A3W Editorial

January 2026

Fix The Right Thing First:
Your monthly dose of practical, honest writing craft

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Hi writer friend!

Since the last newsletter, it has been… a month. There are a lot of new subscribers here. If you're new—hi! If you've been around awhile, thanks for sticking around!

While the internet has been yelling at me about commas, interiority, and my questionable life choices, I’ve actually been building something big for you.

Let’s get into it.

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NEW: The Character Arc Workbook (only $10!)

Your character arc doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does need to be intentional.

This brand-new workbook—built from the same questions and exercises I use during a developmental edit—walks you through your character’s change in clear, digestible steps. Inside, you’ll find guided sections that help you identify:

• What your character wants vs. what they actually need
• The belief or fear driving their early choices
• The pressure that forces that belief to crack
• The turning point where change becomes unavoidable
• The choice that proves their growth on the page
• And the visible “before vs. after” contrast that makes the arc land

You’ll also get plug-and-play prompts, short exercises, and simple diagnostics you can reuse for every WIP you write—no whiteboards, no overthinking, no spirals.

Print it again and again. Scribble all over it. Color-code it. Destroy it with highlighters. It’s yours forever.

​Download the Character Arc Workbook ($10)​

Email subscribers get it first, because of course you do.

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Coming Soon: Fix the Right Thing First

At the end of this month, I’m releasing my newest book:

Fix the Right Thing First: A Fiction Writer’s Step-by-Step Approach to Confident Self-Revision

If you’ve grabbed my free self-revision checklist, this book is the full, expanded system behind it:

• what to revise first
• what to stop wasting time polishing too early
• how to move from chaos-draft to clarity
• how to know when you need developmental edits vs. line edits

It’s the revision guide I wish I’d had years ago.

​Preorders are open on Amazon! I'll send another email on release day! Stay tuned.

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Free for subscribers: The Self-Revision Checklist

Haven't snagged the checklist yet? Here is the link to download! ​

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Editing Availability Update

Editing books: FULL through March. April - June are filling fast!
Spring & Summer 2026 slots are open now.

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New Service! Query Letter Reviews — $50

For writers querying or self-pub authors wanting a clear project pitch.

• critique + line edit
• rewrite suggestions
• sharpened stakes, hooks, and positioning

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In Case You Missed These (December Highlights)

These posts absolutely took off last month. Did you miss one? They’re worth revisiting:

• Show, Don’t Tell Cheat Sheet

• Headings in Google Docs/Word (game changer for revision)

• Standard Manuscript Format: What it is and why it's important

• How to know if you’re actually ready for a line or dev edit

They’re all teaching the same core truth:
​Revision is easier when you know what you’re trying to fix.

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Romance Readers: ARC Signups Are Open

My next fiction book, Knocked Down (Station 8, Book 2), releases February 18.

ARC team applications are open now.

And if you haven’t read Under Fire (Book 1) yet, it’s on Kindle Unlimited—and yes, signed copies are still available through my website!

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Thanks for being here. Truly.

This list has grown faster than I expected, and I’m grateful every single day that I get to help writers become more confident storytellers.

More craft, more clarity, more chaos (the fun kind) coming soon.

—Sarah
A3W Editorial

P.S. If you ever feel like you “should have revision figured out by now,” you’re not behind. You were just never taught the process. I’m fixing that this year.

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