Writing your first book can seem like a monumental undertaking. Good ideas and writing talent are not always enough to get you through the process. First-time authors often make many of the same mistakes when working on their first manuscript. These mistakes can delay your writing or even keep you from completing your work in a timely manner. If you’re aware of these common mistakes, you can try to avoid them, so you’re better able to focus on successful strategies that will help you finish your first book.
- One-dimensional characters – Without interesting characters, your readers are likely to get bored. Characters don’t have to be likable, but they should be multi-dimensional. Write characters that your readers will become invested in. Your hero can have some undesirable qualities, and your villain can have some moments that readers empathize with or relate to.
- Using complicated words unnecessarily – Some writers mistakenly think that using complex words, when simpler words would do, makes their writing better. While there is a place for those unique words, using them too frequently, or when they don’t fit the vibe of the book, can lessen the impact your work has on readers and make you sound pretentious.
- Too much dialogue – Dialogue between characters enhances fictional works, but too much dialogue can limit your characters’ ability to show what they’re doing. Use dialogue to reveal backstory or other elements essential to your story, but don’t overdo it to avoid overwhelming your readers with repetition.
- Point of view confusion – Multiple points of view allow you to provide your readers with diverse perspectives, giving them an inside view of more than one character’s thoughts and feelings. However, overdoing multiple viewpoints and skipping between those viewpoints too frequently can confuse your readers and can limit their ability to get to know your characters.
When writing your first book, don’t aim for perfection, an impossible goal. It’s expected for new authors to make some rookie mistakes, but if you’re aware of the most common errors made by first-time authors, you may be able to avoid them. The most important thing when writing is to learn from your mistakes and use feedback to improve your writing for your next work.
