book inc is thrilled to welcome Olivia Kenney and Kaecey McCormick as the Peer Artist Leaders (PALs) for the July 2026 Book Revision Lab, our program for creative writers ready to roll up their sleeves and revise their completed memoirs or novels.
But first—what exactly is a Peer Artist Leader?
Peer Artist Leaders (PALs) are experienced writers who co-facilitate book inc’s programs. They work on their own book projects alongside participants, creating a supportive, collaborative environment where writers at every stage of their journey can do their best work.
Olivia Kenney is a book inc writer and novelist whose short fiction explores courage in the face of change. Kaecey McCormick is a Bay Area writer, past Cupertino Poet Laureate, and author of two chapbooks whose work spans poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.
We sat down with Olivia and Kaecey to talk revision, reading habits, getting unstuck, and what they’re most looking forward to bringing to this next cohort of book writers.
book inc: How did each of your journeys into writing begin, and where have they taken you today?
Olivia: I’ve kept a journal since I was a little kid, and come from a family of writers, so I’ve always had an interest. But in school and work, I pursued something else entirely (public health research). In 2023, I decided to invest time and energy in writing as a hobby, and I joined book inc’s Novel Incubator program. Through book inc, I completed my first novel and met a wonderful cohort of other writers who showed me that there are many ways to make space for writing in your life. I’ve since taken classes with book inc and other writing programs, and even attended a fiction writing conference in Italy a few years ago.
Kaecey: I started telling stories before I could actually write them down, so storytelling has always been part of my life. But for a long time, I didn’t really believe creative writing was something I could seriously pursue. I worked in content and marketing writing, but even then, I kept finding my way to journaling, poetry, and short fiction. Eventually, I decided to dive in. In 2016, I earned my MFA in writing, and since then, I’ve focused on building a sustainable writing practice. Over the years, I’ve published regularly, won a few awards, attended residencies, and served as poet laureate in my city.
With four daughters, short forms fit more naturally into my life. But finishing a novel was always a dream, and in 2025, I joined book inc’s Novel Incubator. The structure, accountability, and community helped me complete a full draft of my first novel.
book inc: You’ve both worked across different forms—Kaecey, you’ve written poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, and Olivia, you’ve written short stories, and now you’re deep into novel writing. How has working in multiple forms shaped the way you approach a longer project like a novel?
Olivia: I love this question! I wrote about a dozen or so short stories as an adult before attempting a novel. I can be a little pedantic, and writing short stories helped me learn to trust the reader. Readers are so smart and curious. For me, writing short stories has been a great way to practice avoiding things like spoonfeeding information or hiding the ball in annoying ways. I’m still learning how to write in a way that readers will love, but short stories are, for me, a great testing ground for larger works, like a novel. I also use short stories as a place to test out different plot ideas before committing to a novel– my first novel was a longer version of a “cli-fi” short story I wrote in 2020 and wanted to explore in more depth.
Kaecey: I truly believe writers can learn so much by reading and writing across genres. Each one teaches a different kind of attention. Poetry has trained me to think deeply about language, image, rhythm, and white space. About what’s on the page, but also what’s left unsaid. Short fiction and flash fiction have helped me with compression, story shape, and scene. Creative nonfiction has taught me to pay attention to emotional truth, which is also essential in fiction. This has shaped the way I approach a novel because a longer project asks for all of those skills at different times. Sometimes I need poetry’s attention to language or image. Sometimes I need short fiction’s sense of momentum. Sometimes I need nonfiction’s willingness to get at the emotional center of the material. It’s also made me more willing to experiment and remember that drafts are just that: drafts. The early work is about getting the story out, discovering what’s there, and trusting that revision will help shape it.
book inc: What’s your relationship with revision? What feels tough, and what comes more naturally?
