Your Next Draft

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 ...

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 obsta...

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 ...

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 mad...

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. Some...

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 trenchc...

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 bab...

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 midpoin...

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 pa...

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 star...

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, j...

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 t...

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? Wh...

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 y...

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 c...

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 ...

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 tackli...

“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? La...

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 manu...

“Revising is about making sure that you're saying what you want to say in the way you want to say it. . . . To me, revision is the sport. It's the impact. It's the reason we're writers.” Have you ever read a book and thought, Holy cow, this is amazing. How did this author DO this? Or, maybe you’ve read a book and thought, Wow, I wish I could write (or in my case, edit) a book like this, but this is incredible and it might be beyond me? Well, that’s how I feel when I read an A.S. King novel. S...

Ever wondered what an editor actually does all day? What it looks like to spend all day supporting writers in their stories? Or what your editor’s doing in all that time when they’re not sharing their feedback with you? If those questions pique your curiosity, you’re in luck. I’m pulling back the curtain to share a week in my life as a developmental editor and book coach. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at what I do with writers and what I’m working on when I’m not on calls giving feedbac...

When to use frameworks to solve your story problems—and when to trust yourself and lean on your own story authority. You’ve heard of Save the Cat! Story Grid. Blueprint for a Book. These are all frameworks designed to help you edit a novel. If you don’t know these names, I bet you know others—Hero’s Journey, Freytag’s Pyramid, 7 Point Story Structure, Dan Harmon’s Story Circle, there are dozens more. Each one promises that if you use it, you’ll be able to craft better stories. And becau...

Escape analysis paralysis with one powerful question. It’s deceptively simple—and yet it unlocks everything. If you’re like most of the writers I work with, you’re pretty savvy about story structure. You know your Story Grid, your Save the Cat!, your Hero’s Journey. You’ve probably analyzed your story six ways to Sunday, and you’ve got the spreadsheets and outlines and diagrams and graphs to prove it. And all that analysis has leveled up your story significantly. You’ve solved major structura...

The best novels combine rock-solid story structure with scenes that are unputdownable on every page. Here’s how one writer and two editors polished a story at every level. If you want to move your reader in every moment, keep them hooked on every page, you need to refine your scenes until each one is unputdownable. And that refinement? It’s SUCH a joy. It’s my favorite thing to do and it will transform your entire story. But in order to make every scene matter, you first need to make sure you...

It’s the most common developmental editing service you’ll see. Know what to look for and when (or if) you need one. If you google “developmental editor” and start looking through editors’ websites, you’ll see a common service appear again and again: A manuscript evaluation. (Or assessment, or diagnostic, or critique. A rose by any other name, etc.) Typically, in a manuscript evaluation, an editor will offer to read your manuscript and tell you what’s working and what to focus on next to make ...

You get one shot to grab their attention. Don’t waste it with characters staring off into space. You've put all this work into uncovering your character's internal arc. You know them SO WELL. When you step into a scene, you're giving your absolute all to uncovering the deep meaning and purpose behind it, the profound arc of character transformation that's happening in even the smallest moments. Yet in doing all that . . . you've lost the plot. You've crafted complex inner worlds for your c...

It’s unpopular, but essential if you’re aiming to craft your best work. Picture this: one year from now, you’re holding your book in your hands. You see the gorgeous cover art, feel the slight resistance when you open the cover for the first time, run your hands over the soft, smooth paper, flip the pages and smell that delicious new book smell. Does that sound amazing? Holding your book in your hands just one year from now? Being done soon is so tempting. But just being done soon won’t le...

Your book is important. But sometimes, worthy interruptions will delay it for a while. For the last few months, this podcast feed has been quiet. It went dark with no notice in mid-June. I didn’t mean to disappear on you. In fact, I didn’t plan to pause the podcast at all. But a family emergency struck, and all my best-laid plans for summer 2024 changed in a matter of hours. This summer, I learned what it takes to edit when your world is in crisis. Happily, for me and my family, the cris...

