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 Use Genre as a Revision Tool (with Savannah Gilbo)
Here’s what to DO with your genre once you know which one you’re writing.
So you know your story’s genre.
It’s an Action story with a Worldview internal genre. Or it’s a Love story with a Status internal genre. You’re, like, 32% sure of it.
Which is great, because you’ve studied story enough to know genre is important. You’ve heard that it shapes the foundations of your story, that it has conventions and obligatory scenes, reader expectations that you’ll need to deliver on.
Somehow, though, just knowing some words—Action, Worldview, Love, Status—hasn’t magically solved anything. And it’s not a great feeling to have studied story theory so much, and still be stuck on the application.
So what now? Now that you have some language for your story’s genre, what do you do with it? How do you actually use it as a revision tool?
That’s what I’m exploring in this episode with my friend and fellow writing coach Savannah Gilbo. Savannah is my go-to genre expert, and she shares exactly how to make genre work for you in revision.
You’ll hear:
- Why naming your genre earlier than you think can save you from endless rewrites
- The 3 genre mistakes that secretly stall drafts (and how to avoid them)
- How to turn genre from a rigid list of “must-haves” into a flexible writing tool
- How to blend multiple genres like a pro (and without getting lost)
- And more!
Identifying your genre is a great first step. In this episode, Savannah will show you what to actually do with it once you know which one you’re writing.
Links mentioned in the episode:
- Get Savannah’s guidance on your story in Notes to Novel: alicesudlow.com/notestonovel
- Get the Content Genre Overview: alicesudlow.com/90
- Ep. 90: The 12 Core Genres That Power Every Great Story
The Notes to Novel link is an affiliate link. I wholeheartedly recommend Savannah’s coaching and am delighted to share her resources with you!
Free Training: 5 Mistakes That Keep Writers Stuck
Struggling to finish your novel? My friend Savannah Gilbo is hosting a FREE live webinar: 5 Mistakes That Keep Writers Stuck. She’ll show you the traps most writers fall into—like skipping genre frameworks or editing as you write—and how to finally finish. Join August 23 or 24. Save your spot: alicesudlow.com/class. (Affiliate link—I may earn a commission.)
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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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