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 learning. And the kind that lead to incredible rewards for those with the courage to pursue them.

Which means the lessons I’ve learned in this year of building my business also apply to you in your writing. (And I’ve learned a lot of things!)

In this episode, I’m sharing five of my business-building lessons that will apply to your novel, too.

You’ll learn:

• Why you might be closer to building your own business than you think
• My #1 marketing tip for a business or a book
• The mistake I made at the beginning of my business and how I’m fixing it now (hint: frozen burritos may be delicious, but they are not entirely nutritious)
• And more!

Your Next Draft is all about inviting you in to the editing tools and strategies I’m using in my own editing practice. And in this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain and getting a little more vulnerable than usual.

I hope this inspires you to reflect on your year of writing and editing, too. What have you learned this year? What new editing wisdom are you taking into 2024?

Links mentioned in the episode:

• For a podcast all about building an editing business, check out The Editing Podcast with Louise Harnby and Denise Cowle.

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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 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 2023
• The editing principle I use with every manuscript and every client
• The editing strategy a client pitched me (that has since become one of my favorite tools!)
• And more!

It’s been a great year on the podcast. I can’t wait to share more editing strategies with you in 2024!

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Get my Scene Analysis Worksheet: alicesudlow.com/sceneworksheet
• Find J.D. Edwin’s books: jdedwin.com
• Ep. 8: What Is a Scene? The Ultimate Guide to Write and Edit Amazing Scenes
• Ep. 23: 3 Simple Steps to Edit Absolutely Anything in Your Novel
• Ep. 20: Listen in on a Real-Life Scene Edit with Author and Editor Kim Kessler
• Ep. 33: The 3-Step Formula to Evoke Emotion and Make Your Readers Feel
• Ep. 35: How to Create an Editing Process That Works for You With Author JD Edwin
• Ep. 50: Use This One Editing Tip for Everything You Write

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Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

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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’ve learned from a year of coaching writers and editing novels.

You’ll hear:

• What new and experienced writers both have in common
• Why it’s helpful to you and me when I share everything I know about editing here on the podcast
• Why all the writing craft resources in the world can’t put editors out of business
• And more!

It’s been a wonderful year of editing, full of amazing stories and equally amazing writers. And I can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store!

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Want me to edit your novel? Reach out and tell me about your story: alicesudlow.com/contact

Send me a Text Message!

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Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

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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 your readers hooked? How do you keep them turning pages even during the scenes that are action-light and exposition-heavy?

In this episode, I’ll walk you through four questions to make sure even your “slow” scenes are un-put-down-able.

You’ll learn:

• How to evaluate whether a “slow” scene is even necessary—or if you can cut it entirely
• The 4-step process to edit your “slow” scenes to keep your readers hooked
• 2 things every “slow” scene needs
• And more!

Your story is worth reading from cover to cover. Here’s how to make sure you don’t lose your readers during a dull moment midway through.

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Get the Scene Analysis Worksheet: alicesudlow.com/sceneworksheet
• See whether I’m the right editor for you: alicesudlow.com/contact
• Ep. 27: Value Shifts: How to Craft Compelling Change in Every Story
• Ep. 11: How to Edit a Scene of a Novel, Part 1
• Ep. 42: The 6 Essential Elements of Every Novel, Act, and Scene

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Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

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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 protagonist and their goal, unless we know why they want it.

So in this episode, we’re digging in deep to find out not only what your character wants, but why they want it.

You’ll learn:

• The one question I love to ask to figure out what your character really wants
• Why generic wants won’t move your readers
• How to make your story stand out from the crowd by getting specific
• And more!

You might just discover new layers to your character you didn’t even know were there.

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Get the Character Arc Worksheet: alicesudlow.com/characterworksheet
• Ep. 21: How to Identify Your Protagonist's Want and Need (And Why Those Matter to Your Plot)

Send me a Text Message!

Support the show

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

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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 editing I’m doing right now, this week, on the manuscript I’m currently reading.

