10 Common Mistakes New Writers Make
Being a new writer is an exciting, thrilling adventure. Not everyone starts off writing at a young age, after all. Some people don’t write until they’re well into their twenties, thirties, forties, etc. Authors like Toni Morrison and JRR Tolkien didn’t publish their first novels until they were in their forties.
So hooray for starting!
Here are some tips on how to avoid common pitfalls that give away first time writers.
Cliché Opening Scene
It can be easy to tell newer writers from veteran writers just by the first few lines of Chapter One. I’m not kidding. Those first few sentences are crucial and can set your reader up for what to expect as they go on.
The worst thing to do in the first chapter is to have a cliché opening. Common cliché first scenes include:
1. Waking up
2. Staring in the mirror
3. Description of the setting/planet
4. Speaking directly to the reader
Now, take these with a grain of salt: some of these openings can be done well depending on the execution or the context. But overall, these openings have been done a lot, so it’s going to take some heavy lifting to make yours stand out.
Not Researching Genre or Age Group
Tropes are tropes for a reason. And before you come at me with a pitchfork, listen! Certain genres hinge on certain tropes. Romance, for example, hinges on its HEA (happily ever after). Readers will expect a happy ending, and not getting that will break their trust in you as the author.
It’s important to fully understand the expectations of your genre and age group.
Age group is especially important when it comes to voice and content. Content and voice will be more mature in Young Adult than Middle Grade, more mature in Adult than Young Adult, and onward. If you want a break down of age groups, check out Query 101’s “Knowing Your Age Range and Genre.”
I always recommend clients and aspiring authors to read widely in their genre and age group.
Flat Characters
Flat characters are a dead giveaway for new writers. Characters should be just like people: they should have depth, be complicated, be messy, have motivations and dreams and aspirations. Having characters who are two-dimensional can make a story much less interesting.
Lack of Conflict
Sometimes, things feel too easy for the protagonist. Adding conflict is one of the most important parts of keeping readers’ attention. Provide conflict throughout the story by challenging your protagonist.
Not Using the Five Senses
Sound, sight, touch, taste, and smell combine to help the reader experience what your characters are experiencing. Leaving these out can make the reader feel too distant from the main character.
Lack of Editing
It is easy to tell when a book has been edited versus when it hasn’t. This doesn’t apply only to professional editing, although it is usually easy to tell if a book has been professionally edited. Typos, run-on sentences, and other common mistakes within the first few sentences are a dead giveaway that the book hasn’t gone through proper editing—if any at all.
Including Too Much Unnecessary Detail
A lot of writers tend to deep dive into details when it comes to the world they’re building, but experienced writers know when—and how much—detail is needed. Including too much unnecessary detail, especially early on, is a sign of a new writer. We don’t usually need to know the intricacies of your world’s tax system. Sorry to break it to you!
Adding Shock Value Without Substance
There is a long list of media that is guilty of this. Shock value usually comes in the form of unexpected deaths or trauma occurring to the characters. But without an attachment to the characters or a reason for these incidents to happen—besides shocking your reader—these events fall flat and feel cheap. Don’t kill characters just for the sake of killing characters.
Unclear Stakes
Whether from your query letter or the first few pages, the reader should know what is at stake for the main character. I see a lack of this mostly in query letters. If a reader can’t identify what your main character cares about and stands to lose, then it’s hard to care about what will happen to them.
Wordcount is Too Long
There are a few reasons a wordcount might be too long. Most of the time, it’s a matter of the author not knowing what details are necessary and which aren’t. It could also be the result of a meandering plot and too many filler scenes that don’t push the plot forward or give us more character insight.
If you fall into any of these, don’t take it to heart! Every writer ends up here at some point. It’s a process that we all go through.
Ready to revise? Check out these tips on How to Revise Your Novel. If you’re struggling with your main character, take a look at 10 Ways to Write an Effective Main Character.