I keep telling myself that I'm doing something different each year, but in some ways, I think I'm telling the same story over and over again. After all, there are similar motifs that keep popping up. So what similarities do your nanos have?
Some motifs that I can come up with at the top of my head:
1. I always have two main characters, one male and one female. This is deliberate because having two characters will always create more conflict rather than one alone. The 2002 Nano novel verges almost on three main characters, but not quite. And last year, I seriously toyed with the idea of having three main characters, but at the moment, it's on the back-burner. Maybe next year. Besides, I like writing dialogue between two people (despite the fact that I talk little in real life).
2. There's always some sort of attraction between the male and female main characters. Despite my overwhelming cynicism, I think I still have a romantic streak in there somewhere. However, I have yet to write an all-out romance because frankly, I don't really think I have what it takes to do so.
3. The plots all contain speculative and horror elements. This goes almost without saying. I like horror and speculative stuff in my fiction. And it's good for the word count when you throw in something terrifying into the mix and have characters going crazy all over the place.
4. Cats are in Nanowrimo every year in one form or another. In 2001: The main characters got saddled with kittens. In 2002: A stray starts following the main characters around. In 2003: A cat is the avatar for the guardian of a nearby city. In 2004: Cat-spirits exist, but only random people can see them. In 2005: A friend of the main character is a cat-shifter. In 2006: One of the villain's victims owns a white cat. In 2007: A magical pamphlet can turn into a cat. In 2008: The main character unwittingly gains ownership to a genetically modified panther. This year: Who knows. But some sort of cat motif will probably end up in it somewhere.
5. Libraries often play a crucial role and/or setting to the plot. I have a special fondness for libraries.
6. Characters stumble into hidden passages and rooms. It's cliched, but it adds atmosphere! And furthers the plot, if there are things to be found in the hidden room.
7. Settings are based on real places. Including the sci-fi story I did last year--let me tell you, I did quite a bit of research into Neptune's moon Triton. Generally, I take a place and then name it somewhat differently--not too differently that it doesn't make sense--but enough so that it's obvious that I'm playing in an alternate universe. One reason why I base the settings on a real locations is that it's easier on me when I'm doing my planning. And that when I'm writing a description of a place, I don't have to fake it.
8. The villains (almost) always come to a spectacular and terrible end. I say "almost" because I have yet to write a proper ending for last year's Nano novel. I had had in mind some sort of death by explosion. But examples of previous years--In 2001: Death by Lovecraftian monster. In 2002: Death by vat of acid. In 2003: Death by falling off a tower. In 2004: Death by demon. In 2005: Death by an electricity machine. In 2006: Death by lightning. In 2007: Death by magic spell gone wrong. As for this year: I'm still trying to figure it out.
