Hi, My name is Emily. I am a 24 year old Dutch girl and I've always been in love with writing. All the more sad I haven't been able to finish a novel in all these years. I really want to work on that though, and joining a writing forum feels like it's going to push me in the right direction. I will participate in NaNoWriMo this year. I joined in 2011 and achieved my goal, but didn't get to 50k. This year I really want to, though! My biggest problem with not finishing a novel is that I jump right into my story without planning ahead. I know it's not mandatory to do some plot lining, but I really feel like that's where I mess up. I'm trying to fix that.
Alles goed, Emily. Welcome to the forum. A lot of people dive into the writing before any thorough planning, especially those who are only just trying their hand at the craft. You'll find in time that thorough planning is actually very important for keeping your story intact during the writing process. Saying this, I'd recommend trying to write a few things without much planning, and in time you will start to understand what to focus on during planning and how crucial it is overall.