Your reader experiences your story one scene at a time. Make every scene un-put-down-able. Great stories are made of great scenes. Sure, your novel has a clever plot with twists and turns from the first page to the last. But the way your readers will experience that plot is . . . . . . one scene at a time. Which means if you want your readers to fall in love with your novel, you need to captivate them with scenes they can’t put down. How do you do it? I’ll show you in this episode. I’m ...

Show and tell your readers why time matters to your characters. Time matters. When you look up and it’s dark outside, time matters to you. When your characters look around and summer is turning into fall, time matters to them. When your readers are reading a novel and they can’t figure out how time is passing? Well, time matters to them, too—mostly because they’re confused. In this episode, I’m sharing two ways to make time matter to your readers the way it matters to your characters. T...

Don’t lose your readers. Just tell them what time it is. The passage of time seems intuitive. It just happens, right? (Like, whether you want it to or not. Time and tide wait for no man, etc.) Here’s the thing, though. If you don’t tell your readers that time is passing in your novel . . . . . . they won’t know. It seems wild, I know. It feels like time passing should be obvious. But I promise you, it’s not. Luckily, conveying the passage of time to your readers is simple (and it doesn’t...

This is often overlooked, but it’s essential for great stories. How do you make time pass? Well, when you’re living your regular life in the real world, you don’t have to do anything. Time is constantly passing, no matter what you do. And when a timer goes off, or you look outside and see the sun’s gone down, or you feel your stomach growl with hunger, you notice time has passed. You hardly have to think about it. It’s just happening, all around you, all the time. In your novel, though—w...

Write your best stories—and know when to let go and publish them. In order to write great books, you first have to learn how to write great books. But when it comes to writing, there’s always something more to learn. So how do you know when to practice your writing skills—and more importantly, when to publish the stories you’re creating? That’s what I’m talking about in this episode. In it, you’ll learn: 2 benefits and 1 danger of spending focused time learning new writing skillsThe joy—...

Before you can master writing great stories, you have to learn to craft great stories. When I was fifteen, I got my learner’s permit and began learning how to drive a car. This made me very unhappy. See, I wanted to know how to drive a car. I didn’t want to learn to drive a car. Knowing how to drive a car was fun, freeing, and exciting. Learning to drive a car was dangerous, tedious, dangerous, difficult, and also dangerous. Writers, I find, feel the same way about writing great books. ...

Because working with an editor should be delightful, not scary. Let's be honest. When you start working with an editor for the first time, it can feel a little scary. You’re sharing your manuscript, the project you’ve worked so hard on, with a stranger on the internet. You’re inviting another person into a process that up until now has been entirely solo. And you’re entering an industry of professionals that’s probably entirely new to you. What should you expect? And what’s expected of you...

What you need to know BEFORE you start working with an editor—and how to tell if they’re the right fit for your novel. Working with a developmental editor can be the most rewarding part of your editing process. But if you’ve never worked with an editor before, it can also be . . . intimidating. Confusing. Scary. After all, you’ve got to hand your manuscript that you’ve worked so hard on to a stranger on the internet and hope their feedback will be helpful and not soul-crushing. If you’ve ...

What we get wrong about creativity—and the truth that will make your writing and editing so much more effective. Do you know how great stories work? Scratch that. Let’s start with an easier question. Do you know how your stories work? Not all writers do. Even published authors often struggle to articulate how they created the books their readers love. They rely on intuition, following gut feelings to shape their stories. But while your intuition can guide you to create a commercially succ...

Why group coaching might be the perfect way to get feedback on your writing. When I was first getting started, I pictured editing like this: A writer writes a manuscript and sends it to their editor. The editor writes feedback and sends it back. The writer takes that feedback and uses it to edit their manuscript. That’s the classic form of editing. But it’s far from the only form of editing. Editing doesn’t even have to be one-on-one. In fact, sometimes group coaching can be exactly what ...

