Bah! If anything, NaNo is a great way to do your first novel. Using October to get everything prepped sets you up perfectly and the time limit inherent in NaNo really forces you to write every day (or mostly every day, given the way life seems to always interfere), which is exactly the right sort of habit to develop when you want to write novels. Especially if you ever want to go pro and bring publishers' deadlines upon yourself.

Also, I feel you on the loss! Back in '05, we got hit by Hurricane Wilma and it was so bad, the power outage blew through all our power strips and surge protectors, and melted our external hard drive. My laptop was fried and my back-up was gone, taking with it everything I'd written since I was eight years old (which was 10 years at that point).
-Quaddy

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