10 Mistakes New Fiction Writers Make - WritersLife.org

10 Mistakes New Fiction Writers Make - WritersLife.org

 

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Hi I'm Jody from WritersLife.org and

today we'll be talking about 10 mistakes

new fiction writers make for new writers

seeing errors or shortcomings in your

writing is a skill yet to be developed

and something many have a hard time

understanding as professional writers we

become so attached to our work seeing

our mistakes whether we are new to the

profession or not isn't something we

typically want to admit as a new fiction

writer you create story after story but

nothing seems to be connecting with

editors are you wondering why your short

stories keep coming back with polite

rejection letters it could be that one

of these 10 fatal errors is standing

between you and publication lack of

editing the best writers rewrite and

rewrite new writers tend to think that

editing merely means a brief

read-through for typos and spelling

errors that's the very last thing you do

the first draft of a short story is like

a lump of wood removing unnecessary

waffle sharpening up images and choosing

the exact word will reveal the beauty of

the grain dull writing too many new

writers don't give their imagination

full rein they seem afraid to look

beyond and beneath the surface their

characters and dull and leaves dull

lives above all fiction must intrigue

and entertain avoid stereotyped

characters and situations

why can't a rich businessman be kind and

compassionate - why are unemployed man

always lazy and sit around in their vest

swinging out of cans why can't one or

two learn Latin or take up the

line-dancing

too much irrelevant detail and short

fiction especially include information

only if it furthers the plot aids

characterization and provides a sense of

place and time too much background

information makes a story all tell and

no show don't go into detail about

characters if they have no significant

part to play in the fiction never give

bit-part players a name if all the

postman has to do is deliver an

all-important letter don't say he Stan

the postman whose wife nags him and has

they bad back after falling off his bike

in 1976 his function is just to be a

postman don't lead up to an event jump

in straight away drip feed vital

information subtly don't drop in heavy

and adjustable chunks of history or

description make an essential part of

the current action no attention to

language too many writers are so busy

telling a story they fail to choose

their words carefully enough all writers

should try to increase their vocabulary

not by using fancy words just for the

sake of it writing should always be

clear but by using intriguing language

and new ways wind doesn't only blow it

can rip roar strangle with be

imaginative it's not only what you say

but the way you say it

absence of imagery and reliance on

cliches too much fiction is flat because

it lacks vibrant images cliches and

metaphors that have been so overworked

they cease to mean anything in sound

limp and stale like as cold as ice as

black as coal don't say she sighed with

relief think of another way someone

might show relief match your imagery to

the story and character if your main

character is always rushing about use

the imagery related to speed send him to

the greyhound track to act out his

scenes or place them by a railway line

where Express trains Thunder paths if

your character is depressed then sent

her into tunnels underpasses cellars and

basements reinforce the prevailing mood

but avoid the obvious don't draw the

reader's attention to what you're doing

just do it no sense of place people are

not only the result of their genes but

they are shaped by their environments so

show the readers where your characters

live and work if it's the sprawling

suburbs then show us what does a

suburban Avenue sound and smell like how

does the light shine on it show us its

life a man delivering charity bags from

door to door really been standing by

gates if someone lives in a filthy hovel

behind the gasworks let's see here and

touch it too many writers let their

characters flow around in a vacuum don't

forget to engage all the senses most

writers describe how things look but how

does fear taste how does anger

smell what does beauty sound like be

adventurous no shape or structure all

fiction but especially the short story

works best when it concentrates on one

person in one situation that takes place

in a reasonably short space of time a

short story expresses a moment of change

and charts the journey through the

change and shows what happens at the far

ends begin the story as close as

possible to the moment of change don't

waffle on once the change and its

aftermath has happened don't allow

yourself to be sidetracked learn how to

pace the story when to give and when to

withhold information when and how to

create tension speed things up slow

things down this is done by carefully

choosing words not only for the sound

they make but for the length of

syllables writing is a craft as much as

an arts if a writer needs to introduce a

flashback it should be carefully

signposted in and out to avoid confusion

shifts in viewpoint should also be

carefully introduced poor dialogue

skills dialog in fiction isn't real but

it must sound real keep it sharp don't

allow your characters to make long

confessional speeches or engage in too

much cosy chit chat use it to provide

essential information and above all to

show character lack of technical

knowledge all writers should learn or

brush up their grammar by learning why

things are so the most common mistakes

such as confusion of it's and it's your

and your mark you as a beginner learn

the reasons behind the rules and you

can't possibly get it wrong only when

you know the rules inside and out can

you be brave enough to break them the

best way to learn how to do it is to

read as much published fiction as you

can if you read plenty by a variety of

authors you cannot possibly pick up

their style it will on the contrary help

develop your own our top tip when you

think your story is the best you can

make it put it aside and leave it for as

long as possible minimum one week then

read it out loud your errors will leap

up at you like snarling dogs now rewrite

it don't forget if you're having a hard

time writing or finishing your book

check out our free writer's tool kit it

can help you overcome procrastination

get organized stay focused and get your

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