10 Common New Writer Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

As a developmental editor and writer, I’ve noticed patterns in the types of problems new writers often face. This video covers ten of the most common stumbling blocks, focusing mostly on big-picture issues and attitudes toward the publishing industry. In future videos, I’ll cover common grammatical errors and dialogue mistakes. We all have to start somewhere, and it’s through making mistakes that we can improve our storytelling as fiction writers. You can read a text version of this video on Medium: https://quotidianwriter.medium.com/10-common-new-writer-mistakes-and-how-to-fix-them-49b03b3ffc99 Love my channel? Treat me to a cup of coffee at https://ko-fi.com/quotidianwriter. Behind-the-scenes notes for this video: https://ko-fi.com/post/Behind-the-Scenes-10-Common-New-Writer-Mistakes-V7V64MMGJ My Published Stories and Poems: https://www.quotidianwriter.com/my-writing Twitter: https://twitter.com/QuotidianWriter Opening Animation by Vitor A. Dupont: https://www.behance.net/vitordupont Title and End Music: “Clockwork” by Vindsvept - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zl4EGLoiI8&t=83s Background Music by Vindsvept: + “Keeper of the Forest” + “Skymning” + “Chasing Shadows” + “Illuminate” + “The Fae” + “Woodland Lullaby” + “Wildkin Glade” + “Voyage to Nowhere” + “Into the Unknown” SOURCES “What Is an Adverb?” by Grammarly: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/adverb/ “Seriously, What’s So Bad About Adverbs?” by Charlie Jane Anders: https://io9.gizmodo.com/seriously-whats-so-bad-about-adverbs-5437610#:~:text=Really%2C%20adverbs%20aren%27t%20bad%20in%20themselves.&text=Basically%2C%20an%20adverb%20modifies%20a,to%20clutter%20your%20sentence%20pointlessly “4 Ways Adverbs Weaken Writing” by Britainy Sorenson: https://www.bkacontent.com/adverbs-weaken-writing/ “Learn to Identify and Write High Concept Stories” by MasterClass: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/learn-to-identify-and-write-high-concept-stories “The Word Count of 175 Favorite Novels” by Broke by Books (Sarah S. Davis): https://brokebybooks.com/the-word-count-of-175-favorite-novels/ “How long should a novel be?” by Louise Harnby: https://www.louiseharnbyproofreader.com/blog/how-long-should-a-novel-be-guidance-for-fiction-authors “41 Places to Find a Critique Partner” by Cathy Yardley on The Write Life: https://thewritelife.com/find-a-critique-partner/ “15 Places to Find Your Next Beta Reader” by K.M. Weiland: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/find-your-next-beta-reader/ “How Much Does It Cost to Self-Publish a Book in 2021?” by Reedsy: https://blog.reedsy.com/cost-to-self-publish-a-book/ “My Top 12 Writing Tips! | Advice That Changed How I Write” by ShaelinWrites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LxiYwMrwRg&t=413s “The Key Book Publishing Paths” by Jane Friedman: https://www.janefriedman.com/key-book-publishing-path/#:~:text=My%20chart%20divides%20the%20field,-publishing%2C%20and%20social%20publishing THE BUSINESS OF BEING A WRITER by Jane Friedman: https://www.amazon.com/Business-Chicago-Writing-Editing-Publishing/dp/022639316X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl1&tag=janefrie-20&linkId=c01b14ad6ea4a53d3f8a5665433170a3&language=en_US Neil Gaiman - Inspirational Commencement Speech at the University of the Arts 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikAb-NYkseI Introduction (0:00) 1. Treating writing advice as if it’s set in stone. (0:46) 2. Being unable to convey a cohesive story concept. (2:46) 3. Writing a novel like a bad movie. (4:17) 4. Creating inconsistent or undefined characters. (6:25) 5. Failing to make the reader feel the emotions of the story. (9:23) 6. Head-hopping, or not understanding the difference between third-person omniscient and third-person limited point of view. (11:43) 7. Unintentionally repeating plot points or phrases. (14:51) 8. Not knowing much about the book’s genre or audience. (18:27) 9. Being impatient and underestimating how much revision a publishable novel requires. (22:29) 10. Having unrealistic expectations about how publishing works. (25:14) Final Thoughts (28:21)