Your Next Draft

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 tell—and 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. You’ll get inspired by interviews with authors, editors, and coaches sharing their revision processes; gain practical tips from Alice’s editing practice; and hear what real revision truly requires as Alice workshops scenes-in-progress with writers. It’s 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 story’s most refined and powerful form? If you’ve written a draft—or three—but are st

Your Next Draft is a arts podcast hosted by Alice Sudlow, with 103 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Alice Sudlow hosts Your Next Draft, a arts show with 103 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #102

  Are You Chasing the Wrong Olympic Gold?

  Feb 19, 202625 minS0

  <p>This skater didn't win an Olympic medal, and I'm obsessed with him.</p><p>I watched Cha Jun-Hwan’s figure skating routine last week in the Olympic men’s short program competition. I never finished watching that competition—I was busy rewinding Jun-Hwan’s routine to watch him over and over again.</p><p>I filmed my TV screen on my phone and watched it again while I sat in the courthouse on jury duty. I gushed about it to friends and family. I’ve been listening to the song he skated to on loop for a week.</p><p>Jun-Hwan...

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  Episode #101

  How Will You Know When Your Novel Is Done?

  Feb 3, 202621 minS0

  <p>When will you be truly satisfied with your novel? How will you know when you’ve succeeded?</p><p>How will you know when you’re done?</p><p>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?</p><p>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?</p><p>When a reader...

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  Episode #100

  6 Reasons to Love Editing (From People Who Actually Do)

  Jan 13, 202629 minS0

  <p>What if editing isn’t drudgery, but the most delightful part of your writing process?</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>But what if editing isn’t an obstacle you have t...

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  Episode #99

  What Makes a Story Excellent? (And How to Know When You've Reached It)

  Dec 9, 202520 minS0

  <p>Is story excellence something you "know when you see it"—or can it actually be measured?</p><p>Is excellence defined by hitting bestseller lists? Filling seats at every book tour stop? Being selected for “Best Books of 2025” lists?</p><p>Is excellence defined by getting gatekeeper approval? Getting agent representation? Landing a book deal? Winning awards?</p><p>Is excellence defined by earning money? Getting a big advance? Earning out the advance and bringing in royalties?</p><p>Or is it something else?</p><p>How can we measure that a book is good? What is the pinnacle we’re...

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  Episode #98

  What to Do When Feedback Gets You Stuck

  Nov 25, 202515 minS0

  <p>If you get feedback that grinds you to a halt, there's a problem. But YOU are not the problem—the feedback is.</p><p>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.</p><p>When this writer and I talked, she was so confused. She knew what her vision was for her story, and why she’d made the stor...

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