What if editing isn’t drudgery, but the most delightful part of your writing process?

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.

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.

But what if editing isn’t an obstacle you have to grit your teeth and bear?

What if it’s where the magic happens?

It would release the pressure to make this draft your last draft. It would make the process itself more fun, a reward in and of itself. And paradoxically, when you’re working from pleasure rather than pressure, your editing work could become more efficient, because you give the process the space it needs.

So I asked six authors, editors, and book coaches the same question:

What do you love about editing?

The answers they shared vary widely. They’re a whole host of things: everything from puzzle-solving and understanding the mechanics that makes something work to personal development, community building, and meaning-making.

In this episode, I’m sharing all their answers with you, in hopes of sparking a little of your own editing joy.

Listen for what resonates with you. You might discover one new thing to love—or a whole new perspective on revision.

And if you already love editing, well, I think you’ll find this episode an absolute delight.

Plus, I want to know what you love about editing! Record a 1-minute voicemail sharing what you love about editing, and I might feature it in a future podcast episode.

Tell me what you love about editing here »

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Savannah Gilbo: 91. How to Use Genre as a Revision Tool
• A.S. King: 82. How Surrealist Pantser A.S. King Revises Award-Winning Novels
• Cathryn deVries: 76. Scene Workshop: Hook Your Readers in Chapter One
• Brannan Sirratt: 80. How to Use Revision Tools Like the Story Authority You Already Are
• Abigail K. Perry: 86. How Great First Chapters Make Readers Care
• Abigail K. Perry: 89. How Great First Lines Make Readers Pay Attention
• Kim Kessler & Cathryn deVries: 78. How Multiple Layers of Editing Combine to Perfect Your Story

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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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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 novel
• Why 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 stories
• Why stories have been essential to human survival since the beginning of storytelling
• 5 questions to ask yourself to define YOUR OWN standard of excellence

Once 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. King
• Ep. 36: Your Story Has Deep Meaning. Do You Know What It Is?

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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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If you get feedback that grinds you to a halt, there's a problem. But YOU are not the problem—the feedback is.

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.

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 story structure choices she’d made.

But the feedback she’d gotten called some of those foundational structure choices into question. It would be a really big overhaul—a different core conflict and a different genre.

The writer was quick to assure me that she was willing to do that work. She was not afraid of a page one rewrite. She was not afraid of getting tough critique. She wanted honest feedback from experts, and she was determined to do whatever it took to revise her manuscript into a story that works.

And yet, she was stuck. She had started mapping what it would look like to implement the feedback she’d gotten. And she had this nagging feeling that it would mean walking away from something about her story that mattered to her.

So what was she to do?

What do you do when feedback gets you stuck? When it seems to make things worse, not better? When you can’t figure out how to implement it, no matter how hard you try?

In this episode, I’m sharing what to do with feedback when it doesn’t get you traction, but grinds you to a halt.

You’ll hear:

• What the problem ACTUALLY is (hint: YOU are not the problem!)
• Why feedback can be true and unhelpful
• What to do when the feedback just doesn’t work
• How to get feedback that gets you traction again
• And more!

If you have ever gotten feedback that you just can’t make work, this is what I want you to hear.

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Get feedback that gets you traction again: alicesudlow.com/nrs

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 »