "need to know" stuff. I bought the book to learn how to write a book in a month! Don't tell me about chocolate!

Starting with Chapter 4, Baty actually begins talking about writing. He gets sidetracked by talking about ways we writers can find time in our schedules to write, but he also does, albeit eventually, get to talking about plot lines, conflict, and character. In fact, Baty's concentration on these factors make the book worth reading.

My problem in moving toward writing fiction was having a general idea of what to write, but getting mixed up about actually plotting out PLOT. Baty gives a few constructive ideas on how to spring forward with characters' lives, interests, activities, and the like. Also, he gives suggestions on what to do if you get stuck, and I found those to be helpful-sounding.

However, I found that Baty contradicted himself several times in the book: During your month of writing, see friends! Then, don't see friends! Write good stuff with free-flowing, adrenaline-rushed thought! Then, write crap just so you can make it to the 50,000 words deadline.

Some good advice he also gives: restrain your inner editor. Here's what to do if you want to publish the book you throw together in 30 days.
I see Baty's point: just WRITE your ideas. Stop mulling them around and WRITE them. Hence his 30-day plan. It definitely has merit, and the stories from the trenches that he includes are usually helpful as well.

When reading, try to get past the somewhat condescending remarks Baty makes about plot lines, referring to potential writing ideas involving people falling in love with orangutans and koala bears that ride skateboards and fight crime. It tends to further a reader's thought that perhaps all is drivel and futility, but understand instead that Baty is not trying to insult us as an audience. He is taking his examples to an extreme to make us laugh. Also, don't focus on the editing errors in the book's text. You'll see them; I did. Just smile and keep reading.

Will I embark on a 30-day writing hoedown? Maybe. Still debating that, but I must admit that Baty's confidence and enthusiasm is...... inviting. Infectious. It makes you think, "Shoot. I can do this!"

If you want to write a book & never have, if you have read books and thought 'I can do better!', this book will intrigue you with its possibilites.

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An awesome read! 50,000 words in one month is not impossible!

Chris Baty should write comedy, because I found this book very witty and amusing. As "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is my favourite book, I really take comedy seriously!!

Chris covers all the highs and lows of writing 50,000 words of drivel over a typical November. As expected about 1% of participants get published, get the fast cars, movie deals and sell their souls for a cheeseburger, while the other 80,000 of us just do it because we love it, or must obey the "word-fairy" on our shoulders.

Excellent book, great read, inspiring, cheap for the price and the wisdom in it. I thoroughly recommend it, and if I wasn't doing a part-time masters over the next 2 years I'd do the NanoWriMo thing myself. However, I'm pacing myself to do it in Nov 2009!! (you know, just before Armageddon)

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