Your Next Draft

This skater didn't win an Olympic medal, and I'm obsessed with him. I watched Cha Jun-Hwan’s figure skating routine last week in the Olympic men’s short program competition. I never finished watching that competition—I was busy rewinding Jun-Hwan’s routine to watch him over and over again. I filmed my TV screen on my phone and watched it again while I sat in the courthouse on jury duty. I gushed about it to friends and family. I’ve been listening to the song he skated to on loop for a week. Jun-Hwan didn’t win a medal. He placed fourth, just off the podium. But his skate has stuck in my mind like no other skater’s has throughout this entire Olympics. There is no Olympic gold medal for literature. Still, most writers I work with are chasing their own version of Olympic gold. You’re reaching for lofty achievements: to sign an agent, to get a book deal, to land on the endcaps of Barnes and Noble, maybe even to rise up in the bestseller lists. Which, on the one hand, is fantastic. As I’m sure every Olympic athlete knows, it’s so incredibly satisfying and rewarding to push the limits of your potential, to set a high bar and then become the person who can surpass it. But on the other hand, it’s a hidden trap. Because the achievements we compete for are merely proxies for what we actually want. The agents, the deals, the bookstores, the lists are simply stand-ins for excellence and validation and engagement with readers who love what we write. Which means that it’s possible to win the agents and the deals without reaching excellence and connecting with readers. And it’s possible to lose the agents and the accolades, and still attain the excellence and engagement we most want. So in this episode, I’m raving about Cha Jun-Hwan. Not because he medaled, or he was expected to medal but didn’t, or he was part of any figure skating drama. He was simply there, skating a great skate—one that lives on in my mind and on my phone and in my Youtube history. And I’m unpacking why. What magic did his skate hold that surpassed any other? What am I measuring besides Olympic gold? And how can writers weave that magic, too? Links mentioned in the episode: Watch Cha Jun-Hwan’s short programSend me a Text Message! Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

When will you be truly satisfied with your novel? How will you know when you’ve succeeded? How will you know when you’re done? Will it be when you LOVE your book? When you stop cringing as you read it? When you can’t think of a single change left to make? When beta readers rave about it? When they tell you the romantic scenes made them swoon and the funny scenes made them laugh, the scary scenes gave them nightmares and the sad scenes made them cry? When a reader tells you your book impacted them profoundly? That it changed the way they think about something that matters? Or will it be when an agent requests your full manuscript, then returns with an offer of representation? When an editor offers you a book deal? When your book is published and you see it on bookstore shelves? One of the most difficult editing decisions you’ll face is determining when your book is done. When you have finished, when it’s ready to share with the world, when this project you’ve poured so much of your heart into is complete. In this episode, I’ll help you uncover the factors that matter most to you. You’ll learn: Calling your book “done” will always be a challenging decision. After all, art is never finished, only abandoned. But when you know what you value most, you can chase it with clarity and determination, and celebrate when you reach it. Links mentioned in the episode: alicesudlow.com/contactalicesudlow.com/101Send me a Text Message! Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

What if editing isn’t drudgery, but the most delightful part of your writing process? So you’re revising yet another draft. You’re hoping against hope that this draft will be your final draft. Which, coincidentally, is also what you hoped for the last draft, and the one before that. Editing is a slog you’re trudging through. You dream of the day when you can escape this drudgery and return to the free-flowing fun of writing the first draft of your next book. But what if editing isn’t an obstacle you have to grit your teeth and bear? What if it’s where the magic happens? It would release the pressure to make this draft your last draft. It would make the process itself more fun, a reward in and of itself. And paradoxically, when you’re working from pleasure rather than pressure, your editing work could become more efficient, because you give the process the space it needs. So I asked six authors, editors, and book coaches the same question: What do you love about editing? The answers they shared vary widely. They’re a whole host of things: everything from puzzle-solving and understanding the mechanics that makes something work to personal development, community building, and meaning-making. In this episode, I’m sharing all their answers with you, in hopes of sparking a little of your own editing joy. Listen for what resonates with you. You might discover one new thing to love—or a whole new perspective on revision. And if you already love editing, well, I think you’ll find this episode an absolute delight. Plus, I want to know what you love about editing! Record a 1-minute voicemail sharing what you love about editing, and I might feature it in a future podcast episode. Tell me what you love about editing here » Links mentioned in the episode: 91. How to Use Genre as a Revision Tool82. How Surrealist Pantser A.S. King Revises Award-Winning Novels76. Scene Workshop: Hook Your Readers in Chapter One80. How to Use Revision Tools Like the Story Authority You Already Are86. How Great First Chapters Make Readers Care89. How Great First Lines Make Readers Pay Attention78. How Multiple Layers of Editing Combine to Perfect Your StorySend me a Text Message! Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

