How to Avoid Basic Mistakes when Writing
Know your characters!, Know your story!, Don't fill pages!, Don't write outside your ability!, Know what style you're using!, Don't try to write in scenes!, Don't drown in your notes!
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Know your characters!
If you don't know your main characters inside out, and if you don't keep them consistent, it makes for pretty awful reading. -
Step 2: Know your story!
You need to know what the basis of your story is
- is it a romance? Is it an escape story? An adventure? Exploration? A mystery solved? If you don't know where you're aiming to take your story, it can seem very flimsy when you come to read it. , Don't waffle on or make scenes last longer than they need to.
You'll just irritate your readers and you'll end up losing your audience.
If you have a short story, don't try to pad it out with lots of tit-for-tat conversation. , Don't try to write an historical novel if you don't know any history.
Don't try to write science fiction if you aren't relatively adept with computers, and don't have the background.
Some safe themes include modern-day life, fantasy and children's stories. , Don't change the narrator's voice mid-story unless it's part of the bigger picture.
If you make a narrator start on an impersonal basis and become more engaging to the reader, it may put them off, as they don't know if the story's meant to be serious or light-hearted. , If you've got a really cool scene which you want to incorporate, don't bend the story to make it fit in.
If it doesn't contribute anything to the story it's probably best just to keep it among your notes. , Some people make copious amounts of notes, but if you make too many, you'll never get round to writing the story, and you'll never be sure if you've mentioned everything you wanted to mention.
Also, you could end up not using lots of the notes if your story finds its own focus which you didn't expect. -
Step 3: Don't fill pages!
-
Step 4: Don't write outside your ability!
-
Step 5: Know what style you're using!
-
Step 6: Don't try to write in scenes!
-
Step 7: Don't drown in your notes!
Detailed Guide
If you don't know your main characters inside out, and if you don't keep them consistent, it makes for pretty awful reading.
You need to know what the basis of your story is
- is it a romance? Is it an escape story? An adventure? Exploration? A mystery solved? If you don't know where you're aiming to take your story, it can seem very flimsy when you come to read it. , Don't waffle on or make scenes last longer than they need to.
You'll just irritate your readers and you'll end up losing your audience.
If you have a short story, don't try to pad it out with lots of tit-for-tat conversation. , Don't try to write an historical novel if you don't know any history.
Don't try to write science fiction if you aren't relatively adept with computers, and don't have the background.
Some safe themes include modern-day life, fantasy and children's stories. , Don't change the narrator's voice mid-story unless it's part of the bigger picture.
If you make a narrator start on an impersonal basis and become more engaging to the reader, it may put them off, as they don't know if the story's meant to be serious or light-hearted. , If you've got a really cool scene which you want to incorporate, don't bend the story to make it fit in.
If it doesn't contribute anything to the story it's probably best just to keep it among your notes. , Some people make copious amounts of notes, but if you make too many, you'll never get round to writing the story, and you'll never be sure if you've mentioned everything you wanted to mention.
Also, you could end up not using lots of the notes if your story finds its own focus which you didn't expect.
About the Author
Alexander Patel
Writer and educator with a focus on practical DIY projects knowledge.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: