 Every editor will say that they can tell a newbie writer just by reading the first page of their manuscript. It's that apparent, and most of the reasons are pretty simple too.
There are quite a few mistakes newbies make, sure, but these are some of the most common and some of the easier to correct. Things like flat characters, lack of descriptions or too much description, boring plot, are things that will be developed over time the more your write, edit, and grow. This list is for the simple fixes that can be corrected before handing over your manuscript to anyone to read and keep you from looking like a newbie. It's hard to change these tell-tale signs if we're not aware we're making them in the first place. I hope this helps. 1) Do not use double punctuation ever. Just don't. The use of ?! is unacceptable. Simply use a ? to end the question and then SHOW the confusion/surprise reaction by the character's actions. That is what clear writing is all about. (This was an issue debated in a writing group just two days ago. Many, many, many new writers insisted it was just fine to use and INSISTED it relayed the affect they were going for which they felt couldn't achieve in any other way... yikes). 2) To go along with the above, don't overdo the use of the exclamation point or use CAPS to express anger or excitement. No: "NO WAY!” Mary exclaimed. “How am I supposed to write without using exclamation points or caps in my dialogue to get my point across? THIS IS UTTER NONSENSE! Exclamations are awesome! I refuse to stop using them!” Yes: "No way," Mary said. "I can't believe I can get the necessary emphasis in my writing without using exclamations or all-caps in my dialogue. It's amazing." 3) Do not use dialogue tags like: He replied. She yelled. He suggested. She grumbled. He stated. Etc... Simply use SAID. That's all you need. The others are redundant. (As a note: I hardly ever use the term SAID either. Only when I have to. For the most part, I use the character's movement or actions to relay who is speaking). By using the word SAID it becomes invisible to the reader and keeps the reader engaged in the action and not focused on the prose. 4) In relation to the above, when you write: "You worry too much," he said as he touched her shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. It could be rewritten to say: "You worry too much." He touched her shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. This way you eliminate the said and also gives your work a cleaner feel to it. This is my preferred method. 5) Do not open your story with a dream scene or with your character looking in the mirror. These have been DONE TO DEATH. Avoid it at all costs. Okay, not at all costs, but unless you can do it with such amazing skill to pull it off, then I wouldn't suggest it. 6) Do not combine different characters' dialogue in one paragraph (this isn't the best writing, but it's an example to give you an idea of what I mean). No: "Where are you going?" She tipped her head and settled her hands on her hips. His hand dropped from the door handle. "No where." "Really? I don't believe you." Yes: "Where are you going?" She tipped her head and settled her hands on her hips. His hand dropped from the door handle. "No where." "Really? I don't believe you." 7) Over using adjectives and adverbs. No: The low cream-colored fluffy clouds floated lazily in the baby-blue sky and drifted over the dry and dirty valley, touching the still and quiet rooftops of the old early-rising sleepy-headed town members below. Yes: Clouds floated across the sky and drifted over the valley, touching the rooftops of the early-rising town members below. 8) Repeating the same word. Every writer, even the more experienced, tend to have a certain set of go-to words they use over and over which have to be edited out (for me, I tend to over use the word JUST and have to do a search to eliminate as many as I can). But a newbie tends to use those same words over and over on the same page or even in the same paragraph. Proofread for repetition. Even a simple word like HOUSE repeated two or three times in one paragraph can be distracting for a reader. Vary it up. 9) People don't tend to use each others names when speaking. Just listen to a conversation (go ahead and eavesdrop) and you will see this is true. So don't make your characters keep calling each other by name. Here and there is fine, but be careful not to overdo it. Readers are smart. They will figure out who is talking by the character's actions. Don't worry. 10) Do not switch POV's within the same scene. It should never be done. If you start out in Jane's head, from her perspective, then you must stay with her until the next scene break. Only then can you tell us what Tom is thinking. Going back and forth, head-hopping, within the same scene will only confuse the reader and will aggravate the heck out of an editor. These are ten things to get you started. For more complex and more tell-tale signs, here are a few links for you to delve into your writing a little more: FIVE MISTAKES A BEGINNING WRITER SHOULD AVOID BEGINNER MISTAKES THE TEN MISTAKES COMMON WRITING MISTAKES Do you have any advice for newbie writers or something you can add to the above list? Then please leave a comment below. Also, leave a comment to let me know you stopped by. Every month I hold a drawing for a random commenter and mail out super cool prizes (Last month was a zombie tee shirt and author signed bookmark). You could be the winner this month IF you leave a comment that is :)
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 Sometimes, we're just not in the mood... to write (get your mind out of the gutter, you naughty, but surprisingly, relatable person. Let's be friends).