Is story excellence something you "know when you see it"—or can it actually be measured? Is excellence defined by hitting bestseller lists? Filling seats at every book tour stop? Being selected for “Best Books of 2025” lists? Is excellence defined by getting gatekeeper approval? Getting agent representation? Landing a book deal? Winning awards? Is excellence defined by earning money? Getting a big advance? Earning out the advance and bringing in royalties? Or is it something else? How can we measure that a book is good? What is the pinnacle we’re trying to reach, and how will we tell when we achieve it? This is a big, big question, and feels in some ways impossible to answer. But I’m going to try. Because if we want to craft excellent novels, we need to know what we’re aiming for so we can recognize when we reach it and spot when we’re going off course. Come journey with me to discover what excellent stories truly do. We’re going to get lightly philosophical so you can shape your stories to excellence too. You’ll hear: Once you’ve heard how I’m defining excellence, I’d love to hear your definition! Head to the comments on the blog post and let me know what makes a story excellent to you. Share your standard of excellence in the comments » Links mentioned in the episode: Ep. 65: Why Some Writers Resist Measuring Their Craft (And Why They Shouldn’t)Ep. 84: What If You Do Everything Right and the Book Launch Still Goes Wrong? with A.S. KingEp. 36: Your Story Has Deep Meaning. Do You Know What It Is?Send me a Text Message! Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

If you get feedback that grinds you to a halt, there's a problem. But YOU are not the problem—the feedback is. Recently, a writer came to me with feedback she was struggling to implement. She’d written a draft of her story, but she knew it needed revision. So she’d gotten a manuscript evaluation from another editor. And the feedback she got in that evaluation really threw her off. When this writer and I talked, she was so confused. She knew what her vision was for her story, and why she’d made the story structure choices she’d made. But the feedback she’d gotten called some of those foundational structure choices into question. It would be a really big overhaul—a different core conflict and a different genre. The writer was quick to assure me that she was willing to do that work. She was not afraid of a page one rewrite. She was not afraid of getting tough critique. She wanted honest feedback from experts, and she was determined to do whatever it took to revise her manuscript into a story that works. And yet, she was stuck. She had started mapping what it would look like to implement the feedback she’d gotten. And she had this nagging feeling that it would mean walking away from something about her story that mattered to her. So what was she to do? What do you do when feedback gets you stuck? When it seems to make things worse, not better? When you can’t figure out how to implement it, no matter how hard you try? In this episode, I’m sharing what to do with feedback when it doesn’t get you traction, but grinds you to a halt. You’ll hear: andIf you have ever gotten feedback that you just can’t make work, this is what I want you to hear. Links mentioned in the episode: alicesudlow.com/nrsSend me a Text Message! Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

