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
How to Figure Out What Your Character REALLY Wants
Make your readers care about your story by getting specific about what your protagonist wants—and why.
What does your protagonist want?
I bet you have an answer for that question. I also bet that your answer is a little . . . generic.
See, the thing your protagonist wants is good. They might want to save a victim from a villain, or fall in love, or get a promotion, or solve a mystery. We all agree those are good things to want.
But that doesn’t move us, doesn’t make us care about your protagonist and their goal, unless we know why they want it.
So in this episode, we’re digging in deep to find out not only what your character wants, but why they want it.
You’ll learn:
- The one question I love to ask to figure out what your character really wants
- Why generic wants won’t move your readers
- How to make your story stand out from the crowd by getting specific
- And more!
You might just discover new layers to your character you didn’t even know were there.
Links mentioned in the episode:
- Get the Character Arc Worksheet: alicesudlow.com/characterworksheet
- Ep. 21: How to Identify Your Protagonist's Want and Need (And Why Those Matter to Your Plot)
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