We\u2019ve had years of experiences, lots of time spent understanding what agents want and what they really, really don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It all adds up to a pretty good idea of the most common novel writing mistakes made by newer writers as they set out to write their first novel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, and we\u2019re going to talk a lot about mistakes in this post \u2013 but please don\u2019t think we have anything other than total respect for new writers. I\u2019m Harry Bingham, and I am now a successful author with a ton of novels and other books behind me. I\u2019ve been commercially successful and the mistakes that we\u2019re going to talk about here? Well, luckily for me, I don\u2019t make them any more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My first novel?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not too bad, actually, by first novel standards. But I still deleted the first 60,000 words of the first draft, because those words just weren\u2019t good enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My second novel?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A total, utter, ocean-going, gold-plated, forty-eight carat disaster of a book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That one made most of the mistakes we\u2019re going to talk about here . . . and was so bad, I deleted it. So my second published novel is really the third novel that I actually sat down and wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No exaggeration. It was that bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyhow. That\u2019s my<\/em> confession out of the way. And, like I say, we take our hats off and say, \u2018Nice writing. Good on you.\u2019 to anyone at all who has the guts to write and complete a novel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But you want to know which mistakes our editorial team<\/a> sees most frequently? They\u2019re the ones we’re going to talk about right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What follows is a checklist of which mistakes are most often made (and that the new writer should beware of) and, more importantly, what to do about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To make it more interesting, we\u2019ve taken a stab at guesstimating how many manuscripts commit these errors, giving them a howler rating according to how hard they are to fix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So draw a deep breath, and take courage. We like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, let’s look at how not to write a novel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some concepts just don\u2019t work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An \u2018educational\u2019 novel for Young Adults with reams of explanation about climate science stuffed into a creaky plot. A book for adults that features the life history of the author\u2019s parrot. A sad story about a woman\u2019s not-very-terrible mid-life crisis that ends with her deciding to work part-time and take up baking. None of these books stand a chance of interesting an agent. (Well, okay, if they were handled by an out-and-out genius, perhaps, but almost no one is.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many manuscripts make this mistake? 1-3%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Howler rating (5 stars is worst): *****<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment: Surprisingly, this is something we see a lot. Thrillers that don\u2019t quite thrill. Comedies that don\u2019t really make you laugh. Romances that aren\u2019t all that poignant or stimulating. Literary fiction which doesn\u2019t really dazzle. And you can\u2019t be so-so about these things. If agents and editors are faced with a choice, and yours isn\u2019t the more thrilling thriller, which do you think they\u2019ll pick?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Short message: Ramp it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many manuscripts make this mistake? 5-20%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Howler rating (5 stars is worst): ****<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment: Agatha Christie, Mark Billingham, Stuart MacBride, Peter Robinson \u2026 these are big selling authors, so if you write like them, you\u2019ll get sales like them, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, no. Those authors wrote for the market as it was when they got started. They dominate that market \u2013 both subject-wise and era-wise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unless you know your era very well, as well as do something distinctively new, there is no reason why agents, editors or readers should favour your book. It\u2019s the same with books trying to reprise the 1980s comedies of Tom Sharpe. Or YA authors rewriting Stephenie Meyer, not noticing there\u2019s been quite a lot of vampire-lit since Twilight<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just don\u2019t do it. Unless you\u2019re writing historical fiction, it\u2019s as well to write for the world as it is now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many manuscripts make this mistake? 3-5%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Howler rating (5 stars is worst): ****<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment: Your USP. Your \u2018Unique Selling Point\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, a manuscript only ticks the boxes. It\u2019s a love story with genuine warmth. It feels contemporary. The writing is fine, and perhaps it\u2019ll be top of an agent\u2019s slushpile \u2013 but you need to be in the top nought-point-something-percent of that pile to get taken on, and what will tip the balance in your favour is usually an angle, a concept, a pitch <\/a>that\u2019s immediately captivating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A tale, for instance, about a time-traveller\u2019s wife<\/a>? I want to read more. I\u2019d pick up The Time-Traveller\u2019s Wife<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or a fostered child in Nazi Germany, stealing censored books and visited by death<\/a>? The Book Thief<\/em> is an original take in children\u2019s fiction, on a troubling, much-visited subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your book doesn\u2019t an original concept, it\u2019ll hamper the search for an agent \u2013 but we\u2019ve clues on building a strong elevator pitch you can read<\/a> for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many manuscripts make this mistake? 20-30%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Howler rating (5 stars is worst): ****<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment: In short: you have to think big and bold to solve this issue. It <\/em>will be a lot of work though. Tinkering-type solutions will not be the fix. Get better ideas.