6 Most Common Writing Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs
If you’re guilty of one of these, you’re dangerously diminishing your chances of success
Let’s be honest — we’re all here because we love writing, and it doesn’t stop at that. We aim to improve our writing skills, share our stories and experiences with others, get positive feedback or some much valued constructive criticism.
No matter if we’re trying to make a career out of writing or are simply scribbling away for the sake of being heard, the first thing we want is for our content to actually be read.
However, when none of your stories seem to captivate any readers whatsoever, you start wondering, questioning your abilities, and the quality of your creation.
Chances are you’re yourself sabotaging your chances of acquiring a legitimate following that’s going to read what you have to offer, by making some of these very common blunders.
1. Inconsistency
First things first: if you’re serious about gaining a following that’s going to read, comment, and otherwise engage with your writing, you’ll need to make a habit of your writing.
If you publish an article now, and the next in three weeks’ time, or a couple of months later, that won’t do you any good. Given the sheer abundance of content out there, unless you make a presence online — and make sure you keep it alive and kicking — people will just forget about you, no matter how good that one article maybe was.
It may not come easy at first, but with time and practice, you’ll find that words will come to you much more easily, and that writer’s blocks will become a thing of the past. In addition, there are ways of overcoming even the most persistent of blocks, you just need to find what works the best for you.
Making a schedule of days designated for coming up with topics to write about and doing some research on them, as well as days on which you’ll actually write might be a nice start. Everything will kick off from there.
Does consistency mean it is absolutely necessary to publish something every given day? Of course not. I mean, there’s nothing bad in publishing daily, provided that you can actually make high — or at least decent — quality content that often.
If, however, you can’t give your audience written goodies every single day, skipping a day, or a few, is no biggie, as it’s a far better choice than writing just about anything. Quality should always come over mere quantity.
The point of the matter is: don’t let too much time pass between two articles. Build a presence consistently, and watch your audience grow alongside your portfolio.
2. Poor grammar
A thing that can put off readers in a blink of an eye, especially if they have a grammar Nazi streak *ahem, guilty as charged, ahem* is rotten grammar.
An occasional error or typo here and there is no big deal, of course, as it happens to the best of authors. When one is not a native speaker, like in my case, the chance you’ll make an omission increases greatly.
No one expects complete perfection when it comes to such things, as it’s quite easy to make an oversight, but there’s an enormous difference between a sporadic mistake and your text looking like it’s been written by Borat in the flesh. No one’s going to take you seriously if it seems that you can’t find your way around the bare basics of the language.
If you’re having trouble with your English, work a little (or a bit more) on your language skills, as your efforts will pay off manifold. With better fluency and a broader vocabulary, your writing will improve greatly, as it will be much easier, pleasanter, and more compelling to read.
Not to mention that the process of writing in itself will go much smoother when you’ve mastered the language properly.
3. Lousy research
Being superficial in your research is a sin, simply put.
If you’re serious about gaining an audience that’s going to look forward to your next article, it’s your utmost duty to provide them with value, to give them something that’s actually worth their time.
That value can be anything from learning something new that’s useful or just interesting or amusing to them, or confirming their prior knowledge and opinions, to helping them find a solution to a problem they have. The options are countless.
High-quality content won’t make itself overnight, though. You really need to put your back into it and do your research properly.
Do not offend your audience’s intelligence by serving them half-truths, misinformation, and stale news — that’s not how these things are done.
Take some time to plan what you want to write about and proceed to assess your existing knowledge of the topic as impartially as possible. If you are not as savvy as is necessary to give your readers a quality read, then get busy learning and researching. And do it very, very thoroughly. Only by taking this step of content creating in earnest can you expect to write exceptionally good texts.
It seems like a tougher path than just piling a bunch of facts together and serving your audience with that mishmash, but in the long run, it’s more than worth it. You’ll build a lasting relationship with your readers, as they’ll know who to turn to for valuable information.
4. Shorter isn’t always better
The world is moving at a much quicker pace today than ever before. A natural consequence is the pressure of creating short, get-to-the-point-immediately-if-not-sooner type of content in order to beat your competition to the punch.
Everyone’s in a hurry, no one really wants to read an essay on a subject, people just want easy, short & sweet facts wrapped up in the simplest of forms so they could digest it effortlessly, in a split second.
Sounds familiar?
There’s no question that short attention spans which are only getting shorter are a fact of contemporary life. That, however, doesn’t mean that you should go for the short & easy concept at any cost.
There are certain topics that just can’t be wrapped up in one sole kernel of meaning and value. Some subjects demand further elaboration. And some people — as absurd as it may sound — actually enjoy reading and don’t mind investing their time in reading substantial amounts of text. Provided that the said text actually has something to offer them, of course, be it something they like, or that strikes a chord with them, or sparks their interest.
Is there a foolproof way of knowing when to go for shorter bits of read-candy and when to go all out, pouring your heart and mind out in volumes? Not really. You’ll have to figure that one out on your own.
Have in mind the topic you’re writing about, and your ideal audience.
- How complex is the subject you’re about to tackle?
- Is it something based on hard facts or on your personal experience/opinions/attitudes?
- How much time do the people your text is aimed at have on their hands?
- Do they prefer reading, or are they fonder of infographics, or other sorts of content?
Start with finding answers to these questions, and see where they take you.
5. You lack originality
Blatant plagiarism is the absolute worst you can do, and I won’t waste words on elaborating why, as I believe that the people here actually want to create their own content, rather than just steal someone else’s hard work.
The problem is when you’re not stealing per se, but you are borrowing… a bit too much.
If you constantly look to other people for ideas, if you’ve made a habit of taking a piece of this list and a chunk of that title and just a tiny slice of that concept you’ve loved in another author’s work, and expect you’ll be as successful as your role-models, you’re in for a nasty surprise.
If you just copy and paste others’ ideas, with adding little to no original content, no pizzazz that’s going to make you stand out from the crowd, you rob yourself of the possibility to actually create fresh and unique content.
Your voice is your own — no one else has it. So why in the world would you want to silence it? Instead of singing your best song, you’ll end up croaking other authors’ broken lines
6. You create clickbait titles
Creating compelling titles is a necessity of a writer’s life, there’s nothing new to that.
However, a sure way to put your audience off for good is when the title is about the only good thing in your article.
People are going to make the mistake of clicking on your oh-so-tempting title once. If they do not find what they’ve expected, what’s been promised them, rest assured they will not return for more.
Do not make a habit of giving your articles pompous, fancy, beckoning titles unless the content within becomes it. Don’t treat your readers like a bunch of suckers who are just waiting for you to swindle them as you see fit.
Give your readers what they deserve — your very best, and success will be sure to follow.