The simple editing process to turn your messy first draft into a second draft you love. “I’ve written first drafts before, but I’ve never edited a second draft. How do you actually do it?” A writer asked me this a few days ago. And they’re not alone—it’s a question I hear a lot. How do you actually edit a novel? Is there a process? A system? A strategy? Something, anything, to guide you after you finish the first draft? Yes. Yes, there’s a process to edit a novel. Better yet, it’s a simp...

It sounds scary, but it’s actually MAJOR editing progress. What if the best way to make progress on your novel . . . . . . is to go back to the beginning? Sometimes, the most effective editing strategy is a page one rewrite. Yes, that means exactly what it sounds like. You open a blank document and begin writing an entirely fresh manuscript. It might feel like you’re moving backwards. But you’re not. And in this episode, I’m going to prove it to you. You’ll learn: Why I CELEBRATE when a...

Editing progress doesn’t always look like you’d expect. Here’s how to recognize it. If your editing is going great, you’ll enjoy this episode. Honestly, though, if editing feels like the worst thing in the world right now, you’ll love this episode even more. Here’s what’s in store: How do you know whether you’re really making progress editing your novel? In the episode, you’ll learn: Why editing progress does NOT look like what you might expectWhat counts as editing progressThe two things ...

Here’s what happens when you absolutely NAIL IT in your story. Sometimes, you just nail it. The ideas click. The words flow. The revision works. Those days are my favorite days to give my clients feedback. When the pieces finally fall into place and the story is transformed for the better. On those days, I get to share my most joyful editing feedback. And in this episode, I’m sharing that feedback with you. You’ll learn: Why objective and subjective feedback are essential for great stori...

Your editing process has more in common with building a business than you might think. Editing a novel and building a business . . . well, they’re actually not all that different. That’s something I’ve been thinking about all year. As I’ve coached writers through the editing process, I’ve been struck again and again by how similar novel editing and business building really are. After all, they’re both large creative projects. The kind that demand a lot: grit, perseverance, continual learni...

The year’s most popular editing tip, plus four more strategies I don’t want you to miss. What’s the best editing tip you’ve learned this year? If you’ve been listening to Your Next Draft all year, there are quite a few to pick from—fifty, in fact. So in this episode, I’m taking a look back at this year on Your Next Draft. I’ve selected the top five editing tips from 2023, tips you can put to use in your writing right away. In it, you’ll hear: The most popular editing tip from 2023The edit...

What dozens of manuscripts and dozens of writers all have in common. This weekend, I celebrated the one year anniversary of launching my editing business. And since the one year mark is a pretty major milestone, and we’re nearing the end of 2023, I’ve been looking back. I’ve edited dozens of novels and coached dozens of writers this year. And while the stories vary widely, there’s one theme I’ve encountered in them all—and it applies to your story, too. In this episode, I’m sharing what I...

Four questions to make every scene of your novel un-put-down-able. Some of your scenes are really exciting. They’re the big ones, the reasons why your readers picked up your book: the first kiss, the epic battle, the discovery of the body. And some of your scenes . . . well, they’re the stuff that happens in between the exciting scenes. In those scenes, the story slows down. Sometimes it slows down a lot. To glacial pace. To “eh, maybe I’ll finish reading this later” pace. How do you keep...

Make your readers care about your story by getting specific about what your protagonist wants—and why. What does your protagonist want? I bet you have an answer for that question. I also bet that your answer is a little . . . generic. See, the thing your protagonist wants is good. They might want to save a victim from a villain, or fall in love, or get a promotion, or solve a mystery. We all agree those are good things to want. But that doesn’t move us, doesn’t make us care about your pro...

The 7 layers of analysis I use to edit a fourth draft of a novel. I don’t know about you, but right now, my schedule is full. My days are packed with editing. I have several manuscripts I’m absolutely loving on my desk right now, so many pages to read, and so many notes to share with writers. With all this editing, I didn’t have time to put together a typical episode of Your Next Draft for you. So . . . I’m doing something a little different today. I’ve decided to pull back the curtain on ...