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Manuscripts written in purple ink? With awful spelling or weird fonts? And punctuation that forgot to turn up for work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is less common than folklore would have you believe, partly because computers and spellcheckers eliminate egregious faults. Nevertheless, tell-tale clues can often be enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s suppose I were an agent, and I received a manuscript, and that manuscript had loads of run-on sentences, which is where you have independent sentences separated by commas rather than full stops, and if I was quite busy, maybe I would think I had better things to do than read any further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you were the author, you might be quite upset that I never got past the first page \u2013 so give yourself the best chance of ensuring this doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many manuscripts make this mistake? 5-10%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Howler rating (5 stars is worst): ***<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment: The first job of your prose is easy. It needs to convey meaning, clearly<\/a> and succinctly. Your meaning must always be clear. When you use pronouns (\u2018it\u2019, \u2018she\u2019, \u2018he\u2019, etc), it must be clear who or what is being referred to. Don\u2019t use \u2018dangling modifiers\u2019. Your reader needs to know where they are and when, and what\u2019s happening (unless, of course, you are being deliberately mysterious). This is simple and so basic, but not all manuscripts achieve success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simple message here: you are seeking to make a living as a professional writer, so the basic quality of your writing has to be<\/em> good enough. There are no shortcuts here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many manuscripts make this mistake? 5-10%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Howler rating (5 stars is worst): **<\/strong> to ****<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment: Most writers don\u2019t think enough about making every sentence as economical as it can reasonably be. Very few books can bear too much verbiage, so prune, then prune again. Be ruthless. If you haven\u2019t cut at least 10,000 words from your manuscript by the time it comes to editing, you haven\u2019t really tried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve had many beginner novelists offer us manuscripts that needed to lose 30,000 words or more. What we always try to communicate is that they can probably lose that level of word count without actually losing any content<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like if you have a 12 word sentence that could be written just as well as in only 9 words, you\u2019re not losing content, you\u2019re just removing surplus. Likewise, we\u2019ve seen descriptions of (say) a North African street market which were kinda great, but involved 6 descriptive sentences. Those 6 would probably work more powerfully, if you just picked the 3 best images\/sentences and went with those. The reader would actually end up with more sense of the place<\/a>, not less. And so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short message: be more brutal with your work than you currently think possible. Your work will love you back and give you a great big kiss once you\u2019re done. Learn how to edit a book.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n How many manuscripts make this mistake? 30-50%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Howler rating (5 stars is worst): *<\/strong> to ****<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment: Before I started editing manuscripts, I just didn\u2019t know this was an issue, but it really is. We get so many manuscripts that are just loaded with extremities \u2013 scream, agony, torture, yelling, misery, overwhelm, fury, all on the first page \u2013 sometimes even all in the first paragraph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, strong language is vital, as is emotional resonance, but you need to be careful to moderate its use. A surprising number of first-time novels just cram too much all in on page one, then carry on cramming. Nuance is key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Short message: gently does it. Lead with the character and the story situation. Oblique is better than direct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many manuscripts make this mistake? 1-3%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Howler rating (5 stars is worst): ***<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment: (Oh, and did you pick up on my non-gender neutral \u2018he\u2019 just then? Yep, well, most of our editorial clients are women, but the people who most often make this mistake are men. And by \u201cmost often\u201d I mean \u201c90% or more\u201d. Sorry, lads, but it\u2019s true!) Strangely, a good way to write a book with good emotional texture is to really work at your dialogue \u2013 the two things often go together. You just can\u2019t write strong dialogue, unless you have a tight handle on what your characters are feeling moment to moment. Our dialogue tips here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Full-on clich\u00e9s are (thank goodness) relatively rare in manuscripts we read. We don\u2019t read many \u2018wet blankets\u2019, or \u2018sick as a dog\u2019 instances, but clich\u00e9 is so often more insidious than just those howlers. You can have a passionate, flame-haired girl. Or scenes of domestic bliss that involve log fires. Or villains who are steely-eyed. A clich\u00e9 is anything which makes us feel we\u2019ve read this before \u2026 and, sorry to say, in that broader sense, we see a lot of these in manuscripts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Short message: any kind of clich\u00e9 starts to kill the reader\u2019s absorption in your story. Very soon you will lose that reader completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many manuscripts make this mistake? 20-50%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Howler rating (5 stars is worst):**<\/strong> to ****<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment: We read a lot of work where one character is thinking and feeling something \u2026 then, suddenly, we\u2019re in the head of some completely different character, sharing their thoughts and emotions. And obviously, it is<\/em> okay to move about between characters, but this transition must be properly handled (normally by moving properly out of one head, before moving into the next). Our colleague, Emma Darwin, has some good advice<\/a> to follow, but when those transitions aren\u2019t correctly handled, you cause giddiness, confusion in the reader, and are at risk of causing rejection letters to come a-fluttering to your doormat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Short message: keep control over your points of view. One simple rule to follow is: one point of view per chapter. More sophisticated writers can mess about with that rule but if you\u2019re unsure \u2013 just follow it! If you want the real ins-and-outs of point of view, you can get a very detailed guide here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many manuscripts make this mistake? 