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 Great First Chapters Make Readers Care (with Abigail K. Perry)
Your first chapter has a monumental task: to make potential readers care about your book right away and hook them to keep reading.
Every sentence is a chance to earn your reader’s attention—or lose their fragile, baby-fresh interest before your story even begins.
And that’s assuming that your book makes it to the bookstore shelves. If you’re traditionally publishing, the first chapter’s burdened with even more responsibility. It’s your first impression with agents and editors, who will judge whether to consider the full manuscript based on the first five or ten pages alone.
The stakes are high.
So high, in fact, that it’s easy to get stuck—revising and refining your first chapter over and over while the rest of the manuscript gathers dust.
So I asked Abigail K. Perry, a fellow editor and book coach, to come help us break out of that trap.
“If we don't care about a character, we don't care about what happens to them. . . . Pull us into character and let us understand and get to know them so that when threats are posed against them, we care about what happens.”
—Abigail K. Perry
You’ll hear:
- What great first chapters must accomplish
- Why mystery is a good thing in first chapters (and info dumps are not)
- How to make your readers care about your characters in a matter of pages, paragraphs, or even sentences
- And more
If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in a first chapter revision loop, this one’s for you.
Check out Abigail’s “First Chapter Deep Dive” episodes on the books we discussed:
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
- Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
- (Coming soon: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card)
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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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