As an aspiring writer, you should know the do’s and don’ts of good writing, especially the don’ts, as there are some mistakes that you want to avoid at all costs, especially if you don’t want to be flagged as an amateur writer.
You might already know some of the mistakes – but it can be helpful to go through some of the things as a reminder. The following list includes mistakes that don’t need loads of explanation but these are things that can make a massive difference to your writing career.
By avoiding these mistakes, you can come across as a professional writer.
Spelling Mistakes
The first mistake that you want to avoid at all costs is related to spelling. If you spell anything, make sure it is always spelled that way. Also, if you make up things, such as locations and magical abilities, make sure you always spell them the same way throughout the entire book.
Make sure you remain consistent with the capitalization and spelling. Of course, you will want to hire one of the best freelance proofreaders as a way to ensure that you have indeed remained consistent throughout the entire manuscript. This way, you will feel confident and positive when sending out your book for its final publication.
Introducing Character
Don’t make the mistake of pausing the story every time a new character is introduced. You will want to avoid providing a list of physical descriptions. Of course, you will need to do some sort of description when introducing new characters – so one or two lines are fine.
But – you will want to avoid jotting down long paragraphs of descriptions as your readers will lose interest. It is not going to read smoothly, and it is not going to appear professional. On this note, you will also want to avoid the mistake of using more words than is necessary.
For instance, you cannot write: “She lifted her chin sadly and dropped it back to her chest.” Instead, you can write: “ She nodded.”
You get the point – you will want to ensure that every single word and line that you write has a purpose and is long enough for your readers to get a clear understanding of what is going on in the story. Speaking of words, avoid constantly replacing words with bigger or fancier words. This aspect is also known as thesaurus writing, and many amateur writers use this strategy to sound more impressive.
If you want to breathe life into your characters, you will need to avail the services of an expert book interior designer. They will turn your characters into real-life persons and convey the story more efficiently.
Confuse Professions
Number two is making a mistake in procedures with different professions, especially social work, the court system, the police, forensic science, etc. As a writer, you should understand how each of the professions works. This aspect takes us to the importance of conducting research before you start writing the plot of your story.
Medical Descriptions
Number three is the mistake in descriptions of medical problems, technology, medical care, weapons, and other similar aspects. Again, you will want to do your research or ask people who are in the profession so that you know what you are writing and telling the readers.
By doing your research, you will ensure that you understand what you are describing to your readers. By doing so, you will come off as a lot more professional.
Keep Similar Names
The next mistake to avoid is to have multiple characters with similar names – especially characters that aren’t introduced together, or that may have similar personality attributes. Also, avoid similarly-named characters that are on the same side – either the good side or the bad side.
For instance, if Angela, Ali, and Alfred walk into the classroom at the same time, it won’t be easy for your readers to tell these characters apart.
Also, when it comes to naming the character, irrespective of how enticing it can be – you must avoid naming the main character after yourself – even in the slightest variation of your own name. Here is what will happen if you do so: it will be very apparent that you used your name when you go to query agents or publishers.
It is a big red flag, and you will want to avoid this mistake at all costs.
Irrelevant Dialogues
Another mistake to avoid is the act of including small talk in dialogues that take up some space in your writing but are still irrelevant as it doesn’t mean anything. You will only want to include dialogues in your story that are actually contributing to the unraveling of the plot. The same rule applies to writing monologues.
Make sure all conversations are interesting to the readers and that they are meaningful. Else – the best option is to ditch the dialogue and move on with the story without it.
Avoiding Sensory Information
Another mistake to avoid at all costs is forgetting to include sensory information, sights, sounds, and smells. These things are crucial if you want to hook the reader’s attention.
Writing Clichés
The next mistake to avoid is writing clichés and borrowing from what you already know. As a professional writer, you will want to show off your own unique writing abilities instead of relying on pre-established cliché plots and phrases.
Same Sentence Structure
Mistake number eight to avoid is using the same sentence structure over and over again. For instance, it could go like this:
“He walked to the chair. He sat down in the chair. He peeked over his shoulders. He crossed his legs. He smiled at the waitress”.
You get the point. This kind of sentence structure has nothing amazing to offer. You will want to try to vary your sentences instead of repeating the same sentence structure. If you do so, you will look a lot more professional.
Past vs Present
Another mistake that can flag you as an amateur writer is when you keep switching between the past and the present tense. This mistake is even graver when you do it intentionally. As a writer, your spelling and grammar should be on point. You should know which one of the structures you are writing in, and you will want to stick to it.