For anyone who’s ever heard of the NaNoWriMo challenge and thought, “Could I do that,” you are not alone. It is a writing challenge unlike any other. The Goal: write a book in thirty days. To succeed, a writer must consume massive amounts of caffeine, quiet their nagging inner critic, and write any and every ridiculous notion dancing in their head. They must push themselves to the brink of utter mental destruction just so they can utter three triumphant little words: “I did it!”

Apparently, this movement started with one book: “No Plot? No Problem” by Chris Baty. In it, he defines the logic behind diving headlong into a word goal, and gives encouragement for sitting in front of your computer daily to complete a 50,000-word novel. It’s the perfect book for any Pantster (one who “flies by the seat of their pants”) to get motivated. For a Plotter, however, this book may seem like nonsense. “How could one possibly write without a plot?” they might think. The answer: “First Draft in 30 Days” by Karen Weisner.

In “First Draft in 30 Days,” Ms. Weisner also encourages a writer to sit before their computer daily. The difference is that the “first draft” will be an outline instead of a novel, but an outline so complete, it needs only a tad more detail to become a finished. Her book is directed at the Compulsive Plotter and is just as motivating for “finishing that book.”
“So how do I do this?” you may ask. Easy…pick and follow one of the simple weekly layouts.

For the Pantsters (”No Plot? No Problem!”)

The Theme of “No Plot? No Problem!” is to write. Write, and write, and write. Don’t look back. Don’t Edit. Just go until your fingers cramp and your head hurts.

• Week 1: Focus on People and Places. Write your random ideas. Tell your characters’ stories: who are they, what do they do, where do they live? No matter what you are thinking about, put it on paper!
• Week 2: Reexamine and Brainstorm. You will be exhausted, but don’t quit. Look at what you’ve written, talk to your friends, brainstorm new ideas, then throw that in also.
• Week 3: Time to Catch Up. In Week 2, you will have fallen behind…that’s okay. Make a new goal: 6,000 new words per day. Keep trying until you’ve done it because it’s all about word count. Once you’ve got the momentum…press on.
• Week 4: It’s All Downhill From Here. After 35,000 words, things “ease up.” Go through your notes, take breaks, and let the book continue to write itself. Soon, you will be doing a jig…of victory.

For the Plotters (”First Draft in 30 Days”)

When utilizing “First Draft in 30 Days,” you will find yourself brainstorming and answering questions which generate ideas for your synopsis. Put these answers in Excel to easily combine them into a final spreadsheet/timeline.

• Week 1: Create Your Preliminary Outline. As in “No Plot? No Problem!”, you will begin by sketching characters and settings. Complete your plot and subplot sketches, miscellaneous and closing scenes, and piece it all together into a Summary Outline.
• Week 2: Research Your Book. Research character dialogue and necessary factoids. Create a Background Timeline, being sure to add goals and motives as you go. Blend this all into your Summary Outline.
• Week 3: Evolve Your Story/Format the Big Picture. Look at the Beginning, Middle and End. Define the conflicts, changing character goals, downtimes, black moments, and resolutions. Piece all work from Weeks 1 to 3 into one final worksheet (your Synopsis).
• Week 4: Reevaluate…and make it better. Look closely at plots and subplots, incorporate last minute research, and fix weak spots. Then, revise whatever isn’t working.

Voila! You’re done. So, whether you are a Pantster or a Plotter, you can write a book in a month. Why not give it either one a shot in November (the official NaNoWriMo) and never fear the phenomenon again? After all, “What the mind conceives and believes, it can achieve.”