3-10%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Howler rating (5 stars is worst): ***<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment: We\u2019ve read novels where all action seems to take place in a white and featureless void, where any description is bland or muted. Readers want to be transported to a different world. So transport them. Descriptive writing is actually essential to this goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve got some great advice on how write descriptively right here<\/a>. The techniques involved are surprisingly easy . . . and they can deliver an amazing lift to the novel. More than you think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, however, if a novel lacks emotional punch, it\u2019s not to do with the descriptions \u2013 but an absence of drama on the page. In such cases, the issue is nearly always to do with the author telling the reader about the action, rather than just showing us the action as it happens. Too much telling will kill a novel stone dead, and you can\u2019t let that happen to yours. Here\u2019s all you need on show vs tell<\/a>, in case you need a refresher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many manuscripts make this mistake? 3-10%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Howler rating (5 stars is worst): **<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment: New writers make these mistakes because writing novels is HARD. But we can help \u2013 and save you huge amounts of wasted time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Writing a novel is hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Writing a novel for the first time is harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Writing a novel for the first time and making sure that your novel is strong enough to be published \u2013 well, that\u2019s one heck of a goal to set yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s OK to find this tough.<\/strong> As a member of Jericho Writers you get full, free, unrestricted access to courses that cover some of the very issues we’ve already discussed.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As well as films and masterclasses<\/a>, events<\/a>, our Townhouse community<\/a>, AgentMatch<\/a>, and so much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And membership of Jericho Writers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s a crazy-good deal, right? I certainly hope so, at least, because when we developed the whole membership concept, the basic brief to ourselves was, \u201cLet\u2019s just build the writing club of our dreams. Let\u2019s make that thing happen, then charge as little as we possibly can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So that\u2019s what we did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’d love it if you chose to learn more<\/a> about membership, or just say what the heck, I wanna sign up<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But if that\u2019s not right for you now, sit tight, and we\u2019ll review the last common mistakes that writers make when they write their #1 novel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We get plenty of \u2018literary\u2019 novels. Literary fiction still relies on a wonderful plot or a stunning premise to hook its audience, and if you want your novel to sell as a \u2018literary\u2019 one, it has<\/em> to be flawlessly written. Basic competence is not enough: you must demonstrate something more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don\u2019t read a lot of literary fiction (Pulitzer \/ Booker Prize type work), then you are probably not writing it either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many manuscripts make this mistake? 10-30%<\/strong> (of literary novels)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Howler rating (5 stars is worst): ***<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment: Strange, but true. Some writers complete an entire novel without really knowing what their story is. And stories don\u2019t create themselves. Check out our blogs on plotting<\/a> and making use of the snowflake method<\/a> to plan things out. This is an issue you just have to get right, irrespective of what genre you choose to write in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many manuscripts make this mistake? 3-10%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Howler rating (5 stars is worst): ****<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment: Sometimes, everything seems to be moving along all right in technical terms. Story, check; descriptions, check; prose style, check. Still, somehow, a manuscript is failing to connect with its readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s often because the central character(s) aren\u2019t really showing up for work, and that in turn is usually because you, the author, don\u2019t yet know them sufficiently \u2013 almost as though you don\u2019t trust your imagination to feel out the limits of the people you\u2019re writing about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve got some simple free advice right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many manuscripts make this mistake? 3-10%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Howler rating (5 stars is worst): ***<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment: Yes, we know \u2013 you\u2019ve reached the final full stop \u2013 but when you reach that milestone, you are perhaps, if you\u2019re lucky, halfway done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many novels \u2013 even ones accepted by an agent \u2013 need to be reworked, re-edited and reworked again. That\u2019s how they get better and why all professional authors work closely with a professional editor, supplied via their publisher. You mightn\u2019t yet have that vital support and advice from publishers, but you can get editorial feedback<\/a> from consultancies like ours. We\u2019ll check your manuscript for any structural weaknesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Neil Gaiman said, \u2018if you\u2019re making mistakes,
