Your Next Draft

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....

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...

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...

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 draft Prepares you to work...

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 superpowe...

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...

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...

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 wa...

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...

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....

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 u...

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 ju...

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 h...

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...

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 theor...

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. T...

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, and What 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...

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 200...

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 happe...

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&quot...

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&a...

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’l...

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&apo...

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...

Finishing your first draft is a huge accomplishment. Congratulations! But wait, now what? If you feel like you've fallen off the map of the writing and editing process, don't worry. In this episode, I'll share the five things you should do right after you finish your draft. Editing your book? Take a moment to see whether you've done these five things. Download a guide to the fi...