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 still searching for your story’s untapped potential, this is the podcast for you. Together, let’s dig into the difficult and delightful work of editing your next draft.
Your Next Draft
Story Structure: How the 6 Elements of Story Work in How to Train Your Dragon
See the story structure that makes this brilliant movie work.
The six elements of story are the essentials of great story structure. And in the last few episodes of Your Next Draft, I’ve shared a lot of theory about them: what they are, how they work, and where to use them.
But theory only gets you so far. Story structure makes a lot more sense when you can see it at work.
So in this episode, I’m breaking down the movie How to Train Your Dragon so you can see the six elements in practice.
You’ll learn:
- How the inciting incident sets up the conflict of the entire story
- The difficult question Hiccup faces in the crisis—and why both his options have consequences
- Why the climax delivers so well that it gives me chills every time I see it
- And more!
See story structure at work in this masterful example. Then, put it to work in your own stories and craft your own masterpieces!
Links mentioned in the episode:
- Get the Scene Analysis Worksheet: alicesudlow.com/sceneworksheet
- Ep. 27: Value Shifts: How to Craft Compelling Change in Every Story
- Ep. 42: The 6 Essential Elements of Every Novel, Act, and Scene
- Ep. 43: Why the 6 Elements of Story Are the Key to All Great Stories
- Ep. 44: 3 Ways to Apply the 6 Elements of Story Structure to Your Novel
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