The minimum viable character questionnaire to develop all your side characters. How do you flesh out a flat character? Create a cast your readers will fall in love with? Make each character realistic, well-developed, and believable? There are tons of character development questionnaires and personality tests and character sketch templates out there. They’ll ask you everything from “What’s your character’s deepest fear?” to “What’s their hair color?” to “What toppings do they most hate on p...

Use the limitations of your POV to enhance your story. Your story’s point of view impacts everything. It shapes how your readers get access to information about your story. And it shapes what information they have access to. And since at its core, storytelling is just telling your reader information about a story, this is huge. In this episode, I’m tackling a common POV problem I’ve seen in many, many manuscripts. You’ll learn: 3 reasons why POV is so tricky to masterThe “easy out” POV wr...

How to make the most of your editor’s feedback—even if you disagree with it. If you want to make the most of your editor’s feedback, there’s one phrase not to say. It’s natural. It’s normal. It’s something I’ve definitely said in other areas of my life. But when you’re collaborating with an editor to make your novel the best it can be, this phrase won’t help you. And in this episode, I’m sharing what this pesky phrase is and why it’s so dangerous. You’ll learn: One thing not to say to yo...

How to developmentally edit absolutely ANY piece of writing. There’s an editing tip that applies to literally every kind of writing. Bold statement, I know. But I stand by it. Actually, “tip” is understating the matter. This “tip” is actually a mission-critical principle. It’s essential to every writing project. Also, it’s my current favorite writing and editing tool. Lately, I’ve been using this every single time I sit down to write something new, and every time I open up a draft to edit...

A simple decision-making framework to help you find YOUR best writing path. Yesterday, I shared a framework to help you make any decision about your writing career. Well—yesterday, I shared part one of that framework. And today, I’m back on the podcast with part two! In yesterday’s episode, I coached you through how to identify your values in your writing. What’s truly important to you? And in today’s episode, I’ll coach you through identifying your needs. What do you need most in your w...

How to answer the question, “When should I work with an editor?” Hire an editor. Join a writing course. Work with a book coach. Gather beta readers. Join a writing group. There are so many resources to help you write and edit an amazing novel. This is great news when you know exactly what resource you need. If you need a very specific type of support, I can almost guarantee that it exists. But it’s terrible news when you don’t know what you need. When you don’t know what to look for, all ...

See the masterful story structure that undergirds the opening scene of How to Train Your Dragon. Great stories are built on great story structure. And my favorite story structure framework is one that you can apply on every level of story. It’s called the six elements of story, and it’s an editing tool you can use on every layer of your story. To prove it, I’m doing a deep dive into the structure of How to Train Your Dragon. First, I broke down the six elements of the movie as a whole. The...

The story structure that makes the first act of How to Train Your Dragon work. One of my favorite things about the six elements of story structure is the fact that they work everywhere. You can use them to structure your entire novel. You can use them to structure each act. And you can use them to structure each scene. And to prove it, I’m breaking down the first act of How to Train Your Dragon to show you the six elements at work. You’ll learn: What values shift in the first act (and why...

See the story structure that makes this brilliant movie work. The six elements of story are the essentials of great story structure. And in the last few episodes of Your Next Draft, I’ve shared a lot of theory about them: what they are, how they work, and where to use them. But theory only gets you so far. Story structure makes a lot more sense when you can see it at work. So in this episode, I’m breaking down the movie How to Train Your Dragon so you can see the six elements in practice. ...

How to use one story structure tool to edit every part of your story. The best story structure is the one you can apply to your story. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been discussing a lot of story theory on the podcast. Today, I’m getting back to application. In this episode, I’ll show you three ways to apply the six elements of story to your novel. You’ll learn: How to apply one story structure to your story in three waysHow I edit even the smallest moments of a story to make them pu...

