Choosing a plot for NaNoWriMo

As a plotter rather than a pantser, it's really important to me that I actually have a clue about what I'm writing for NaNoWrimo.

I've now changed my NaNo story for the third, fourth, something-est time, but since I'm now at a point where I'm feeling the same way I did for my first NaNo, I've got my fingers crossed and I'm hoping it sticks!

For my first time at doing NaNo, I chose a brand, spankin' new plot that I had to create just for that November. Secretly, I'd been worried about 'ruining' a good plot with NaNo (lol, now I know better!), so I went with something new.

By the end of that first November, I know better than to worry about ruining a good plot. If the plot's strong, it can handle NaNo. Now I run into entirely different problems if I use an older story idea.

For one thing (because I tend to put things off), I had never actually written anything down; I didn't realize that while the idea was a great concept or scene, it wasn't actually an entire plot. Mid-October is *not* the time to realize that!

The other big problem with writing my older ideas is that I've often forgotten more of it than I'd noticed and now have to throw stuff together if I want to use it for NaNo. Not something I relish when I truly love the idea.

No, for me, it's often a much better idea to find a new (or at least, new-ish) concept (either story or character), and work from there.

It only took me 4+ years to learn this, lol.