Last year, at this time, just like this year, I didn't know who, what, where, or why, and at the end of November I ended with 64,906 words. There was a story there, maybe not a good one, but it was there. So, don't be discouraged.
Btw, I have now a static item for assignments "NaNo Prep 2018" , so I can see them altogether while planning. If I enter a contest, I'll put the contest entry in a separate book item that I already use for other writings.