Things like meteor showers and comets are unpredictable, and the weather can easily close in and spoil everything, so as well as patience, it's worth checking out what the night sky is doing on your chosen night to determine what you'll see and where.
One of the great things about photographing the night sky is that it's constantly changing, and apps like Stellarium and Starwalk 2 allow you to visualize how the night sky will look at any time and date for a specific location, so you can plan your shoot ahead of time. Things like meteor showers and comets are unpredictable, and the weather can easily close in and spoil everything, so as well as patience, it's worth checking out what the night sky is doing on your chosen night to determine what you'll see and where.