If the line writing is lovely, but the story still falls flat, check for these surprisingly hard-to-spot problems. You’ve written a draft of your novel. It’s a pretty good draft, actually. Maybe you’ve revised it—once, or twice, or five times. The line-by-line writing is evocative, and a lot of the scenes are exciting and fun. But. Come on, you knew there was a “but” coming. You can feel it in your gut. Your story is just not doing everything you want it to do. There’s something missing. Something not quite right. The ending isn’t paying off the way you want it to. Even though you structured your story with care, crafted the plot and cross-checked it with every story outline you know, something is still falling flat. You’ve taken it as far as you know to go. So why isn’t it working? And what can it possibly still need, when you’ve done everything you know to do? I have met so many writers at this exact moment. And I’ve noticed common patterns cropping up again and again—three incredibly common, surprisingly subtle pitfalls stories tend to fall into without their writers even realizing. I can’t guarantee that your story has any of these problems. But what I can tell you is, if your story isn’t landing the way you want it to yet, these three pitfalls are the first things to check. And the best part is, when you solve even one of them, that solution will cascade down to make so many more things work even better in your story. So if you’ve taken your story as far as you can, and you’re not sure what to do with it, here’s where to go next. Links mentioned in the episode: alicesudlow.com/nrsGo deeper with these episodes: The Hidden Half of Your Protagonist's Goal (That Makes Story Structure Work)How to Figure Out What Your Character REALLY WantsThe 12 Core Genres That Power Every Great StoryHow to Use Genre as a Revision Tool (with Savannah Gilbo)One Insidious Cause of Disappointing Endings (and How to Fix It)Send me a Text Message! Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

What do you do when your genre just refuses to work? When you’ve tried every content genre you know—Action, Crime, Horror, Thriller, Performance, Love, Society, and more—and every single one just does not fit your story? Sure, some parts of several of those genres fit your story. Those parts even seem essential. Some parts feel like a stretch, but you can make them work if you squint. And some parts don’t fit at all. If you’re honest, it’s like your story is secretly three genres in a trenchcoat trying to sneak past some gatekeeper rubric. In other words: your genre feels like an utter mess. A confusing mish-mash. Like somewhere, somehow, your story took a wrong turn, and now it’s doing a bunch of things poorly and nothing really well. It simply refuses to check all the right genre boxes at the same time. And when you try to just pick the best-fitting genre and make it work, it feels like you’re ham-fistedly shoving your beautiful, unique, personal creation into a standardized mold it truly doesn’t fit. When genre feels like all of that, what do you do? That’s what I’m exploring in this episode. I’m taking genre deeper than conventions and obligatory moments to show you what it’s really measuring. You’ll hear: so hard to spotPlus, I’m taking you on vacation with me. I just got back from the beach, where my brother and I rode bikes along the marsh. And in this episode, I’m bringing you along for the ride. What genre was our bike ride? You’ll have to listen to find out! Links mentioned in the episode: The 12 Core Genres That Power Every Great Storyfree Content Genre OverviewListen to peaceful marsh soundsSend me a Text Message! Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

If you’re second-guessing your pacing, give your turning point this two-part check. Where the heck is the turning point? If you’ve ever tried to spot the turning point in a story you love, you’ve probably asked some version of this question. I always feel like I’m playing that old children’s video game: Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? (In my imagination, the turning point is captured in shadowy profile, wearing a red hat with a wide brim.) (this is also called, tell me you’re a 90s baby without telling me you’re a 90s baby.) Anyway. When you’re analyzing someone else’s story, it feels like a hunt for something you just can’t spot. When you’re analyzing your own story, it feels like second-guessing your pacing. Did you put the turning point in the right spot? Is it happening too early? Too late? Will the reader get bored waiting for it to happen? Or have you rushed something critical? If any of those questions sound familiar, you won’t want to miss this episode. It’s all about where in the story the turning point is located—and yes, this question is complicated enough to require an entire episode to unpack. You’ll hear: everysameYou know what the turning point is—the moment that makes it clear the protagonist cannot achieve their goal in the way they wanted to. You know what it does—it forces the protagonist into a crisis choice. And now, you’ll know where to look for it—and where to put it in your own stories. Links mentioned in the episode: Ep. 94: Turning Point: How to Find and Write the Moment That Changes EverythingSend me a Text Message! FREE: Join Me at Escape the Plot Forest If you're enjoying the episodes on the 6 Elements of Story, you won't want to miss the Escape the Plot Forest summit from October 18 to 22. 4 days + 40 story experts + $0 And on Saturday, October 18, I'll be digging deeper into the 6 Elements of Story, including some tips that haven't made it to the podcast yet. Grab your free ticket at alicesudlow.com/plot. Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

