The Stages of NaNoWriMo

Sounds about right. :)

Yeah, that sounds like it pretty much it. :]
My favorite parts are the Anticipation and THE EPIPHANY. :D
The Epiphany makes me the happiest thought.

NaNoWriMo '06 - FAIL
NaNoWriMo '07 - WON!
NaNoWriMo '08 - ?

Mine are slightly different, and fewer in number:

Anticipation (All of October)
Deliberate progress (Week 1 - characterized by regular 2,000 word days, and generally stable moods)
Roller Coaster (Week 2 through Week 3 or 4 - characterized by wildly divergent word counts ranging from 0-10k, as well as unpredictable and extremely intense emotions)
Delirium (The last 2-3 days)
Disappointment (A day or two after the novel is done)

Banner by August. Thank you!
Don't write badly, write madly

My stages are a lot like this. X3

"Are people born Wicked, or do they have Wickedness thrust upon them? After all, she had a father. And a mother..."

Yeah, "Delirium" could replace "The Home Stretch" pretty well.

-M*star

I like that...delirium.

This is my first nano--you guys have given me a lot to look forward to.

Tandra

Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. ~E.L. Doctorow

Frenzy (October, the new site is up, new people to meet, ideas coming fast and furious)
The Plunge (the first week when Nano absorbs every waking moment, and you're insanely productive)
Burnout (week 2, when you hate everything in your story and want it to die)
Second Wind (Week 3, when you realize that it's going to be ok, and you can even spare a little time to go do something fun)
Phoenix (week 4 when your wonderful novel rises from the pile of ashes to be a glowing beautiful...something)
Euphoria (first week after NaNo when you finally sleep again)
Desolation (2nd week of December when NaNo is a year away, and your manuscript is calling to be edited.)

In my last two NaNo attempts, I haven't been able to make it past "despair" . . .

2005: Awarbdia (FAILED @ 7k)
2006: The Game of Gynwig (FAILED @ 26k)
2008: The Book of Harbringer

I think that, after relief, there needs to be that stage of NaNo withdrawal.

.xxBella

Wtihdrawel... yeah, thats one way of putting it.

I can find myself in the last one aswell, except I tend to experience multiple stages at the same time =P
Usually that means adding a flavour of despair to each stage though....

Yours truly, Imahilus

Mine would be more like:

Anticipation/Fear - I'm so eager! But... what if I freeze up and get writer's block?! *panic*

The Miraculous Energy Thing - Start typing and for several days it comes so easily. High wordcounts make me giddy.

The Slump - It's been about a week and a half. So. Writing... What's up with that? I'm wondering why I keep doing this to myself.

Determination - I WILL finish this thing, just gotta keep hitting those word counts.

Second Wind - usually about 3/4 of the way through November, suddenly we've hit the good stuff! All those scenes I've been waiting for make me happy again.

Time Crunch - the final days. I'm either struggling to finish the 50k or worrying that the novel won't be entirely finished by the end of November. Why, oh why did I waste so much time during The Slump?!

Hangover - Usually starts early in December, the headaches and need for sleep, the cranky refusal to look at the novel anymore. Might last just a week or might hang around until next year, when the cycle starts all over again... @_@

2006: The Horror Depot - won, unfinished
2007: Ochrasy I - won, in Rewrite Mode

2008: Ochrasy II - the saga continues...

Hmmm.... mine are different methinks

This was last year for me

Deliberation and Anticipation - october
Calm and controlled - first week
Complete sleep deprivation - second week onwards
Mad frenzy - last week
"Just realised I need to type it up" - last day
Kicking myself coz i had about 4000 words left to type up ><

this year so far
Anticipation
Itchy fingers (I will NOT pick up that pen.... come on november...)
Preparation
Organisation ^^ (the key to success)

The Official Elementalists' Site (flash)

The Lie

My stages seem to be wildly varied

First Anticipation - Starts arounds May or April, and lasts until August--"augnowrimo" month.

"Augno" Blues - Starts September 2nd, ends as soon as marching season really gets into swing (I am in a high school marching band.)

Forgetfulness - These are year-round, and in-between the first two stages.

PANIC - Realizing it's October/very near October, and I haven't started planning yet.

