Five of the Most Common Writing Mistakes I See as an Editor

Welcome to Five On Fridays, my weekly straight-no-chaser newsletter where I help demystify the publishing industry for new writers and early-career authors. Let’s jump right in.

Last week, I shared that since I began freelance editing over eight years ago, I've read more than thirty-five million words and edited over five hundred manuscripts. When you’ve edited that many stories, you begin noticing patterns—mistakes writers make, especially those working on their first book. This week, I’m sharing the five most common mistakes I see writers make. The good news is, once you identify these errors, you’ll be able to avoid or address them before you begin querying. 

Mistaking plot for story

In fiction, a plot is a series of events: it’s the what happens. But the story is so much more than that. The story is the why things happen, and understanding the why can be the difference between a book that reads like a checklist (this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened) and one that reads like a story: This thing happens, and as a result of this thing happening, the protagonist reacts in a way that has implications for her and everyone else in the book, which causes the next thing to happen. When the writer understands the why, it shows on the page, and the reader will not only understand it too, but be compelled to keep reading.

Missing conflict

As much as some of us avoid conflict in real life, in books it’s essential. At its simplest, conflict is the obstacle that prevents a protagonist from reaching their goal. Conflict creates tension, it drives characters to make decisions (good and bad), and it creates uncertainty about what’s going to happen next. Conflict is what keeps readers repeating the phrase that’s music to a writer’s ears: just one more chapter. No matter how engaging a premise is, no matter how clever the query letter, a manuscript without conflict won’t resonate with agents and editors.

Characters who don’t speak or react believably

Another thing I come across quite often in manuscripts is when a character says or does something funny or interesting or shocking, and the other characters in the scene do … nothing. They don’t laugh, they don’t react, we don’t see facial expressions or body language that show the reader how whatever was just said was received. Instead, the dialogue continues as if what was said had no resonance. But that’s not how real life works.

In real life, when someone says something outrageous, we gasp, our faces contort, we rear back or withdraw into ourselves. And even not reacting is reaction. If in real life, we’re too stunned or hurt to speak or move, then when we portray characters in similar situations, we’ve got to make that non reaction as loud and clear as it is when it happens in real life. Our characters and their interactions should be as realistic as possible because writing realistically is the difference between having someone just read your work and having them experience it.

Speaking of dialogue

I’m not a grammar cop. I don’t edit manuscripts to within an inch of their lives, removing every comma that doesn’t jibe with Chicago Manual of Style rules. And that’s because so much of editing is about maintaining author voice. That said, incorrectly formatted dialogue is one thing I’ll always call out. Basic dialogue formatting rules dictate that writers should start a new paragraph to indicate a new speaker, add tags throughout long stretches of dialogue to make it clear who’s speaking, and use action beats—short, descriptive phrases that show what characters are doing while they speak—to help bring dialogue to life. Correctly formatting dialogue can help prevent misreading and misunderstanding, heightening the reader experience.

Word counts gone wild

While there are no absolute rules about manuscript word counts and exceptions to the rules do exist, there are general ranges most agents and editors expect manuscripts to land. Sci-fi and fantasy word counts are typically the highest, at or above the 100K mark. Middle grade may land in the 20K to 50K range. While books for younger children may average between 1K and 10K words. Outside of sci-fi, if it’s your first novel and you’re writing in an adult genre, you’ll want to keep your manuscript at around the 80K to 90K range. Why? As a debut author, you’re unproven. Agents and publishers are reluctant to take a chance on a long novel written by a first-time author. Overly long novels can also be an indication of an overwriter, and as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, agents and publishers no longer have the bandwidth and resources to edit client work the way they have in the past. So, if you want to increase your chances of making it out of the slush pile, make sure your novel fits into word count guidelines.

That wraps up this week’s Five On Fridays. Thank you for subscribing and reading. If you found this newsletter helpful, please share it on social media and forward it to your writer friends. Happy writing!

-Grace