The 5 Stages of Writing: How to Channel Your NaNoWriMo Feels Into Your Novel

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Swoon Reads, a NaNoWriMo 2016 sponsor, is a community-based publishing platform for YA fiction. This year, they’re offering Wrimos the chance to win one of fifty reader-approved goody boxes. Today, they’ve shared with us the best ways navigate the 5 stages of writing throughout the month:

You’ve committed. You’re going to write a novel in 30 days. And you have THE BEST IDEA EVER. This is going to be a breeze. Best-seller author status, here you come.

We guarantee the month will start out great. You’ll wake up early, carry a brand-spanking-new notebook around with you, talk to all your friends about your brilliant idea. You’ll probably even go to a write-in. And of course, you’ll check your completion graph OBSESSIVELY.

But the thing is, writing is almost never as easy as it seems.

Here at Swoon Reads, we know from experience that sometimes writing is more akin to grief than glory. So we’ve outlined exactly how you can use all those feels to write the best first draft of your novel possible when you’re in the darkest throes of NaNoWriMo angst.

Stage 1: Denial.

So you didn’t make your word count this week. It’s cool. You still have three whole weeks to make it up. No biggie.

What you do: You think about adding a subplot. Or changing the main character’s name. Or adding a new character–a villain. MAYBE TEN VILLAINS. The subplot can include the ten villains! These new bad guys will totally help you hit your word count. You could write about them all day.

Wait. Why is the mob of villains making out?

What you should do: Make time. And if you are excited about a change you want to make in your novel, go with it. Anything that keeps you interested in getting words on the page, even if it doesn’t fit with your original plan. Sometimes, the characters dictate the story.

Stage 2: Anger.

WHY is the new Gilmore Girls releasing in November? Whose idea was it to plan that during NaNoWriMo? I miss TV. I miss my life. And is that a plot hole?! Maybe editing will help me feel better.

What you do:  You decide you’re going to edit A TEENY TINY BIT. Then reward yourself with an episode of Gilmore Girls. Just one. Then, once you’re not angry about missing out, you’ll get more writing done. The logic is flawless.

What you should do: You’ve written yourself into a corner and doing anything but writing is looking really attractive right now. And let’s be honest: editing might make you a little less angry at your broken story, but it won’t move you any closer to your goal of 50K words. So keep going. Use that anger to write a fight scene or a scene where something gets destroyed. You WILL need to edit your novel later, so trying to make it perfect is pointless, and only a distraction from getting to the end. Just. Keep. Writing.

Stage 3: Bargaining:

So maybe you won’t hit 50k words. BUT if you keep writing a page a day, you’ll finish your novel by February 17th, right? You SWEAR you’ll finish by then, if you can watch a little GG now.

What you do:  Watch more Gilmore Girls. February 17th is a perfectly acceptable finish date and besides, you’ll be a much more pleasant roommate if you can watch a little TV for the rest of this month.

What you should do:  TURN OFF GILMORE GIRLS. It’ll be waiting for you later. Try thinking about what you would give to be finished–to have 50,000 words done. Think about how you would feel if you really could strike that deal. Now, what would your character be willing to part with to reach his or her goal?

If you really are stuck and can’t write, allow yourself ONE episode. ONE. But a shower or a walk around the block would be a  better idea. Movement allows you to think, and it just might spark something to keep you going.

Stage 4: Depression

Why did I ever think I could write a novel? This idea is terrible. Everything is terrible.

What you do:  Watch more Gilmore Girls. And order a pizza. And open a bottle of wine.

What you should do:  Have the glass of wine. Perhaps with a friend who can help you talk through what’s bothering you about your novel. Sometimes, talking about it gives you more direction.

Stage 5: Acceptance

At least you wrote this month!

What you do: Come up with a new idea. This one will be MUCH easier to write.

What you should do:  Congratulate yourself on what you’ve accomplished, but don’t stop here! Either keep going until you finish, decide what nuggets are salvageable from what you’ve written so far, or reflect on what the journey has taught you. Maybe you’re even ready to start editing. It’s also completely acceptable to take a break: reread your favorite book for some inspiration, or finish up Gilmore Girls. You made it through and that’s what matters most, so don’t be too tough on yourself.

Every writer is different. There’s no foolproof way to write a book, and sometimes you just need to find what’s right for you. But at the end of the day, one thing always works. Words to paper. So get it done however you can. We’re rooting for you. Check out our writing guide for tons of advice on everything from planning your novel to editing. 

Top photo modified from one taken by Flickr user Barb Watson.