Project Management for Writers
Non-avid readers may be surprised to learn that many books, including those published by bestselling authors, can include a typo or two. It can be hard to believe that even after undergoing rigorous writing, re-writing, editing, and revising procedures, some books may still contain mistakes. However, those who grew up as bookworms are likely to have spotted at least a few mistakes in their lifetime as bibliophages.
Mistakes are ubiquitous; everyone makes them. Errors, especially small ones, are likely to slip through the cracks. Unfortunately, writing flaws can detract from the level of quality that a reader expects from a published author. They may even end up submitting low ratings as well as negative feedback and reviews, which would, of course, hinder sales.
While occasional errors are inescapable, it still doesn’t hurt to shoot for the stars and strive for perfection. Most writers edit and revise their own work, or even the work of others, without knowing what to search for. In most cases, we just read and hope to pick up on a missing comma here or a typo there. But, wouldn’t it be helpful if you knew exactly the type of blunders you should be on the lookout for?
Sometimes, there are errors that we make that we’re oblivious to because no one has pointed them out to us. If you are the sole editor of your work, then this is probably the case for you. Learning from the common mistakes of other writers can extend our perspective and allow us to look at our work through a fresh pair of eyes. We also start paying attention to the way we write to try to avoid these mistakes as we go. Here are the top 12 mistakes authors make when writing their books:
1. Impotent Opening Narrative
Have you ever picked up a book and dropped it after going through the first couple of pages? No matter how hard you try, you just can’t seem to give the book a chance. That’s why first impressions are crucial. Often, writers begin with a detailed description of the scene or a banal event. It taints the originality of your story; it’s difficult to read a novel that’s littered with cliches and overdone themes. This tends to happen when the author has a weak opening narrative. In other words, they’ve started the story in the wrong place. The writer knows that something exhilarating will happen, whether it’s twenty, fifty, or eighty pages from the first page. However, if they’re not able to deliver that sense of excitement or anticipation to get the reader hooked, the reader will probably set the book aside.
While some backstory at the beginning is good, essential even, the author should avoid dragging it out. Have you ever heard of the three-second rule of digital marketing? Just like marketers need to grab the attention of online users in three seconds, you need to pique your readers’ interest from the start. Use vivid imagery, characterization, build tension, make sure that there is movement and action, and express concepts that are diametrically opposed from the outset. Long, overly expository paragraphs should be avoided since they can stymie the story before it even begins.
2. Telling the Story
Telling the story is among the most common mistakes that authors make. You may be thinking, “But, how else am I going to, well, tell the story?” The answer is rather simple: show, don’t tell. Allow your readers to absorb the story’s expository aspects, such as dialogue, ideas, actions, and senses, rather than spoon-feeding it to them. Remember, you aren’t recounting an incident to a friend; you want the reader to get the full experience. You have to make them feel present in the book. Don’t tell how the character feels, but do explain how this emotion feels. Which of the following descriptions make you feel more sympathy: “the boy looked sad,” or “the boy spoke with sadness in his tone. I observed as his eyes widened and gradually became ringed with tears.” It may seem impossible to deliver your entire story in that sense. However, it helps to write down how you envision the scenes playing out. Let the characters speak for themselves, conduct their own dialogues, and explore their own train of thought. You don’t have to narrate everything to them.
3. The Misuse of Words and Homonym Errors
Everyone makes grammatical errors from time to time. A common inaccuracy is using the wrong term that sounds similar to the word you intended to use. These are known as “homonyms.” Homonyms are words that have similar sounds but different meanings and spellings. Knowing the words that you commonly confuse is quite important, so you can replace them with a word that gets your message across.
Homonym errors are also very frequent. The most common ones include:
- Its and it’s
- Your and you’re
- Their, there, and they’re
- Than and then
- Past and passed
- Waved and waived
- Peak, Peek, Pique, and Peke
- Hear and here
- Scared and scarred
Nearly every writer struggles with conjugating verbs like “lie.” Is she lying or laying down? Does she lie or lay down? Has she lied or layed down?
4. Being Too Explanatory
I know I said that you should be descriptive regarding the flow of events. However, readers intuitively realize that too much description is detrimental because it indicates a deeper issue within the context of the story. Everyone knows that too much of anything is good for nothing. Avoid superfluous details regarding the actions that take place, as they can create a slow, boring pace. Too many details can also take away from the tension that you intend to build. it may even hinder the flow of the moment. You don’t need to write that the character “walked over to the couch, laid down on it, reached out for the remote, and then turned the TV on.” “He sat down on the couch and switched over to his favorite channel” would probably suffice.
5. POV
There are many intriguing novels that I never felt compelled to finish simply because the narrative was off. Choosing the right POV is a huge aspect when it comes to your story’s success. Choosing the right narrative depends on many factors, including the genre, storyline, and the preferences of your target audience. For instance, if you’re writing your novel in third person, you must consider who will narrate the story in each chapter and/or scene.
6. Irrational Conflicts
Conflicts are an integral part of any story, whether they’re external or internal. However, it’s important to remember that all conflicts need to have depth and be believable. Your character should not have an inner struggle over an obvious decision that they need to make, or there shouldn’t be an external conflict that could be resolved through a conversation. Irrational conflicts leave the reader unsatisfied.
7. Punctuation
Punctuation misuse is also a very common error among writers. Some of the most common errors are:
- Using a comma before a dependent clause.
- Over-using a semicolon or replacing it with a comma.
- Mixing up between em-dashes and hyphens.
8. Inconsistencies
Plot holes reduce the verisimilitude of a story and can have a significant impact on how readers perceive it. Your novel may be superbly written, with compelling characters and a captivating plot, but one plot hole and all your hard work may be nullified. There are probably around twenty or more different versions of the book you’re writing in your head. So, make sure to watch out for inconsistencies in timelines, events, backstories, and even name spelling.
9. Eye-Catching Tags
You may feel tired of using the same old “she said,” “they asked,” and “he replied” dialogue tags. However, when this happens, don’t get too creative with tags like “she squealed,” or “he harrumphed” as they can be distracting. Focus on making your dialogue strong enough that you can cut off unnecessary tags without confusing the reader.
10. Insufficient Knowledge
Again, having many drafts and versions of your story can be quite confusing. No one knows your story as well as you do. You’ve already carved out backstories, personalities, and events that shape each of your characters (many of which you don’t even intend to include in your book). Oftentimes, authors lose themselves and write from that position. You must know what you are writing about, and you cannot assume that your readers have a prior understanding of the subject.
11. Participles and Misplaced Dangling Modifiers
Everyone knows that participles can be tricky to phrase. If not written correctly, they can be very misleading. The most common error that writers make is misplacing dangling modifiers. For instance, they may write:
“As a downcast teen, the power of affirmations helped turn Ella’s life around.” The dangler is attached to the first noun right after the comma, which is “the power of affirmations.” However, “the power of affirmations” isn’t “a cast down teen.” The correct version should be, “When Ella was a cast down teen, the power of affirmations helped her turn her life around.”
12. The Misuse of Tenses
Even the most experienced and renowned authors may struggle to maintain the same tense usage and consistency throughout their entire story. The key is to adhere to the narrative tense of the book, regardless of whether it’s present or past. Abrupt shifts in action, such as the introduction of a flashback, are more likely to cause you to slip into a different tense. It helps to know that most errors appear in novels written in the present tense, as the writers often inadvertently switch to the past tense.
These twelve common mistakes are the ones that writers, regardless of their level of experience, make most frequently. If you want to write the perfect book, hire a professional editor to help catch your errors. Being aware of these issues will also make you consciously adamant to avoid making them.