In this episode, you’ll get a glimpse of how I think about a manuscript as I edit it. You’ll see:

• The 7 (yes, 7!) levels of analysis I’m applying as I read
• The stage of the editing process this manuscript is in
• How I know what levels of editing are right for this manuscript at this stage
• The things I’m not editing in this manuscript right now
• That I really, really, really love editing (so much that I peaked on the mic a few times as I recorded. Sorry!)
• And more!

If you’ve ever wondered what a developmental editor is thinking when they’re editing a novel . . .

. . . well, this is it. These are my thoughts, almost in-the-moment, as I edit a manuscript I’m loving.

Huge shoutout to author J. D. Edwin, whose manuscript this episode is about, and who gave me the all clear to share a glimpse at our process together. She’ll be delighted if you check out her books at jdedwin.com.

They’re really good books. (Yes, I’m a bit biased, because I edited them. But still. They’re really good.)

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Check out J. D. Edwin’s books: jdedwin.com
• Listen to J. D. talk about her editing process: How to Create an Editing Process That Works for You With Author JD Edwin
• See whether I’m the right editor for your novel: alicesudlow.com/wishlist
• Reach out and let’s talk editing your novel: alicesudlow.com/contact

Send me a Text Message!

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Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

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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 pizza?”

But you don’t need all those questions in order to create a richly-developed character. Truly, you don’t.

In this episode, I’m sharing the shortest possible character development exercise.

I call it the Minimum Viable Character Development Questionnaire. (There are more words in that title than questions in the questionnaire.)

You’ll learn:

• The 4 essential questions you need to answer to flesh out any character
• The most important element of characterization
• How to give a flat, unremarkable cast of side characters unique and memorable personalities
• And more!

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Get the Character Arc Worksheet: alicesudlow.com/characterworksheet
• Ep. 18: 2 Essential Questions to Craft a Compelling Character Arc
• Ep. 21: How to Identify Your Protagonist's Want and Need (And Why Those Matter to Your Plot)

Send me a Text Message!

Support the show

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

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 master
• The “easy out” POV writers choose when other points of view feel challenging to use
• Why limits are actually good for your writing
• And more!

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Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

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 your editor—and what to say instead
• 3 reasons why we want to say the wrong thing
• The qualities my best editing clients all share (hint: it’s not about their story or their skill!)
• And more!

If you’ve ever wondered how to make the most of working with an editor, this episode is for you. I hope it makes it a little easier—and more exciting!—to get an editor’s feedback.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Find out more about my editing: alicesudlow.com
• See my editing services: alicesudlow.com/services
• See whether I’m a good fit for your novel: alicesudlow.com/wishlist
• Reach out and let’s chat about whether your novel is a good fit for me: alicesudlow.com/contact

Send me a Text Message!

Support the show

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

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.

What is this writing tip, you ask? Well, that's the topic of this episode.

In the episode, you’ll learn:

• 4 problems you’ll face when you don’t use this tip
• 3 ways this tip will make your writing better (and easier!)
• Why this tip might be so darn hard to actually apply (hint: it’s fear)
• How I used this exact tip to write this podcast episode
• And more! (Like, you know, what the tip is!)

This episode is extra-special—and not just because I love this editing tip.

Today, Your Next Draft hits a major milestone: fifty episodes!

Would you celebrate with me by leaving a rating and review?

Here’s how:

• If you’re using an Apple device, tap right here to open the podcast.
• Scroll down nearly to the bottom.
• Tap the number of stars you’d like to give.
• Write a quick review. Even one sentence means a lot!

If you’re not using an Apple device, feel free to send me an email at [email protected] and tell me what you love about the podcast. We’ll have a party in my email inbox!

Here’s to fifty more! 🎉

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Join my email list and get my free guide to edit your novel: alicesudlow.com/10steps
• Ep. 36: Your Story Has Deep Meaning. Do You Know What It Is?

Send me a Text Message!

Support the show

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »