@shnuffeluv, I'm a pantser too. I do minimal planning. But I am getting Scrivener this year so I can sort out my characters, keep track of my writing and hope for the best!
+@shnuffeluv, They have a free trial for 30 days. It's not 30 uses, but 30 actual days. You can use it for the entire month of NaNo :-) I used up my trial already but if you participated in Camp NaNoWriMo this year and won, you can get 50% off until sometime in December. I won this July so I'm going to get mine tonight ^_^
@Davrielle, did you like Camp NaNoWriMo? I've considered doing it before but something has always come up. Is it very different from regular NaNoWriMo?
@Frances, I think it's different in some ways. The main difference is that you can choose your own word count. However, there are no write ins at local libraries. It's not really a huge deal but it is nice to participate in it. I've done it three times in a row and won every single time.
1. You don't have to
2. If you have a vague idea that's cool
3. If you don't that's slightly insane but so much fun
4. Don't forget to have water and food nearby for when you get "in the zone"
5. Know the basics of your characters, you can learn more about them as you go through, but you need to at least have a name
6. Don't let planners make you feel unprepared, pantsing is awesome and not to be knocked for it is not for the faint of heart