The story structure framework I use in every story I edit. What do fractals and nesting dolls have to do with story structure? More than you might think. Last week on the podcast, I shared my favorite story structure framework. It’s the same structure I use with all my one-on-one clients and in every novel I edit. But I didn’t tell you why. Why is it so powerful? Why do I use it in every story? Why do I love it so much that I’m still talking about it on the podcast? In this episode, you’...

A simple, flexible story structure framework that works for every kind of story. Great stories are built on great story structure. And while there are a lot of story structure systems out there . . . . . . I do have a favorite. It’s one that I use every single day in my editing. I apply it to every story I edit. And it works every time. In this episode, I’m breaking it all down for you. You’ll learn: The 6 moments every great story includesHow to apply my most popular worksheet to more t...

Story theory doesn’t sap creativity—it helps us reflect truths about the human experience in our art. When you edit a novel, much of your job is to use story theory to evaluate what’s working and what’s not. But often, I find that this makes writers uncomfortable. They’re afraid that applying story theory will suck the life, creativity, and originality out of storytelling. Have you ever felt that way? Ever wondered whether the storytelling principles you use (even the ones I share here on ...

Build a reading habit that helps you edit amazing novels. “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” This quote from Stephen King gets shared a lot in writer circles. But I have a confession: when I became an editor, I fell into a reading slump. Worse, I stayed in the slump for several years. (After all, Stephen King was talking about writers, not editors, right?) Last year, I read 58 books, nearly three times the books I read the ye...

Does your story’s climax solve a problem that’s different from the one you have? The last thing you want is for the ending of your novel to disappoint your readers. Yet as an editor, I’ve seen my fair share of disappointing endings. And in this episode, I’m sharing one of the most common problems I see with endings that just don’t work. You’ll learn: What happens when your story pays off something you didn’t set up4 questions to ask to spot this problem in your storyHow to choose what you...

Your characters MUST take action in every scene. Look out for scenes where they don’t. I’ve edited hundreds of scenes. (In fact, editing scenes is one of my favorite things to do!) In all that editing, I’ve picked up on some patterns. Things that work really well in scene after scene—and common pitfalls that many scenes fall into. And in this episode, I’m sharing one common scene mistake I often see. If your scenes get this wrong, they’ll be . . . boring. And no one wants to read a boring...

Gotten feedback from an editor? Use this process to turn developmental feedback into actionable edits. One of the most exciting moments in your book writing journey is the day that you get feedback from an editor. But just getting feedback isn’t enough. Once you get it, you have to apply it. And the challenge of applying your editor’s feedback can feel . . . intimidating. Scary. Overwhelming. How do you do it? How do you cut through the overwhelm and apply your feedback with confidence? ...

Your story has the power to shape the way your readers think. So what is it communicating? That’s the topic of this episode. In it, I’m sharing why storytelling is absolutely essential for humanity, plus the responsibility—and honor—that gives you as an author. You’ll learn: Why your writing is a gift to the world6 stories I love and how they’ve shaped meWhy it’s YOUR responsibility to weave a point into your story—and where that responsibility endsHow author and reader collaborate to crea...

A prolific author shares her editing process and strategies for designing the process that works for you. There are as many ways to edit novels as there are writers. Which editing process is best? The one that works for you. The process you customize, refine, and repeat, novel after novel after novel. And in this episode, we’re talking about how to create your very own editing process. I’ve invited my client JD Edwin, author of the Headspace trilogy, to share the process she’s developed a...

Two editors break down how Spider-Man creates a transcendent moment of triumph that feels like story magic. Last month, I asked a big question: How do you make your readers feel? See, the writers I work with are telling fantastic stories. But often, those stories are missing some essential piece, some spark of magic that captures my emotions and makes me laugh, cry, swoon, grieve, worry, or—well—feel anything at all. So I turned to a scene that does make me feel. It’s a brilliant moment f...

