Your Next Draft

Are You Chasing the Wrong Olympic Gold?

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 showRate, 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 »

How Will You Know When Your Novel Is Done?

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:How most writers I talk to define “success”What agents are REALLY looking forWhy you want and NEED external validation—and when external validation becomes harmful, not helpfulWhat you TRULY want for your bookAnd more!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:Interested in working with me? Fill out the form at: alicesudlow.com/contact Share how you’ll know you’re done: alicesudlow.com/101 Send me a Text Message!Support the showRate, 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 »

6 Reasons to Love Editing (From People Who Actually Do)

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:Savannah Gilbo: 91. How to Use Genre as a Revision ToolA.S. King: 82. How Surrealist Pantser A.S. King Revises Award-Winning NovelsCathryn deVries: 76. Scene Workshop: Hook Your Readers in Chapter OneBrannan Sirratt: 80. How to Use Revision Tools Like the Story Authority You Already AreAbigail K. Perry: 86. How Great First Chapters Make Readers CareAbigail K. Perry: 89. How Great First Lines Make Readers Pay AttentionKim Kessler & Cathryn deVries: 78. How Multiple Layers of Editing Combine to Perfect Your StorySend me a Text Message!Support the showRate, 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 Makes a Story Excellent? (And How to Know When You've Reached It)

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:My current working definition of an excellent novelWhy I am not actually the arbiter of excellence (even though I have really good taste)Why excellent books don’t always receive industry validation . . . and whether all books the industry promotes are excellent (spoiler: no)What readers WANT from storiesWhy stories have been essential to human survival since the beginning of storytelling5 questions to ask yourself to define YOUR OWN standard of excellenceOnce 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 showRate, 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 to Do When Feedback Gets You Stuck

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:What the problem ACTUALLY is (hint: YOU are not the problem!)Why feedback can be true and unhelpfulWhat to do when the feedback just doesn’t workHow to get feedback that gets you traction againAnd more!If 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:Get feedback that gets you traction again: alicesudlow.com/nrs Send me a Text Message!Support the showRate, 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 »