No Plot? No Problem!
by Chris Baty, Founder of NaNoWriMo
172 pages
First Sentence:
The era, in retrospect, was very kind to dumb ideas.
After failing to complete NaNo last month, a friend loaned me this book in preparation for next year. "I may as well get started early" I thought. So I read it. It was not earth shattering information, just good, old fashioned cheerleading, the kind that could possibly have come from a humorous best friend or sibling. It is a don't-take-it-too-seriously guide for those who would like to see if they have what it takes to write a novel in an insanely small amount of time. There is a little bit of useful information and a lot of clowning around.
What I really needed was a way to come up with a story that would fill in a 50,000 word novel. I started 2 different stories in 10,000 words. I needed plot ideas. This is not the book to help with that. If you know generally what you want to write about then this could help you through your first or second year with NaNo. It was not useless all together but I didn't find it to be worth the $15. asking price. Thankfully I didn't pay for it.
If you are considering joining NaNo next Nov. see if your library has a copy of this one while you're looking for books about plot development.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
My husband wanted me to do this. We argue about this a lot. I tell him I am not creative, he tells me that I am. Whatever. I tell him as soon as he gives me a plot, then I'll start writing away. Hmmm...doesn't sound like this book would be helpful to either of us. :) How long would a 50,000 word book be???
Trish-When I have a good dream I write it down for possible plot ideas for next year. I also bought a book about developing plot. A 50,000 word book is more like a novella. I think it was something like 150 page but I could be wrong.
Post a Comment