The best stories capture our emotions and make us feel so deeply, it seems like magic. The good news is, it’s not magic. Want to make your readers feel? There’s a simple three-step process to do just that. And in this, I’m sharing that process with you. You’ll learn: Why explosive action is NOT enough to make your readers feelHow to figure out what emotion you want to create for your readersHow to make your readers care about something as large as a life-altering leap or as small as a brok...

The magic of storytelling is in making your readers feel. Here’s how great stories capture emotion. One of my favorite questions to ask writers is, “What does success mean to you?” And usually, I hear some version of the following: You want to make readers feel. You want them to fall in love with your book. You want to make them laugh, to make them cry, to make them feel fear and excitement and relief and catharsis. Sound like you? You’ll love this episode. In it, I’m taking a close look...

A flexible method to create a scene list with exactly the information you need—no more, no less. For the last few weeks, I’ve been touting the magic of scene lists. Because I do think they’re magic, or pretty darn close to it. The simple scene list is one of my absolute favorite editing tools. I wouldn’t know how to edit a book without one! So far, I’ve covered why it’s worth making one, plus two ways to format it. And it’s all been leading up to this: how to actually make your scene list...

Plus, two scene list templates for you to download and customize. Your scene list is infinitely customizable. It can be as simple or as complex as you like. And you have a lot of choices when it comes to how you’ll create it and what information you’ll include. Your first choice? What format you’ll use. My first-ever scene lists were created with paper and pen. But I recommend you use something a little more robust. In this episode, I’ll share my two favorite scene list formats: the docum...

Your scene list is your map to all your revisions. Here’s how to make the most of it. If you’re doing a developmental edit on your manuscript, you need a scene list. Seriously—I can’t think of a single book I’ve edited without one. Why? What makes a scene list so essential? That’s what I’m covering in this episode of Your Next Draft. You’ll learn: 4 ways that a scene list will make your editing process clearer, easier, and less overwhelmingHow to use a scene list to plan your edits BEFORE...

Is your novel ready to publish? Here’s how to tell when you’re finally done editing. One of the hardest parts of writing a book is knowing when to let go. After all, you don’t want to write just any book. You want to write something amazing! But at the same time, you could tinker with your manuscript forever, always finding something new to change. And if you’re always editing . . . well, you’ll never publish. So how do you know when you’re done? This question is really personal, and it ...

Stories are about change. Here’s how to craft compelling change in every scene, act, and novel. In fact, change is one of the fundamental things—maybe the fundamental thing—that makes stories useful, interesting, and fun. How do you make sure something changes in your story? And not just any change, but the right change? Let me introduce you to one of my favorite editing concepts: the value shift. Master value shifts, and you’ll find that crafting the perfect change in every story you wri...

Overwhelmed by your novel? Try these five strategies to edit with confidence. Sometimes, editing your novel feels really scary. Yep, I said it. Sometimes, you get overwhelmed. You feel stuck. You wonder, do you even have what it takes to edit a book? I’m a professional editor, and even I feel that way sometimes. Right now, I’m working on a new novel from a fantastic author. And halfway through, I started wondering . . . is this book too good for me to edit it? Is it beyond me? In fact, I ...

Three acts aren’t enough. If you’re stuck in the middle of your story, try this four-act structure instead. Recently, a writer told me she was stuck in the middle of her story. She’d written the complete first draft. She’d gotten an editor’s feedback. She was editing her second draft, and she’d made it just past the fifty percent mark. And then . . . she got stuck. After all that, she had no idea what should come next. No idea how to make everything from the midpoint to the climax interes...

You can get fantastic feedback on your writing for free. But first, you need to know whom to seek out, when to ask for feedback, and what kind of feedback to ask for. Ask the wrong people, and you’ll get uncritical praise, unhelpful critique, or even rejection. But ask the right people . . . Ask the right people, and you’ll get feedback that: Helps you finish your first draftPrepares you to work with an editorHelps you integrate a professional editor’s notesYou can even get the kind of fee...