Planning/Final Anticipation - Madly running around like a chicken with my head cut off "planning" (getting names for characters that I'll probably never use) and ask everyone within existance if they're doing or what they're doing for Nano.

The First - Highly likely to be the most tiring day of my life, the first of November is a mythical day of new beginnings and dramatic (or anticlimactic) climaxes. This day begins the month of NaNoWriMo, but it is also the day of the most important marching competition of the year.

Heady Stuff - The first week or so of Nano--filled with the rush of creating new characters and new worlds, etc., etc.

Crash and Burn - Pretty much the typical Nano step, except it coincides with a nicely distracting parade that we have to march.

Inspiration - Whatever kicks my rear end back into gear, most likely to be my mentor-turned-friend of last year.

Home stretch - Those never-ending word wars and sprints that bring me closer and closer to having created a novel from scratch in word war entirety.

Delirium - The twenty-fifth, struggling to finish this monster that I created within the month, and staying up until daylight, making the total for the day 10k--but finishing the novel.

Euphoria - Three words: little. Purple. Bar.

More Crash and Burn - Get madly sick/depressed/tired just in time for the holidays to pick up my spirits.

January Blues - Another episode of crash and burn, which lead into the First Anticipation. =)

Elaborate.

hmm mine...

Anticipation... starts about Jan 1st and basically goes until October 31st only Slightly assuaged by Script Frenzy but nothing really seems to help. Not even Script Frenzy, I can't rope anyone else in my area to do other wrimo's with me and it makes it not quite the same...

Off like a rocket!! Just as you'd imagine a horse when the starting pistol shoots and they open the gate, off I write happily making my word count goals and awarding myself with game time!!

Fear This is the point when the couple beginning scenes which are best fleshed out in my head run out and I can't figure out a segue into the meat of my novel idea. And I feel like it all sucks and I consider giving up, my first two years I did.... Basically I keep going to write ins and doing word wars from the chat room to pull me through this so I can get to...

Epiphany This is when the characters just start doing things and suggesting things. When times like on my drive home I get a flash of plot and I can hardly wait until I get to my home so I can open my computer and start typing

Home Stretch Where I look at my word count and it rolls over 40k and I realize I'm going to do it. This has me often looking at my profile every few paragraphs

Win!! When I enter my final word count and my pretty bar turns purple

Bragging rights! Any time after reaching 50k and until Dec 31st and I brag to one and all about my heroic novelling and how I have written a novel and bask in their ooooh's and aaaaaah's

yes my year revolves around NaNoWriMo....

NaNoWriMo is life... the other months are just NaNo-prep

NaNoWriMo Participant 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Winner 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Script Frenzy Participant 2007, 2008, 2009

Winner 2007, 2008

Nobody's mentioned my final stage: COMA ... resulting from the withdrawal stage ... withdrawal from chocolate, caffeine, adrenaline, and anything to be remotely interested in. Lasts roughly 2 weeks until time to leave for my Xmas vacation at the beach.

I would say that my stages are somewhat similar, except that there's usually an additional stage in early October.
Panic-wherein you realize that either you don't have an idea for this year's novel or that whatever ideas you do have clearly won't work and that there's only a few weeks left until you have to start writing. . .

That sounds almost right for me. LOL. But I'd have to add the delirium part....^_^
_________________________________________
www.freewebs.com/sdh
Sara's website, the Wandering Thoughtstream, where do YOUR thoughts take you?

___________________________________
Want to know what I write? Go ahead....click....
www.fictionfusion.blogspot.com

This perfectly describes me. 100% accurate, my friend.

* * *
NaNoWriMo 2008: Pirates of Merth
"Afton, please reconsider your gender," the captain said quietly.
"My gender?!" Afton said incredulously.
"Just for Thomas' sake, please?"

2008: Pirates of Merth! (WINNER!)
2007: Firebug (12k. Pathetic.)
2006: Of Rainbows and Skyscrapers (A pathetic excuse for anything. Please do not bring it up. Ever.)

Plot Bunnies - Normally hits somewhere around September when you realise Nano is approaching.

Midnight Urges - Jotting down notes, ideas, character names whenever they hit, normally when it's most annoying - like midnight.

