Revision Time! With Cookies!

Sometimes the universe provides you with exactly what you need at exactly the right time, without you even realizing it.  Enter Peggy Eddleman, a fellow blogger, recently-agented author, and all around super sweet gal.  Any one who loves cookies enough to use the word "cookies" in their blog title is okay in my book. 

(Speaking of cookies, every time Jack hears the word cookie now, he says "cookie touch."  If you have a Sesame Street-watching toddler, you may catch the reference.  Here's a link, just in case.)

Anyway, back to the matter at hand.  Peggy proposed a spin-off of NaNoWriMo (aka National Novel Writing Month).  For those who don't know, in the month of November, thousands of writers pledge to write a 50,000-word novel in thirty one days; I know, I know, most of you thought this was MOvember, but let me assure you, writing a novel in one month is a lot harder than growing a mustache (I mean, not that I speak from experience or anything, but it's hair.  How hard can it be?).  Like Peggy, my novel is complete, so NaNoWriMo isn't really in the charts for me this year.  But NaNoReviMo?  A month dedicated solely to revision?  That's what I need, people!

The truth is, I HATE the revision process.  I tend to get stuck, and then I start to feel like the entire novel sucks, and then I just want to throw it out and start something else.  But if I can get fifteen fellow writers (and potential cheerleaders) to do it with me, and hold me accountable at the end of every day, then maybe, just maybe, I can survive the revision process.  And at the end of it (well, three-quarters of the way through, anyway) I have our girls trip to Mexico, the perfect metaphorical carrot dangling from a stick.  Although in this case I suppose it's more of a margarita hanging from a stick, but you get the idea.

Yesterday I did indeed get stuck, but after dinner with Erin and Sarah last night, I feel like I'm back on track.  Maybe it was Erin's Shakespearean tie-in, maybe it was Sarah's quasi-time traveling notion, or maybe it was just the delicious panang curry that inspired me, but I've got ideas, baby!  And to prove that I'm really serious about this whole thing, I got up an hour early this morning so I could run my four miles before Jack woke up.  That means I can dedicate all three hours of nap-time to revising.  And maybe, if I'm really good, I'll treat myself to a cookie afterward.