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So, I'm likely finished with my idea in form of a novel, but now comes the difficult part with the rewriting.

That's when I thought: What are the general Stages of writing?

Of course I know the Outline and the Draft. This is where the story takes form. The outline is the basic structure of the story (the skeleton) and the draft is the very first version of the whole story.

And now there is the question of mine:

Are there other stages of writing?

I want to know if I missed some stages, that could be essential for my writing process. Or if there are some stages, that could be useful to take.

Different writers do things differently. There are writers who don't outline, don't revise, but sit down and write their book and publish it. What works best for you is something you will have to find out through experimentation.

Here are my steps:

1. Idea


2. Character development


3. Worldbuilidng


4. Plot (maybe outline)


5. First Draft


6. Revise character development, worldbuilding, plot


7. Revise novel = 2nd draft (can be revision of first draft or complete rewrite, depending on extent of necessary changes)


8. Repeat 6 and 7 until done


9. Submit (and meanwhile begin work on the next novel)


10. Work in demanded changes and publish (or file away for later use, e.g. as "quarry")

In general I work through the following:

• High Concept, what are the big changes, magic, technology and/or history.


• Consequences, what are the knock on effects of the big changes that separate the setting from the world we know.


• Worldbuilding, geology, geography, ethnogenesis, politics, economy, character archetypes.


• Writing, test pieces and development notes are written during worldbuilding to help cement certain concepts and aspects, now I can start telling actual stories from the setting. Usually these are new stories but sometimes they're old stories that were started as stand alone pieces without a defined setting but hit a brick wall and can only now be finished because I know where they fit. Always write like the world is ending and you must finish the work yesterday, fix it later but get the ideas on the page now.


• Editing, the most aggravating part of any work, going back and fixing everything you didn't do while rushing to get ideas down.

There are many steps that you can take or choose not to take and no true order in which to do them. For most people, it's just the order in which they think of things. There are a few major parts of writing, however, which can be considered as "steps":

Preparation:

• Worldbuilding.
  
  Create your world and its contents. Put down ideas about the people who live in your world. If it's set in our world you can put down notes about the setting you've chosen.


• Character creation.
  
  You can base your characters on people you know, or just generate them straight from your imagination. What attitudes/opinions would they have in the setting you have chosen?


• Plan your plot.
  
  Put together plot points, locations, characters.

Writing:

• Write the thing!
  
  Some people like to write start to finish. Others like to do specific plot points and then fill the space between them later.

Revision:

• Check your work.
  
  Not just for spelling and grammar, but continuity and cohesiveness. Double check for any dead space where the writing isn't really going anywhere. Check for any parts where too much is happening and slow it down.

Personally, I start with nothing more than an interesting character and an overarching story concept. Those are the only two things I have in mind when I sit down to write. I seem to have three main phases.

1. Write / Develop


2. Summarize


3. Review

Write

This is pretty simple. Busy hands, pages of text.

Most of my time is spent in this phase, but it's not very complicated so the "Develop" phase gets more explanation.

As I write, I take frequent breaks to "branch out"; this is where I flesh out the world and any new characters I've introduced.

Develop

If the plot needs something, I make a note so I remember to edit or supplement what I've already written. I also write notes on what each character/faction wants or needs to do within the story. To this end, I use Scrivener since it makes it very easy to take notes and manage the document in sections---tasks which many word processors cannot do very well at all.

This can redirect the plot---sometimes slightly, sometimes significantly. I find I'm usually done with major changes once I've identified 2-3 main characters.

Summarize

At the end, I'll outline the plot. I try the built-in tool; sometimes it works with minor tweaking, and sometimes I just do it by hand.

I will also make a final inventory of the goals, actions, and histories of the characters/factions.

Review

I check the outline against my notes, and I generally make subtle changes to ensure consistency or deepen characterization.

Basically, I'm removing potential friction points for the reader.

At this point, I'll contemplate a major rewrite if the story becomes more intriguing by resolving the friction points in another direction.

Wait... rewrite when?!

I find that putting off consideration of a rewrite until the end is a huge benefit. It may seem counter-intuitive, but it has worked out very well in practice. Instead of agonizing over every decision, I get into the flow and enjoy the process more.

My process is unconventional if you've primarily written essays or technical papers. It is largely undirected. I start with no defined thesis, endpoint, or goal. The endpoint evolves as the characters bring the world around them into focus.

This only works if you accept one core principle: Always be flexible and willing to pursue an alternative. You're only wasting time if you don't enjoy the process.

To add to other's answers, my own writing can be described by two loops:

A. Creative loop:

1. Excitement


2. Exhaustion


3. Writer's block

B. Editing loop:

1. Sensing flaws in my writing


2. Revising

While loop "A" eventually results in a roughly finished product, loop "B" can be infinite.