Wishing your life away - WHAT?! It's still October? Still?! HURRY UP!

Good Will Phase - Yes! I'll update my profile! I'll take newbies under my wing! I'll spam the forums! Yay nano! It's gonna rock! I'll get all of my offline friends involved too... we'll face this journey together!

Vanish from the face of the Earth - A few weeks before it all starts: Meal out? Nah... Birthdays? Remind me in December... Friends? Are on the back burner. November is offically written off for Nano. Those who work are already planning their sick days...

Best Intentions - Day one, aim for that 3,000 - 5,000 word count, wheee! Oh, wait... how do I start this again?

Beautiful Mile - Week one. This feels great! Nano is wonderful! This is gonna be easy!

Caffine Stage - Week 2/3. Need coffee... everyone be quiet! I need to think! I haven't slept in 72 hours! Put the kettle back on.... NOW! DON'T ROLL YOUR EYES AT ME!

Dread - I'm never doing this again. When anyone telephones and asks how it's doing you growl and hang up... eventually you unplug the phone... or hurl it at the wall.

Denial - Mid week three: That's it?! THAT is my word count?! I need a calculator... if I wanna be done early then I need to be writing more than this... why am I doing this to myself?! Never again! I hate my plot, my characters suck, I'll never get this done!

Realisation - Thats right, five adjectives in every sentance... padding padding padding....

Clear Goal - Week four, the final countdown. The final wave of euphoria as that big 50,000 closes in. You take ten minutes away from writing to check out the forums, only to see that some other -expleative- finished nano last week. You shout "LIAR" loudly at your computer screen.

Exhaustion - Last few words: Thank goodness. Almost done, I still have a few hours left, running on 90% caffine and 10% determination.

Euphoria - PURPLE BAR! MUST TELL EVERYONE! -happy dance and collapse-

Sleep Zzzz... na....zzzz.....no....zzzz.....

Self inflicted - Shove the novel you just wrote away on your pc, you'll edit it next month... yup, when it's easier to read the jumble you wrote. Only 11 months until the next nano!

Reconnection - You can risk putting the tv back on, or loading up msn, plug the phone back in, catch up on the gossip, only to realise that you have nothing to talk about other than the adventure Bo Bingle had slaying dragons and riding elephants while saving the universe from the evil cowlick aliens.... and... wait... you're pretty sure your best friend wasn't married back in October...

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2008 - Finding Home - ??,???
2007 - Hope of the Hidden - 50,019
2006 - Fortitude - 50,106

I imagine mine to be something like this:

Here would be mine:

Anticipation: starts in September, where I'm desperately looking for something to write about.
Planning: Lasts from late September to mid-October, which is when I usually get through the bigger of the plot holes
The Beginning: Typing away like nothing's wrong until I run into a plot hole I didn't catch, which leads me to...
The "Aw, Hell" stage: Occurs several times during the month, when I run out of ideas and resort to either the NaNo site or a generator site.
Family Deprivation: Not sleep deprivation -- family deprivation. Where I pretty much avoid my family to write while they sit around annoyed wondering whether or not I died.
Realization: Basically, the realization that I actually CAN reach 50,000 words, and I haven't been lying to myself all month. Also known as the Epiphany
The "Little Purple Bar" stage: Self-explanatory. :)
Emotional Overflow: Relief, sadness, anger, and aversion to the novel you have written all hit you at once. Usually lasts a couple of days to a week.

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My pen is mightier than yours!
NaNo '08: The Heatstroke Chronicles 2: Undoing (WON!!!)
NaNo '09: The Gates Series: Genesis Gate (0/50k)
www.theladypsycho.livejournal.com

Hehe! I like Melodie's cartoon. I expect to feel like that a lot more often this year than I did last year. Maybe I need to think of some new ideas.

http://applescrumbles.blogspot.com

i like melodie's cartoon too.
rounding up: getting all my friends to do it/bugging them until they relent
planning: i start. then i stop. then start. then stop. this is all of october.
first mile: beautiful. everything's clear and it's all easy going.
week 2: i hate it. i want to burn the computer and murder whoever introduced me to this site.
week 3: ahh, there's only two weeks left! omigod i need to work! don't bother me! *holes up in bedroom
week 4: okay, i'm not nearly done. no sleep. coffee and soda galore. i love starbucks.
little purple bar: I DID IT! bragging rights.
december: sleep. lots and LOTs of sleep.

