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:

• How I define the inciting incident
• Where in the story the inciting incident appears (and how to tell if it’s too early or too late)
• The 7 qualities I’m watching for when I edit an inciting incident
• The 4 common inciting incident traps I see writers fall into (including one that’s really hard to spot, and yet it can tank the whole story)
• And more

Plus, 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:

• Get the Inciting Incident Revision Cheat Sheet: alicesudlow.com/85
• Work with me: alicesudlow.com/contact
• Ep. 27: Value Shifts: How to Craft Compelling Change in Every Story

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“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:

• What really happened during A.S. King’s latest book launch
• How a publisher’s big promises fell through—and what that meant for the book
• Why even revising an excellent novel doesn’t guarantee industry support
• What it feels like when the book of your heart gets treated like just another product
• How gender, genre, and power shape what gets promoted (and what doesn’t)
• What it takes to keep going when publishing knocks you off course
• And more

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 here
• Order a signed copy of Pick the Lock from Aaron’s Books
• Hear more about A.S. King’s book launch in this conversation on the #AmWriting podcast
• Hear how A.S. King revised Pick the Lock in this conversation on Your Next Draft

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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:

• What great line editors can do
• The risk of working with a line editor
• The key that makes great line editing possible
• How to find your best line editor
• And more

Whether 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:

• See my sample developmental and line editing feedback: alicesudlow.com/83
• Discover Story Clarity and Story Refinery

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“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.

She’s an impressively decorated author of novels for middle grade, teens, and adults. She’s the only author to win the Printz award for young adult literature twice—and that’s just two of many, many accolades.

She writes brilliant stories that are surrealist and puzzling and weird, and at the same time beautiful and heartfelt and honest and real.

And when I heard that she loves revision, I knew I had to bring her to Your Next Draft and ask her: how does she do it?

How does she manage to craft such intricately plotted, complex stories?

How does she innovate so much on a technical level, and keep me hooked on a brilliant story all the way through?

How does she turn her completely pantsed first drafts into award-winning novels—and then hit it out of the park again, and again, and again?

So I was thrilled when A.S. King agreed to join me on the podcast and spill all the details of her revision process.

In our conversation, she shares:

• Her five-draft revision process
• How she cuts 20% from her first draft (she uses the word “chainsaw” 😳)
• What it’s like to get feedback from her editor at her publishing house
• What she does with feedback she disagrees with
• The time when adding 14 sentences was the key that made a novel work
• The difference between taking your readers on a picnic and telling them a story
• And so much more

Plus, I’ve created a revision reading list to pair with this conversation so you can see A.S. King’s specific editorial choices at work in her novels.

A.S. King is an absolute gem of a human as well as a brilliant writer. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

P.S. My very favorite part of our conversation begins at 1 hr 21 min. Here’s a sneak peek:

“In the end, it is all about your voice and your experiences and your feelings. That's it. It's all writing is.”

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Get your A.S. King Revision Reading List: alicesudlow.com/82
• Find Amy on her website, Instagram, and Bluesky
• Order signed copies of Pick the Lock and all her books from Aaron’s Books
• Check ou

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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 feedback.

Plus, I’ll share all the best editing strategies, tips, and tricks that emerge as I dig into stories with writers this week. You’ll hear:

• How I use what we know about a story to solve for what we don’t know
• Whether it’s okay to “tell,” not just “show,” a character’s emotions
• How your character’s emotional intelligence impacts how your reader feels
• A simple way to track the emotional tension in your story
• How I draw out every last drop of meaning and emotion to make scenes unputdownable
• What it means to be “done” editing your book

I love my job and can’t imagine spending my days any other way. I hope you enjoy this peek at what it really looks like to be an editor and book coach!

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Want to work with me in Story Clarity and Story Refinery? Tell me about your story »
• Get a boost of editing joy in your inbox every Tuesday. Join the newsletter »

Further Listening:

• Ep. 32: How Spider-Man (And All Great Stories) Makes Us Laugh, Cry, and Feel the Feels
• Ep. 42: The 6 Essential Elements of Every Novel, Act, and Scene
• A week in the life of another editor and book coach: A Week in the Life: 5 Days Behind the Scenes with Savannah

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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 because we want to write good books, the writers I know are constantly learning new frameworks and analyzing their stories through them.

I use frameworks like these in the editing process, after the first draft is already written. But I’ve seen many writers use them earlier, even before they begin writing.

It’s a tempting thought, right? What if you could use these frameworks to solve your story problems and make writing your first draft so much easier? What if you could build a story from the ground up that already fulfills everything those frameworks require from the very first draft?

Would that shortcut the creative process? Would it help you create a better story faster?

Or would it get in the way of your storytelling? Are there moments in the creative process when frameworks like these might just do more harm than good?

