Five Stages Of Writing

 by Margie Senechal

The other day I posted on Facebook how in love with my WIP I was. And I am.

But, it dawned on me that when writing a book, we go through the same stages as one goes through when they fall in love.

First, there is infatuation or the butterfly stage. That's when you can't stop thinking about your book. You want to talk about it to everyone but if you're smart, you don't. At least I don't. I've learned the more I talk about my book, the less I "need" to write it as I've already "told" the story.

 

The second stage is the building--Yep, I had to look that one up. In romance, that's when you learn your partner inside and out. And decide that you love them despite everything. 

In your WIP,that's when you start seeing the flaws in your story but decide to stick with it. You know there is something there, but it's going to take work to get to the diamond in the rough.

The third stage is assimilation. In romance, this is when you negotiate a future together. For writing, I think this is when you are reaching the end of your first draft. You've gone through the middle muddle and come out on the bright side. And you're ready to type, "The End" for the first time even though you know that the end is just the beginning of a new stage.

 
Stage four is Honesty. Complete openness--according to my research. I think this is the editing stage of your book. When you go through, find the flaws, and fix them. 

And finally, LOVE. You love your book. Despite the night you tossed and turned because you couldn't figure out a major plot point. Despite the fact that you lost most of it in a computer failure and had to start all over. Despite the fact that your story ended up somewhere you never predicted when you began.

Kind of like a relationship.