Olivia: I will admit, I am someone who naturally gravitates towards writing more than revision. The messiness of a first draft feels open and forgiving, whereas revision intimidates me a little. I have taken a couple of swings at revising my first novel, including participating in Book Revision Lab in 2024, and I found that it really helped to have a community of writers revising their work alongside me, being open about their revision wins and struggles. It also helped to have the structure of a class to follow, because I could lean on revision advice and techniques, rather than making up my own process or spinning too deep in uncertainty.
Kaecey: “It’s complicated” is probably the most honest answer I can give! I’m absolutely someone who LOVES the generative part of the process. Getting words out and onto the page is rarely the hard part for me. But revision takes a different kind of energy, especially with something as large as a full-length manuscript. What feels toughest for me is figuring out where to begin, how to approach big structural changes, and how to think about the cascading effects one change might have on the rest of the book.
What comes more naturally is the smaller, more concrete work: line edits, tightening language, fixing typos, cutting unnecessary words. I actually enjoy that stage because I can see and feel the improvement happening. The bigger challenge is staying patient with the larger, messier questions before I get to the polish. That’s where I found the structure, outside feedback, and community of Book Revision Lab to be really helpful.
book inc: Olivia, you wrote about returning to your novel with fresh eyes after stepping away for six months. Kaecey, your poetry background means you’re used to working at a very precise, compressed level. How do those experiences inform how you approach revising a novel-length work?
Olivia: I found it very refreshing to pause for a while after finishing my first novel, before I tried to revise it. It gave me some distance from the work– so much, in fact, that when I came back to reread the novel in full, there were entire sections I’d forgotten about. I found myself asking, “Did I write that?” Getting some distance from my own work actually helped me be more objective during my reread. I wasn’t so attached to every word. I was more comfortable with the idea of scrapping entire sections, or making big changes to characters, if that seemed best for the book overall. Revising a novel-length work is a big lift, in my opinion, but when I can be a little more objective about my own work, and remember that the whole novel is more than any one sentence or scene, it’s easier to make those tough revision calls.
Kaecey: Great question! I think poetry has shaped the way I revise by making me very aware of impact: where a line ends, where a silence falls, what image lingers, what gets withheld. In suspense (my genre), that kind of attention is incredibly useful. It helps me think about where to end a chapter, where to break a paragraph, when to reveal information, and when to let the reader sit in uncertainty a little longer. It’s also helped me think about revision in steps. Even with a poem, I don’t usually start at the word level. I start by asking what the poem is really about, where its energy is, and what needs to change around that. Revising a novel is similar, just on a MUCH larger and more complex scale. But the idea is the same: look at the big structural questions first, and then return to the page-level changes.
book inc: While you’re in revision mode, what do you find yourself drawn to reading, watching, or listening to — and what do you steer clear of?
Olivia: I’m a very slow reader, so this is a short but intentional list! I always try to have one novel going, during revision periods or otherwise. Reading good writing helps me feel inspired. I am hopelessly addicted to anything by Barbara Kingsolver, Margaret Atwood, and Frederick Bakman, although I’m trying to expand my palette. I also like to listen to podcasts that talk about writing craft and writing as a vocation or lifestyle. A few favorites are Writers on Writing and, recently, Brandon Sanderson’s writing lectures. I try not to consume the podcasts too quickly, though, because I know myself– listening to them on loop is a way I procrastinate when I don’t feel like revising 🙂
Kaecey: I’m a huge reader and usually read a few books a week across different genres. During revision, I never really stop reading for pleasure. But one thing I find myself steering clear of is reading too much in the exact genre of the book I’m working on. I can be hard on myself, and if I read a brilliant suspense novel while I’m deep in revision, I start comparing instead of working. So I try to give myself a little space from books that make me overly self-conscious about my own. I find it really helpful to listen to podcasts, read interviews, and engage in conversations where writers talk honestly about process. I learned that when I’m drafting, I get inspired by hearing about other people’s drafting practices, so I look for the same thing during revision. What encourages me the most is hearing how different everyone’s process is, while also noticing some common threads, things like taking separate passes for different elements, making reverse outlines, breaking the book down scene by scene. I also find myself returning to craft books on story structure, as it’s so useful during revision.
book inc: Everyone has their tricks: when you hit a wall in revision, what’s your go-to move for getting unstuck?