I’m a big fan of storytelling frameworks. But today, we’re taking a hard look at them to see what they offer, what they can’t do for us, and how to tap into your true authority as the writer of your own story.

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Find B is for Book Coach on Substack »

Further listening:

• Ep. 79: Ask This Question When You’re Overwhelmed by Your Story
• B is for Book Coach: How to Take the Drama Out of Cutting and Rewriting Content
• B is for Book Coach: Comparison Isn't a Thief

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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 structural problems by applying your extensive knowledge of story theory.

But I also bet there are still some issues nagging at you. Issues that you still can’t crack, no matter how many times you map every act and arc in your story on a spreadsheet.

In fact, if you’re still spreadsheeting your story by this point, you’re probably starting to spin out a little. You’ve analyzed and analyzed and analyzed again, and now all that story structure that was supposed to make revising your story clear and straightforward has turned against you, leaving you overwhelmed and lost.

What if you could break through all that overwhelm and find your footing in your story again?

What if you could snap out of analysis paralysis and reconnect with your characters and the inspiration that compelled you to write in the first place?

And what if you could do all of that by asking just one deceptively simple question?

You can, I promise. And in this episode, I’ll show you how.

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Get the question that unlocks everything in a printable format: alicesudlow.com/79
• Go deeper in character development: How to Flesh Out Flat Characters With Just 4 Questions
• Go deeper in my favorite story structure: The 6 Essential Elements of Every Novel, Act, and Scene

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"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!

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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 have all the right scenes in all the right places.

The big-picture story structure can’t be kinda-sorta-maybe working. It needs to be locked in, watertight.

Otherwise, all those beautiful scenes won’t build to anything. They might be pretty on their own. But they won’t create compelling narrative drive, an irresistible build to the cathartic payoff your readers can’t get enough of.

So how do you do it? How do you get your macro storytelling crystal clear and refine every scene into its most powerful form?

In this episode, I want to share with you the story of how one writer did just that. You’ll hear how Cathryn leveraged multiple revision passes to transform her manuscript from a massive pile of words that made her cringe to a story she’s immeasurably proud of.

It’s also a tale of two editors—because Cathryn worked with both me and my colleague Kim to make her story shine on every level.

Most of all, it’s a story of mastering two storytelling skills—the micro and the macro—and all the story magic you can unlock when you do.

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Read Cathryn’s stories » 
• Join Kim’s Novel Hotline Live »
• Work with Kim and me together »

Further listening:

• Ep. 76: Scene Workshop: Hook Your Readers in Chapter One with Cathryn deVries
• Ep. 42: The 6 Essential Elements of Every Novel, Act, and Scene
• Ep. 60: The Most Joyful Editing Feedback I Ever Give

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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 it even better.

It sounds like the dream, right? Someone who will read the book you’ve spent months and months writing, tell you what they think of it, and give you a to-do list.

And manuscript evaluations sell like hotcakes because what they’re offering is exactly what writers want.

Or at least—

what writers think they want.

But when you don’t know what you really need, you risk wasting hundreds or thousands of dollars on a service that leaves you disappointed, stuck in the same spot, or even feeling false confidence that your story’s problems have all been solved when they’re not.

What if you don’t need someone else’s to-do list for your story? What if you have access to all the evaluation you need right now, without paying a single cent?

And if you don’t need someone else’s to-do list, what do you need instead?

In this episode, I’m giving you a crash course on manuscript evaluations. You’ll hear:

• What they are,
• When they work,
• Why they go wrong,
• And the rare occasion when I will agree to do one.

Here’s the thing: there are no regulations in the author services industry.

That means it’s up to YOU to vet every professional you work with.

I’m equipping you with everything you need to know to make the most of manuscript evaluations—or find the service you need instead.

Links mentioned in the episode:

• See what I do inside Story Clarity (instead of doing manuscript evaluations)
• Hear author John Green read from editor Julie Strauss-Gabel’s editorial letter for The Fault in Our Stars

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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 characters, but all they're literally doing is staring off into space.

And you're worried that in the times when you most want to hook your readers—like your absolutely critical opening pages—you're boring them instead.

Bored readers put books down.

So what do you do? Throw in some discord and explosions to create external chaos? Cut the scene and start the story at a different point entirely?

Or is there a way to use what you know of your character's internal arc to find the perfect external action that will hook your readers and keep them turning pages?

This is exactly the challenge Cathryn deVries encountered in the first chapter of her novel. So we workshopped it together—and in this episode, you'll hear how we solved it, and how you can hook your readers, too.

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Notes to Novel with Savannah Gilbo
• Read Cathryn’s scene: alicesudlow.com/76
• Read When a Slave Falls, Cathryn’s award-winning short story
• Read Lightning Hunter, a story set in the same world as the scene we workshopped
• Find Cathryn on her website, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn

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"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!

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