It's the hinge your entire story turns on—and one of the hardest story elements to identify and write. Can I be honest? I struggled with turning points for years. I knew they were essential. They’re the moment when everything changes. The moment that forces the character to face a crisis choice. The moment that reveals what the story is really, at its heart, about. And yet . . . I couldn’t see them. I found so many things that weren’t the turning point. I found inciting incidents, and midpoints, and climaxes. The turning point, though? It eluded me. Until I learned a simple framework that finally, finally unlocked them for me. That framework: matters so dang muchinciting incident, climax, and every other element of storyclear to measuresimpleThat framework marked my turning point in the way I edit turning points. If you have ever struggled to figure out what the heck the turning point is in a story, well, you’re not alone. I hope this framework gives you a breakthrough. It certainly did for me! Further listening: Inciting incident (qualities & traps)Progressive complications (qualities)Progressive complications (traps)Protagonist’s goalContent genresSend me a Text Message! Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

If your structure is perfect on paper, but your story still falls flat, this might be what you're missing. Have you ever structured a story with all the right pieces, but something still feels flat? You check all the boxes on paper: ✅ Inciting incident ✅ Progressive complications ✅ Turning point ✅ Crisis ✅ Climax ✅ Resolution And yet it still falls flat. They mostly align, probably, you’re pretty sure. But somehow, they’re not working together the way they should. The turning point doesn’t pack the right punch. The crisis doesn’t feel devastating enough, even though all is technically lost. The climax doesn’t feel like a cathartic payoff, but a gentle womp-womp. All the pieces are there. So what went wrong? Here’s the thing: in order for the six elements of story to work, you have to understand your character’s goal. Most writers have a vague sense of what their protagonist generally wants. But that’s not enough. You need to know specifically the thing that they want—and the thing they don’t want. So in this episode, I’m putting the goal under the microscope. You’ll learn: wantsWithout a clearly defined goal, all the structure in the world won’t make your story come alive. With it, everything else falls neatly into place. Dig deeper with these related episodes: Inciting incident (qualities & traps)Progressive complications (qualities)Progressive complications (traps)Content genresSend me a Text Message! Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

What if you've already done enough to work with an editor—right now? You’ve been working on your novel for so long. Not just months—years, maybe even decades. And yet you have a long way still to go. The day when you have a polished manuscript you’re proud to pitch or publish feels so far away, and you're starting to wonder if you're missing something crucial. And in the back of your mind, you might be wondering: When should you work with an editor? How much more should you do before you start looking? How many drafts should you finish before you reach out? When is your story finally ready for an editor’s feedback? That’s the question I’m answering in this episode—and the answer might surprise you. You’ll learn: Here's what I've discovered: most writers desperately want editorial support—they just don't know it exists at their stage of the process. So in this episode, I’ll give you a simple metric to evaluate when you are ready for an editor, and show you what to look for when you are. Links mentioned in the episode: alicesudlow.com/nrsSend me a Text Message! Revision Clarity in Just One Day Next Right Step is a one-day manuscript intensive that shows you exactly how to move your novel forward. I’ll study your manuscript, scene list, and story vision. Then, we’ll meet to discuss what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus next. You’ll end the day with a clear plan for revision that you can follow with an editor or on your own. Get started at alicesudlow.com/nrs. Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