It happens to the best of us. It happens to ALL of us. We've all been there. The very idea of sitting at the computer, with our work-in-progress file open, and our fingers on the keyboard just plain seems unpleasant and awful. Writing is hard, it is, and playing Candy Crush or watching season after season of DEXTER on Netflix seems so much easier...sooo much easier. So what do we do? How do we get in the mood... to write? Step 1) SET THE SCENE. Where do you usually write? Your desk? In your room, in bed? If so, why not change it up? Move to a different room, a different scene, or go some place new entirely--ever try writing at Starbucks? McD's? I have, and it works wonders. I've even found I can write more than I normally do at places like Get Air (an indoor trampoline park). Weird, I know, but it's true. Sitting at the same desk, in the same room, looking at the same scenery, can get old very fast. Spice it up. Move. Go somewhere different. Get adventurous. Try it. You might like it. Step 2) MUSIC. Treat yourself to some new tunes. Find a song that is special to either you, your characters, or the "feel" of your book. Writing a fast-paced scene? Then pick out a face-paced song. Writing something serious, sad, or romantic? Find that right song. Now listen to it before you place your fingers on the keyboard. Hum, if you don't know the words. Belt them out, if you do. Pretend you're on American Idol. Go for it. It will get your heart pumping, which will excite your brain. You're like, "Yeah, right. This is weird advice." Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it. You'll see.  The adjoining room is ready for the kill. *There will be spoilers, so if you haven't watched all the seasons of DEXTER, you may not want to read this*
For the longest time, there were only those four seasons available on Netflix and since I don't have cable (I hardly watch TV), I decided to simply wait it out. When Netflix added seasons four through eight this past January, guess what I did? Yep, a non-stop DEXTER marathon. Yippee! So excited! When I'd watched DEXTER when it first came out, years ago, I loved it. I loved the concept and it drew me in hook, line, and sinker. I loved how each episode ended, forcing me to stay up later than I usually would to watch the next episode in my cue. But soon, something just started feeling off. I knew it had been quite some time since I'd last watched DEXTER, but a few things just didn't feel right. Was Dexter's internal dialogue not nearly as witty? Did the writers forget they needed to explain details and not leave things dangling and weird? It sure seemed so and with each season, it seemed to get worse and worse. I'm just an average Jane, but when I start questioning things, you know there is a problem. I pretty much just go with the flow, but things kept popping up that made me crinkle my brow. And with each additional season, my brow became more and more furrowed. But I'm no quitter. Once I commit to something, I will follow it through to it's bitter bitter end. I'm that dedicated. The woman above, Lumen (played by Julia Stiles) witnesses Dexter kill a man who is guilty of murdering women and stuffing them in barrels. Lumen was to be the next victim. This leaves Dexter in quite a weird predicament. She is the victim of kidnapping and gang rape and she asks Dexter for his help to kill the other men involved. That is pretty much the premises for this season, thought there are other plot lines as well. Anyhoo... Dexter tracks down one of the men (Cole Harmon), rents the hotel room next to the guy, so that he can use the adjoining door, pick the lock, drag Cole into his room at night and kill him. The picture above is the room prepared for the kill. But things don't go quite as planned... Cole brings a woman back to his room to stay the night, so the kill will have to take place at another time. Then things go really bad. Cole sees Lumen in the hall, recognizes her, and goes chasing after her. Dexter is stuck at a convention meeting (run by a super famous well known motivational speaker, Jordan Chase in the same hotel and can't get out of it. Lumen runs back to the hotel room and locks the door, but Cole CRASHES (remember this) through the adjoining door and attacks Lumen. Of course, Dexter makes it back just in time to save her. They kill him, stuff his pieces into various suitcases and even put his head in a bowling ball bag. Everything is cleaned up, and no one is the wiser. Except (here we go), this man was the HEAD of the famous Jordan Chase security team. THE HEAD. The police and Jordan figure he must have taken off. No one knows where he is or how to find him. Is he dead? Is he alive? Who knows? How about this, folks--DIDN'T ANYONE NOTICE THE BUSTED ADJOINING DOOR? There is no way Dexter could have fixed that, and the writers of the show never even bring it up. Under normal circumstances, the police (who are also looking into Cole as a suspect for something else), would have noticed the busted hotel door and THEN checked into who rented the room next to Cole's. They would have seen it was Dexter, their very own blood guy, and maybe questioned him. THAT'S WHAT GOOD POLICE PEOPLE DO. Except, the writers of the show leave the whole detail of the door unexplained. No. No. No. But things get even worse in season six. |
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