it means you\u2019re out there doing something\u2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n1. A Terrible Concept<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Stats Of Doom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can\u2019t fix this error. You must start again. Get help on your elevator pitch<\/a>, or just firkle out some new and better ideas<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n2. A Book That Doesn\u2019t Ramp It Up Enough<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Stats Of Doom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can fix it in theory, and with a lot of work, but sometimes it\u2019s better just to pick a better idea \u2013 say if your story isn\u2019t exciting you enough to make it exciting for others.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n3. A Manuscript That\u2019s Written For A Different Era<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Stats Of Doom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
This error is all but unfixable in truth, unless you\u2019ve written exceptionally well. Sorry!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n4. A Manuscript With No Discernible USP<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Stats Of Doom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s a lot of work, but you can fix this. Usually, you need to take some already-extant aspect of the novel, and simply push it further than you\u2019ve so far dared to go. Or you can take some totally new element and ram it in. (So Stephenie Meyer took ordinary teenage angsty-romance lit and rammed into it with a vampire story. Wow! Brilliant collision. The results were . . . well, you know damn well what they were. A global multimedia phenomenon.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n5. Lousy Presentation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Stats Of Doom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
On the one hand, punctuation <\/a>is simple to fix. A problem is that poor punctuation is often allied to sloppy prose, which takes a lot more work. Both things matter. If you are sure that your prose and story are fine, but know you need input on presentational matters, you could think about copy-editing<\/a>, but be careful. Most manuscripts don\u2019t need copy-editing, just better writing. Manuscript presentation help here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"most](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/optional-header-169-15-mistakes-in-writing.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n6. Lack Of Clarity In Prose<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Stats Of Doom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes, a rigorous line edit is all that\u2019s needed, but sometimes sloppy prose equals sloppy thinking, harder to address. In truth, I think it\u2019s very rare that a novel with genuinely poor writing will ever be lifted to a place where it can be effectively published. (And that\u2019s true even if you\u2019re aiming at self-publishing. The standards of both routes are much the same these days, as in the end the readers call the shots.) Learn how to write better prose<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n7. Writing Is Not Economical<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Stats Of Doom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Again, sometimes a good edit<\/a> is all that\u2019s needed, as long as sloppy prose doesn\u2019t equal sloppy thinking.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n8. Writing Is Over-The-Top<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Stats Of Doom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s easy to fix in theory, so long as these issues aren\u2019t deeper than just poor word choice. Again, the root cause is quite often that a first-time writer isn\u2019t properly in contact with his characters and that can be a harder issue to fix.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n9. Clich\u00e9s Abound<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Stats Of Doom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Once you\u2019ve identified a phrase, character or plot device, it\u2019s simple (if time-consuming) to fix. It\u2019s finding the things that\u2019s pesky.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n10. Points Of View Are Mishandled<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Stats Of Doom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Very fixable, but normally a slew of changes will flow from any initial set of corrections.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n11. Descriptions Absent Or Bland<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Stats Of Doom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Easily fixed, just make sure weak descriptions aren\u2019t masking a broader problem with prose style.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"common](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/patrick-tomasso-Oaqk7qqNh_c-unsplash-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIntermission: Do You Need Help?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s OK \u2013 actually sensible \u2013 to get help<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
You can literally sign up, and cancel in the same day, and still enjoy the single month\u2019s membership you paid for. We hope you don\u2019t do that, but if you just want to spend one intensive month using our materials, that\u2019s fine with us. Whatever works for you.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve had over ten years serving writers like you and we\u2019ve got hundreds of them published. We\u2019d love to help you too. We\u2019re sure we can do it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n12. Unliterary Literary Writing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Stats Of Doom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You need to pay careful attention to prose style, but this exercise is usually manageable. You just need to care, a lot, and make sure that you take care with every sentence you write.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n13. What Happened To The Plot?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Stats Of Doom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A strong story matters in all genres, and for debut novelists especially. Jane Austen, Shakespeare et al. aren\u2019t above plots, so you\u2019re not either.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n14. Unbelievable Or Bland Characters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Stats Of Doom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Poor characterisation is easy enough to fix, albeit there\u2019s some work involved. Often the issue is just that a writer was so busy constructing the novel\u2019s plot \/ settings \/ research underpinnings etc that they couldn\u2019t handle the additional act of characterisation too. If that\u2019s the issue, then the advice is just, \u201cTime for Draft #2\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n15. You Haven\u2019t Really Finished Your Novel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Stats Of Doom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n