Your Next Draft

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 »

3 Non-Obvious Problems Hiding in Well-Developed Drafts

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:Get my feedback and find your story’s Next Right Step: alicesudlow.com/nrs Go 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 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 Genre REALLY Measures (And Why Every Genre You Try Feels Wrong)

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:A key reason why your story’s genre is so hard to spot (hint: you’re not the problem, and your story isn’t either)How the content genres map onto real life—and how I can take one bike ride with my brother and spin it into four different genresHow knowing your story’s genre helps your readers follow the plot—and derive meaning from your storyAnd more!Plus, 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:Your primer on content genres: The 12 Core Genres That Power Every Great StoryGet the free Content Genre Overview with resources for every genreSee photos from my bike ride with ThomasListen to peaceful marsh soundsSend 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 »