Olivia: When I get stuck, it’s usually because I’m thinking narrowly, trying to force one idea (plot point, character trait, etc.) to work. So it helps me to find ways to loosen up and think more broadly. Getting outside for a long walk is my go-to– I live in Colorado, so I’m super lucky with beautiful walking trails! Being in nature, spending time in the vicinity of other walkers, joggers, and bikers, and sometimes playing with my kids at the playground– all of these things help me think more broadly and can generate new ways of thinking about my writing.
Kaecey: I often hit a wall when I try to think about too much at once. With a full-length book, one change can feel like it’s going to ripple across everything, and if I start imagining every consequence before I’ve begun, I can get pretty paralyzed. When that happens, I often need to get outside and move my body. I love hiking, but even a quick walk around the block can help get me out of my head. It doesn’t always solve the problem immediately, but it usually helps me come back to the work in a better frame of mind. My other go-to move is to remind myself that time and again, doing the revision task is never as bad as I thought it would be. Once I actually sit down and start working, the problem becomes more concrete. It’s no longer this huge abstract thing that will snowball: it’s a scene, a chapter, something specific. I break it down into small, actionable steps, and that really helps me get going. Another thing that really helps me is to think in terms of time rather than task. I learned while drafting that I do better thinking in terms of “minutes per day” instead of “words per day,” so I’ve brought that into revision, too. Some days that might be two hours, some days it might be thirty minutes. But thinking like this has helped me keep going because I always have at least five minutes to “touch the book” every day.
book inc: What’s something about the Book Revision Lab you wish every writer knew before they joined?
Olivia: Book Revision Lab is more than instruction. It not only gives writers tools to help manage the daunting process of revising a book– it also gives you a community of writers dealing with a lot of the same questions and struggles. When I joined book inc, I tapped into a community of motivated, caring writers who celebrate each other’s wins. BRL is also a beautiful source of accountability. By posting regularly in Slack and joining class every other week, it gives us a chance to stay accountable to ourselves for doing the thing we’re, truly, so excited to do: revise our book.
Kaecey: I think it’s helpful for writers to know that revision really does require a different kind of energy than drafting, and it can take your mind/body a little while to sink into that. It helps to come in with a discovery mindset. You’re not just trying to “fix” the book. You’re trying to understand where the deeper revisions need to happen so the manuscript can resonate more fully with you and with readers. The reading round is useful here, because it helps your peers, but it also helps you think more clearly about your own story and how readers experience it. I’d also want them to know that revision is not a fast process, especially with a full-length book. BRL gives you structure, support, and deadlines, but I don’t think the goal here can be to leave with a fully finished manuscript. That might happen for some people, of course, but the bigger goal is to leave with a clearer understanding of what the book needs and a realistic plan for how to keep going.
book inc: And finally, what’s one thing you’re especially excited to bring to the July 2026 cohort?
Olivia: Honestly, a learning mindset. So far in my writing journey, I’ve revised one novel and a handful of short stories. I’ve also written two novels (currently working on a third!). So while I have some experience with revision, there is still so much I can learn. I’m looking forward to doing that alongside the other BRL writers, and supporting the cohort in any ways I can.
Kaecey: I love community, and I’m very excited to bring that sense of togetherness and encouragement to the July cohort! I enjoy connecting with other writers, hearing about their projects, learning from everyone, and cheering people on when things are going well or when there’s a roadblock. Writing a book is a messy process, and being in it alongside other writers really does help. I’ll be going through revisions on novel #2, and I’m excited to be part of the shared experience as we learn together through the revision process.
Thank you, Olivia and Kaecey, for talking with us! We can’t wait to read your books after you’ve revised them in the 2026 Book Revision Lab.
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