Camp NaNoWriMo and the Swing of Revision

Carlton Smith, Recalling the Past
(Also exactly what I look like when revising.)

Happy July and Happy Monday!

I love the beginnings of weeks and months for reaffirming habits that I may have let slide. This July I'm tackling a project I've been avoiding for far too long, the next revision of my 2015 NaNoWriMo project and 2016 PitchWars project, Old-fashioned Newfangled Girls. Unlike its November counterpart, Camp NaNoWriMo allows you to work on non-noveling projects and set a variety of types of goals, so I'm using the momentum that comes with being accountable to a team to try to get 50 solid hours of revision in this month.

50 hours of revision, combined with normal life as a mom of 6, means giving up pretty much all other writing projects, not to mention some housework.* (Hello, weeds and laundry piles....I haven't seen you in, like, ten minutes.) But I love this story and am committed to perfecting it enough to send it out once again to agents and editors--and hopefully the world of readers (eventually). I have agents waiting on revisions and an amazing family ready to support me with prayers and hugs and peanut-butter sandwiches for many of our dinners.

But I confess that, for whatever reason, I am still scared stiff. I haven't done this kind of extensive revision of a novel since PitchWars, and I'm out of practice. Would you pray for me?

If you're working on a writing project for Camp NaNoWriMo--or on your own--let me know! I'm an excellent cheerleader and am happy to offer a prayer for your guidance. Hey, if you live nearby, I could even offer you a peanut butter sandwich. ;)


*If you're interested in some real life numbers, these days I spend about 4 hours a week changing diapers and just a tad more writing. Yes, I counted. Upping the writing by 10 hours a week without any way to lessen the diaper changing time should be interesting.