Most writers miss this simple editing principle. But when you understand it, when you truly master it, you have the power to craft your best story. Here it is: When you’re doing a developmental edit on a story, you can change absolutely anything. It sounds obvious, yet it’s so hard to do. In this episode, I’ll show you why—and share a simple three-step process that will give you editing superpowers. You’ll learn: How to go beyond line edits and start editing story events3 steps to make de...

Answer these questions now to clarify your goals for your novel. Plus, they’ll prepare you to work with an editor when you’re ready for expert advice. When you reach out to an editor (like me!), they’ll have a lot of questions about your novel. After all, your editor is stepping into the middle of a writing, editing, and publication process that started long before they get to read your manuscript. The more information you can give your editor about your story, your process, and what succe...

Two simple questions to ensure your character development drives your plot. Every time I edit a novel, I ask two questions about the protagonist. They’re deceptively simple questions, but they reveal so much about the character. More than that, they reveal how the story should end. In other words, these two questions are the keys to: . . . your character development, . . . your climax, . . . and your resolution. In this episode, I’ll walk you through these essential questions: What do...

Ever wondered what it looks like to get feedback from an editor? Recently, my friend Kim Kessler, herself a developmental editor and author, sent me a scene of the novel she’s working on. I read it and prepared some notes for her. Then, we hopped on a call to talk through my feedback. And we recorded the whole conversation! In this episode, you’ll hear exactly how developmental editing works. I walk Kim through the same process I use for all my editing clients. You’ll hear the questions ...

Have you ever wanted to quit your book? Here’s the good news, and the bad news: that’s a normal part of the book writing process. Every writer I know has struggled to make it through the middle of their novel. They’ve all been tempted to quit the book they’re currently working on and start over with a better story idea. So if you’re feeling ready to ditch this book idea and start writing something better . . . . . . you’re not alone. Before you quit, though, I want to share a few truths ...

If you want readers to fall in love with your protagonist . . . . . . to remember them long after they finish your book . . . . . . then you need to craft a compelling character arc. To do that, you need to know: who is your protagonist? What makes them unique? How do they grow and change? Why is their story worth telling? And you can figure all that out by answering just two essential questions. These questions are deceptively simple. But when you dig in and explore them, you’ll learn...

You can tell your story from any point of view you want. In fact, you can tell it from multiple points of view. So how many points of view should you use? What will most effectively communicate your story to your readers? And how many points of view is too many? That’s what this episode is all about. I’m breaking down the strengths and pitfalls of using multiple points of view. You’ll learn: How using multiple points of view can enhance the story2 pitfalls of having too many point of view ...

The point of view you choose for your novel shapes the information that you give your readers. And it shapes how your readers receive and interpret that information. Which means your point of view actually shapes the story itself. And that’s a really big deal! The challenge is, point of view can be tricky to master. There are nearly unlimited ways you can craft your point of view. And there are just as many point of view mistakes you can make. In this episode, I’m sharing the most importan...

The most important moment in your story is the moment when your protagonist is faced with a decision. Do this or do that? Stay or go? Speak or remain silent? Flee or fight? In fact, your protagonist will face dozens of decisions throughout your novel. They’ll face at least one in every scene: moments where they experience a crisis, when whatever happens next hinges on the decision they make. But how long should this moment take? Does your protagonist need to waffle between two options for ...

Scenes and chapters are not the same. Scenes are the units of story writers use to craft amazing stories. They include one story event that moves the plot forward. Chapters are the units of story that readers see. Writers divide their books into chapters in a variety of ways in order to shape the way their readers experience the book. How do these work together? How can you craft chapters that are the best fit for your book? In this episode, I’ll show you three ways that authors divide th...

Scene structure is a powerful tool for editing your scenes. But what about the writing process? How can you use structure to plan your scenes before you write—and make it that much easier to edit those scenes later? In the last few episodes, we’ve talked a lot about scenes: what they are, how they work, and how to edit them. And I’ve received tons of insightful questions about all this scene theory. So in this episode, I’m answering your questions about scenes. From Evan and Samrobb: What ...