Here’s what to DO with your genre once you know which one you’re writing. So you know your story’s genre. It’s an Action story with a Worldview internal genre. Or it’s a Love story with a Status internal genre. You’re, like, 32% sure of it. Which is great, because you’ve studied story enough to know genre is important. You’ve heard that it shapes the foundations of your story, that it has conventions and obligatory scenes, reader expectations that you’ll need to deliver on. Somehow, though, just knowing some words—Action, Worldview, Love, Status—hasn’t magically solved anything. And it’s not a great feeling to have studied story theory so much, and still be stuck on the application. So what now? Now that you have some language for your story’s genre, what do you do with it? How do you actually use it as a revision tool? That’s what I’m exploring in this episode with my friend and fellow writing coach Savannah Gilbo. Savannah is my go-to genre expert, and she shares exactly how to make genre work for you in revision. You’ll hear: Identifying your genre is a great first step. In this episode, Savannah will show you what to actually do with it once you know which one you’re writing. Links mentioned in the episode: alicesudlow.com/notestonovelalicesudlow.com/90Ep. 90: The 12 Core Genres That Power Every Great StoryThe Notes to Novel link is an affiliate link. I wholeheartedly recommend Savannah’s coaching and am delighted to share her resources with you! Send me a Text Message! Free Training: 5 Mistakes That Keep Writers Stuck Struggling to finish your novel? My friend Savannah Gilbo is hosting a FREE live webinar: 5 Mistakes That Keep Writers Stuck. She’ll show you the traps most writers fall into—like skipping genre frameworks or editing as you write—and how to finally finish. Join August 23 or 24. Save your spot: alicesudlow.com/class. (Affiliate link—I may earn a commission.) Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

Genre isn’t what you think it is. Here’s how to use it better. Genre. Let me guess: It’s the bane of your existence. A convoluted soup of arbitrary descriptors that almost but not quite mean the same thing. Sci fi or fantasy? Paranormal or supernatural? Upmarket or book club? Do words even have meaning? Or, it’s a restrictive box with tropes and conventions you feel like you need to cross off a checklist, until your story is more “paint by numbers” formulaic than an original creation unique to your imagination. Or, it’s a necessary evil in your query letter. Your task is to say the right genre words to the right agent to appeal to their interests and make them want to request your manuscript. Get it right, you get a book deal. Get it wrong, you fail. Genre can be all those things, for sure. But what if, first and foremost, it were a tool that works for you? In this episode, I’m throwing out the way we usually talk about genre. And I’m replacing it with an approach to genre that’s actually useful for crafting great stories. Not just useful, actually. Essential. You’ll learn: everyThis approach to genre won’t constrain your creativity within someone else’s box. Rather, it will reveal the story you truly want to tell. Links mentioned in the episode: alicesudlow.com/90Send me a Text Message! Want my support in your revision? In Story Clarity, we’ll work one-on-one to sharpen your story’s structure and craft a revision plan that works. If you’re ready for thoughtful, personalized feedback from an editor who gets what you’re trying to do, I’d love to hear what you’re working on. Get started by telling me about your story here. Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a fiction writer in possession of a brilliant story must craft a captivating opening line. No pressure, right? Your opening line is your story’s first impression. Agents, editors, and even readers decide fast whether they want to keep reading or drop the book altogether. And yes, they can make that judgment in as little as the very first sentence. So your opening line is doing some heavy, heavy lifting. But what, exactly, do great first lines do? What sets an unputdownable first sentence apart from a forgettable dud? How do they capture readers—and agents—in a matter of seconds? I turned to Abigail K. Perry, editor, book coach, and expert in opening chapters, to find out. You’ll hear: workyour storyIf you’ve ever worried over the beginning of your book—if you’ve ever written and discarded a dozen different versions of your first sentence, and you’re still stressed that that first line won’t land—well, I think you’re going to love what Abigail has to share. Links mentioned in the episode: How Great First Chapters Make Readers Care »Check out a few of Abigail’s “First Chapter Deep Dive” episodes on Lit Match: The Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsCatching Fire by Suzanne CollinsMockingjay by Suzanne CollinsRemarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van PeltSend me a Text Message! Want my support in your revision? In Story Clarity, we’ll work one-on-one to sharpen your story’s structure and craft a revision plan that works. If you’re ready for thoughtful, personalized feedback from an editor who gets what you’re trying to do, I’d love to hear what you’re working on. Get started by telling me about your story here. Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

