The 3 Major Mistakes That Could Ruin Your Writing Career
And how to avoid them
Most of us, at least, have attempted to write a type of novel. Most of us have written the words “The End” with pride and accomplishment.
So, why is it that when you submit your first book to a publisher, they either send your book back saying, “This doesn’t make the cut,” or you simply never get a reply back? Why is it that your first book wasn’t good enough in their eyes that they didn’t even bother to edit it?
After asking all those questions in your head, you realize that your novel just wasn’t GOOD enough. But you don’t know why. You keep trying and failing to realize the source of the problem. Let’s face it: your first book would only seem great in your eyes because you probably don’t have too much experience writing books.
Whether you have even finished your first novel or not, here are 3 mistakes you can avoid while writing your novel.
1. CREATING A DETAILED OUTLINE
The first mistake most of us have made is creating a detailed outline. Most writers like to plan out what they’re writing in their novel, but they tend to make it detailed. When you create an outline that has every single thing that you want to write in the story, it stops you from thinking outside of the box.
You see, you may have “everything” planned out before writing the book, but every writer at one point in time needs a touch of creativity for the book to make sense. Expand your creativity! When you think outside the box you can knit together a few details.
Make a looser outline so you can add in some details while writing your novel. Remember, not everything has to be in a straight line. Make a few creative zigzags here and there.
2. MAKING TOO MANY MAIN CHARACTERS
The second mistake — easy to fall into — is making too many main characters. Usually, we ask new writers to make a maximum of 3 main characters. Why? Because when you create too many main characters, that’s just a few perspectives too many to keep up with! It makes it confusing for the author and/or the reader, making the book hard to understand.
It gets too complex, especially if the narrator is omniscient (because you don’t have definite perspectives of each character).
The most important reason you should try to create 3 main characters at most is that it’s easier to write. Of course, we’re not saying that you can’t make more than 3 characters, we just want you to limit the number of main characters since the story revolves around them. If you had 8 main characters, would you really think it would be easier for the publishers to understand?
3. RUSHING THE REVISION PROCESS
The third and final major mistake is rushing the revision process. Remember, your revision and querying process pretty much decides if a publishing company wants your book or not. You absolutely cannot skim over your novel and expect it to be perfect.
You shouldn’t send anything to a publishing company until you’ve gotten your manuscript as good as you possibly can.
Make sure you revise your novel at least 2 times before sending your manuscript to an agent. A good tip is to get someone else who didn’t write the book with you to read over it so you know it’s not just you who understands it. Remember, it’s good to get another point of view!
The last thing you should do is ask yourself a few questions before submitting your book to a publisher. Ask yourself questions like:
- Does my book make sense?
- Is there character development in my novel?
- Is the plot interesting enough (for fiction writers)?
- What can the reader learn from my book?
And when the answer to all those questions is certainly a ‘Yes!’, and the reader can learn something new and interesting from your book, your first draft of your novel is now ready to hand-in to a publisher!
Final Thoughts
Remember, sometimes your book can be rejected even if you have avoided all these major mistakes. J.K. Rowling got rejected by several publications, yet she didn’t give up. The best thing to do is not give up on your novel and take constructive criticism the right way. Rome wasn’t built overnight!
So now that you know about all the 3 major mistakes that you should avoid while writing your novel, why don’t you give it a try?
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