My boyfriend is attempting his first NaNo this year (his first novel, actually!) He thought I was absolutely crazy when I told him his character would talk to him and tell him what story needed to be told. But now that I've been helping him prep, he's really started listening to his characters and letting them tell him their story. It's the characters' story, not yours.

Relinquishing control to your characters can be scary, yes. But it can also be exhilarating to not know where they are about to take you when you sit down to write every day! You can be prepared with the most detailed outline possible, but that doesn't mean you're going to exactly follow that outline once you get started writing. Don't get me wrong, it's important to prep carefully, otherwise you may end up with nothing on the page. Let the process take you where it takes you, and have fun with it!

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