Are your readers bored? Disappointed? Confused? Here's what that tells you about your story's middle. You’re stuck in the messy middle. Languishing in the doldrums of your story. The inciting incident is long past, the climax is so far ahead you can’t see it over the horizon, and you’re drifting, lost at sea. What is actually supposed to happen here? Where did your plot momentum go? Why do your pages feel full of stuff, and yet nothing ever happens? The answers to all those questions lie in your progressive complications. Specifically, something’s going wrong in your progressive complications. In this episode, I’m digging even deeper into the progressive complications. I’m sharing the seven most common traps I see, the impact they have on your story and your readers, and of course, how to fix them so you can make your story unputdownable from beginning to end. You’ll learn: don’tAnd don’t miss the free cheat sheet that goes with this episode! Print it and keep it handy as you’re editing. Here’s the thing: the middle of a story isn’t an inscrutable secret. This episode is your guide to spot the most common traps and free your story from them. Links mentioned in the episode: alicesudlow.com/88alicesudlow.com/contactEp. 87: Make Sense of Your Messy Middle With the Most Underrated Story ElementSend me a Text Message! Want my support in your revision? In Story Clarity, we’ll work one-on-one to sharpen your story’s structure and craft a revision plan that works. If you’re ready for thoughtful, personalized feedback from an editor who gets what you’re trying to do, I’d love to hear what you’re working on. Get started by telling me about your story here. Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

You don’t need more filler. You need better progressive complications. Your inciting incident hooks your readers and promises them a story they’ll love. And then comes the middle. The messy middle. The quiet doldrums of your story, where plot momentum goes to die. Where your characters wander, your conflict blurs, and you start to wonder if any of it is working. So what do you do? Add some “stuff that happens” and hope it holds your readers’ interest? Toss in a random subplot? Describe your character’s breakfast in extreme detail? Nope. This is the space of the progressive complications. And in this episode, I’m showing you exactly how to revise them. Because the middle of your story isn’t filler or unnecessary fluff. It’s 60% of the story, and it has an essential job to do. And to make it even easier, I’ve created a cheat sheet to help you revise your progressive complications. Print it out, keep it handy, and use it every time you edit a scene. If you’ve ever gotten stuck in the middle of your manuscript wondering how to move forward—this episode is for you. Let’s take your messy middle and make it unputdownable. Links mentioned in the episode: alicesudlow.com/87alicesudlow.com/contactEp. 42: The 6 Essential Elements of Every Novel, Act, and SceneA clip from S1E4 of YoungerSend me a Text Message! Want my support in your revision? In Story Clarity, we’ll work one-on-one to sharpen your story’s structure and craft a revision plan that works. If you’re ready for thoughtful, personalized feedback from an editor who gets what you’re trying to do, I’d love to hear what you’re working on. Get started by telling me about your story here. Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

Your first chapter has a monumental task: to make potential readers care about your book right away and hook them to keep reading. Every sentence is a chance to earn your reader’s attention—or lose their fragile, baby-fresh interest before your story even begins. And that’s assuming that your book makes it to the bookstore shelves. If you’re traditionally publishing, the first chapter’s burdened with even more responsibility. It’s your first impression with agents and editors, who will judge whether to consider the full manuscript based on the first five or ten pages alone. The stakes are high. So high, in fact, that it’s easy to get stuck—revising and refining your first chapter over and over while the rest of the manuscript gathers dust. So I asked Abigail K. Perry, a fellow editor and book coach, to come help us break out of that trap. “If we don't care about a character, we don't care about what happens to them. . . . Pull us into character and let us understand and get to know them so that when threats are posed against them, we care about what happens.” —Abigail K. Perry You’ll hear: mustgoodIf you’ve ever found yourself stuck in a first chapter revision loop, this one’s for you. Check out Abigail’s “First Chapter Deep Dive” episodes on the books we discussed: The Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsCatching Fire by Suzanne CollinsMockingjay by Suzanne CollinsRemarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van PeltFourth Wing by Rebecca YarrosHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. RowlingEnder’s GameSend me a Text Message! Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