In order to edit a scene effectively, you need to know what to change. The best edits are strategic, intentional, and target the most important problems with effective solutions. How do you figure out what those edits are? Ask the right questions. In this episode, you’ll discover six questions that will help you identify what’s working and what’s not in the beginnings and endings of your scenes. Then, they’ll show you exactly how to fix the weak spots. You’ll learn: How to start your scen...

How do you edit a scene of a novel? In order to edit a scene effectively, you need to know a few things: What’s working in the scene,What’s not working in the scene, andWhat specific changes you’ll make to the words on the page that will fix the things that aren’t working.That last one is the most important, and often the hardest to figure out. How do you identify the specific changes that will improve your scene? Ask the right questions. In this episode, you’ll learn 12 questions that wi...

One of the best ways to learn how to edit your book is to study other excellent books. The best-sellers. The award winners. The ones your readers are reading and loving. So in this episode, that’s what we’re going to do. I’m breaking down the first scene of Looking for Alaska by John Green to show you how it works. Looking for Alaska was best-selling author John Green’s debut novel. It won the 2006 Printz award, the highest award in young adult literature. And in 2019, it was adapted into...

What happens in your scenes? Do they even matter to your book? Do they move the story forward and keep your readers engaged? Or are they . . . boring? In order for a scene to earn its place in your story, something needs to happen. It needs a story event, a single event that contributes to the larger plot. The thing is, it’s really easy to write scenes—thousands of words!—where nothing ever happens. A group of friends go to a restaurant and have a pleasant conversation. A woman sits in her...

Great books are made of great scenes. Which means the skill of writing and editing amazing scenes is one of the most important skills you can learn if you want to create a novel readers will love. The thing is, though, readers don't think in terms of scenes. Chapters are clearly marked for readers, but scenes often aren't. Which means that when people make the jump from "reader" to "writer," they often don't know what scenes actually are. What is a scene? What elements must it include? Wha...

Writing your book doesn't have to take forever. Editing your book doesn't have to take forever. And in this episode, the fourth and final installment of our speedy writing and editing series, you'll learn seven strategies to make your editing process more efficient so you can finish your next draft—and then your next book—faster. We'll cover: How to make sure the changes you're making to your novel will work—before you edit a single word.Why taking extra time to practice the skill of editin...

You can finish editing your next draft in just a few weeks. That’s right. You can finish it in three months—or less! The trick, of course, is to find the editing process that works for you. The process that keeps you focused, motivated, and inspired so you can make the right changes to your book every day. And in this episode, I’ll share three strategies I recommend to help you do just that. You’ll learn: How to set a deadline that keeps you on track—and ensures you actually finish!When t...

Have you ever gotten stuck in your first draft? Hit writer's block? Lost all your inspiration and wondered what in the world would happen next? If so, you're not alone. That's a totally normal part of the writing process. The tough news is, part of your job as a writer is . . . to write anyway. Your challenge is to push through it and write when you're inspired and when you're not. But the good news is, you don't have to stay stuck in the struggle. You can use a variety of strategies to bo...

Every great book begins with a first draft. And sometimes, it can feel like that first draft goes on forever. Have you ever spent months writing the first draft of a book? Years? If so, you’re not alone. It’s easy to get stuck in the middle of a draft. Or spend years trying to write the perfect first draft . . . and never finish. Or stop writing before you even start! But you can’t edit—or publish—a book you haven’t written. Which means your first task is to finish your first draft. How d...

Which draft are you working on right now? If that question is easy to answer, fantastic! But if it's not, don't worry. You're not alone, and in this episode, I'll show you how to find out which draft you're writing—and what to do next. Download a quiz to find out which draft you're currently working on at alicesudlow.com/draftquiz. And if you liked what you heard, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe so you don't miss the next episode! Send me a Text Message! Support the show Rate, Revie...