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Your Next DraftAuthor: Alice Sudlow
Supporting fiction writers doing the hard work of revising unputdownable novels. The novel editing process is the creative crucible where you discover the story you truly want to telland it can present some of the most challenging moments on your writing journey. Developmental editor and book coach Alice Sudlow will be your companion through the mess and magic of revision. Youll get inspired by interviews with authors, editors, and coaches sharing their revision processes; gain practical tips from Alices editing practice; and hear what real revision truly requires as Alice workshops scenes-in-progress with writers. Its all a quest to discover: How do you figure out what your story is truly about? How do you determine what form that story should take? And once you do, how do you shape the hundreds of thousands of words you've written into the storys most refined and powerful form? If youve written a draftor threebut are still searching for your storys untapped potential, this is the podcast for you. Together, lets dig into the difficult and delightful work of editing your next draft. Language: en-us Genres: Arts, Books, Education, How To Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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What Makes a Story Excellent? (And How to Know When You've Reached It)
Episode 99
Tuesday, 9 December, 2025
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 »