O.O I'm going to need a great deal of chocolate to get me through the "despair" stage that seems so inevitable. But at least I know! *nano virgin*

Chris describes it thus in No Plot No Problem. (I am paraphrasing.)

Week One: Giddiness; the thrill of setting off mostly masks your nervous glances around for a lifeboat. Writing proceeds at a high pace.
Week Two: Doldrums; your efforts short-circuit and you execute a perfect faceplant in the middle of the deck, lamenting your foolishness for getting involved. Tedium and frustration are prone to setting in.
Week Three: Recovery; your characters, tired of waiting for you to give them life and direction, stage a mutiny and seize control. The plot begins to go directions you never expected, in ways that are often surprisingly effective.
Week Four: Victory; driven by the fury of your cast, raging across the deck in the most outlandish of antics, you sail across the finish line pretending this was all part of your plan to begin with.
Aftermath (not mentioned): You collapse. Sometimes this lasts only a day or two. Most often it lasts a few weeks to a few months. for some, it lasts clear through until next October, with you not wanting to get anywhere near what you've written ever again.

Hyper/Anticipation: "Eeeeeeee it's October!" In which I remind everyone who will stand still long enough to listen that I'm doing NaNo.
I Can Has Plot!: Exactly what it says... no, my plot is not about LOLCats.
I... Hate... Waiting...: In which I stock up on sleep.
Sugar-Induced Typing: First week: spent rotting my teeth and eating my siblings candy while typing away madly.
Sleep Stores Running Out: Second week, part 1: in which I realize my story is a heap of steamy sh*t. Little to no writing done.
Screw this, I'm going for the light: Second week, part 2 and often part of third week: in which my characters burst into random bouts of singing. Many word wars done and few hours of sleep taken in order to make up for the last stage.
Wait, so this ISN'T crap? Third week: in which I find the plot again, my characters cooperate, and I figure out who the heck the villain is.
Only another picture... I can finish today...: Fourth week: Sometimes known as delirium, little to no sleep while attempting to finish on the 25th just to get it over with.
I'M DONE! ...zzzz... wake me up in time for my birthday... End of November and on: I fall into a coma-like state while my body makes up for the hours spent nocturnal.

Please, someone explain to this newbie the mysterious Little Purple Bar!

It's great to get the benefit of everyone's experience here.

I'm so intrigued to see how this all plays out for me. I've not written any original fiction before, but I've written two long fanfiction stories (one is 93K words, the other 141K words, but those took a few months each), and several shorter pieces (one 13K one took a week or so).

I feel confident I can do this, even without the enormous crutch of having a universe and characters already created for me. I WILL get to 50K words within November. And... there will be a little purple bar waiting for me at the end? Do they serve Guinness on tap there?

Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. There’s only one rule I know of—God damn it, you’ve got to be kind. - Kurt Vonnegut

Yup. That's the perfect illustration, Melodie.

My initial stage is always determination - followed by, *what the blip have I gotten myself into!* November has to be the worst possible month for me to even attempt such a thing as I'm always, always, always overbooked, what with work, family and music obligations (I'm a vocalist on the side, with a regular job to help pay the bills *sigh*).

"They say it is the first step that costs the effort. I do not find it so. I am sure I could write unlimited 'first chapters'. I have indeed written many..."
~ J.R.R. Tolkien

BTW one of my favorite quotes on writing is this:

Now to hunt down that elusive last chapter...not to mention all those middle chapters. ;)

"They say it is the first step that costs the effort. I do not find it so. I am sure I could write unlimited 'first chapters'. I have indeed written many..."
~ J.R.R. Tolkien

You get a little purple word count bar when you reach 50,000 and have it verified between the 25-30th of November!

Any newbies looking to add to their friend list? Feel free to send me a pm and add me!

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2008 - Finding Home - ??,???
2007 - Hope of the Hidden - 50,019
2006 - Fortitude - 50,106