And people wonder why some writers are . . . uh, eccentric

A post on the Nano boards describes the five stages of NaNoWriMo.

The five stages of NaNoWriMo

They are a pretty accurate description. Right now, I'm bouncing back and forth between stages two and three: terror and exhilaration.

It's also a pretty accurate description of any writing project. Even when I write a short story, there's an anticipation stage (the lightning strike of an idea), an exhilaration stage ("yay! this idea is great and the words are flowing as if from the gods"), and a despair stage (the "I thought this was a good idea, but I guess not; should I abandon it, or try and make it work?"). There's even an insanity stage . . . I call it revision and editing.

About the only stage that doesn't exist in non-NaNo writing projects is the terror phase.

Oh, wait . . . that's right. That stage comes last, when you send the finished piece out into the world and wait with bated breath to see see if it will be rejected or accepted.