Your inciting incident sets the stage for everything that follows. Here's what to revise so it can carry the story. A great inciting incident does a lot of heavy lifting. → It hooks your readers, pulling them into the story. → And it sets up everything to come, laying the foundation for a brilliant climax your readers will love. The beginning matters. Which means there’s a lot of pressure to get it right. But what does right actually mean? How do you start a story well? That’s what I’m tackling in this episode. I’m going beyond the definition of the inciting incident to share what I as an editor am looking for when I edit inciting incidents. In other words, if you’ve written an inciting incident and aren’t sure how to tell if it works, this episode is your guide to edit it. You’ll hear: trapsreallyPlus, I’ve gathered it all into a one-page cheat sheet you can reference every time you edit an inciting incident. Print it out and keep it in your writing space for easy access. If you’ve ever found the advice to “make sure your story has an inciting incident” unsatisfactory, this episode is for you. Don’t just make sure your story has an inciting incident. Use this episode to revise it until it’s good. Great. Unputdownable, even. Links mentioned in the episode: alicesudlow.com/85alicesudlow.com/contactEp. 27: Value Shifts: How to Craft Compelling Change in Every StorySend me a Text Message! Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

“It really broke my heart, actually. . . . For the rest of my life, it will break my heart.” A.S. King gets honest about what happened when the publishing industry failed her book. What happens after you edit your book? What happens after you’ve bared the story of your heart, crafted it into an excellent novel, and presented it to the world? What happens when you get traditionally published, when you receive awards and accolades, and when it looks like you’ve won the author career lottery? Last month, I brought author A.S. King on the podcast to share how she revises award-winning novels—complex, intense, surrealist, mind-bending stories meant to challenge her readers to think. But that wasn’t the end of the conversation. In fact, it wasn’t even the start. The conversation began months earlier, when I heard the story of her book launch for her latest novel. I won’t spoil the ending here, but I will say: it did not go how she expected. So today, I’m bringing Amy back on the podcast to tell us her publishing story and give us a glimpse of what comes after all the writing and all the revising. You’ll hear: It’s a peek into traditional publishing—and a reality check on what the industry feels like from the inside, even for an award-winning author in her prime. And above all, it’s a reminder of what really matters when it comes to measuring your book’s success. Links Mentioned in the Episode: Share your thoughts about this conversation in the comments hereOrder a signed copy of Pick the Lock from Aaron’s Booksthis conversation on the #AmWriting podcastPick the Lockthis conversation on Your Next DraftSend me a Text Message! Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

Do you need to hire a line editor? Or should you line edit your manuscript yourself? After all, you want to write an excellent novel. You know that great writing takes shape in revision, and you don’t want to skimp on any layers of editing. Nor do you want to overestimate your writing skills and leave your book littered with clunky sentences that a wordsmithing line editor could polish into shining brilliance. On the other hand, you also don’t want to mess up your editing process or your manuscript by getting the editing phases wrong. You don’t want to hire the wrong people at the wrong time and reduce the efficiency of your edits by getting them out of order. You don’t want to waste money you don’t need to spend on professional editing you don’t actually need. And you definitely don’t want to make your manuscript worse by getting feedback that doesn’t match your vision. So: do you need to hire a line editor? Well, maybe. Or maybe not. In this episode, I’m breaking down what line editing is, what line editors do, and what your book and your editing process truly need. You’ll hear: yourWhether you hire a line editor or line edit your novel yourself, the principles I share in today’s episode will help you ensure every word you choose is the right one for your story and your voice. Links mentioned in the episode: alicesudlow.com/83Story ClarityStory RefinerySend me a Text Message! Support the show Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »