How to Avoid Errors when Writing a Fiction Book
Have a hook., Have a hero., Have a motive., Have a background., Don't make your character a Mary Sue., Have clear dialogue., Avoid pointless description., Make it original., Do your research., Avoid dragging out the book., End it well.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Have a hook.
One of the worst things that could happen in a book is boring your readers to tears before page five.
Make sure to hook the readers and start off the action relatively quickly so that the readers aren't putting down the book before finishing the first page. -
Step 2: Have a hero.
Your protagonist or hero/heroine should be introduced right away.
Avoid having pages of description about the town, the street, and the random people walking around before introducing your protagonist.
Alternatively, you could also choose to introduce your antagonist (the bad guy) before your hero, but either way, make sure to introduce someone relevant to the story ASAP! , Make sure that your characters have reasons for doing something.
If they're just ambling along in the book doing whatever they please for no real reason, the reader loses interest really fast. , If your character is just a "rebel princess"
or their village was attacked by bandits, and those bandits are never mentioned again, your readers will likely think that you were too lazy to make a good background. , Mary Sue is a term that originated in Star Trek fan-fiction, critiqued for the reason that every single canon character either admired her, or fell in love with her.
She was even promoted rapidly.
If your character has traits similar to a Mary Sue, readers will think your character is too perfect, and most of the time quit reading because of that.
Give your character weaknesses to balance out their strengths. , "I'm confused." He said. "Me too." He added. "What's going on?" He shrugged.
Readers will be scratching their heads in confusion if the dialogue in your book is like that.
Make sure that it's clear to the readers who is talking at what time in your book, otherwise it will be way too confusing, and not many readers will bother to decipher who's talking to whom. , When writing, if you don't know what you want to happen next in your book, don't use pointless description as a 'filler'.
Avoid filling up pages describing the coffee table that your protagonist is standing beside, or how the coffee they're drinking is lukewarm.
Your readers will get bogged down with useless details that have no real point or relevance to the story, which will confuse them. , When writing, you'll want your book to stand out, not blend in with every other book that's ever been written.
Make your plot and characters original and one-of-a-kind.
When we read your book, we don't want to feel like we've already read it.
Avoid copying storylines and characters from other books, and avoid excessive use of stereotypes and cliches. , Have you ever heard of the expression "write what you know"? It rings very true, especially in fiction.
If you don't live in England, it's probably not a good idea to make that the setting of your story, unless you do excessive research.
Don't assume that your readers are going to be stupid and overlook things that don't add up.
Do your research on even the smallest of things
- that's how your novel becomes believable. , Sure, you might want to write a 600-page book, but it's better to be short and sweet, with the readers loving every second of it.
You don't want to torture your readers by dragging out the book at a snail's pace until page
600.
Especially in the middle, avoid dragging out the story by having your characters take a trip to Mexico if it will have no relevance to how the story is going to end.
Keep it detailed, but keep it concise. , One of the worst things that can happen with fiction books is having an unsatisfying ending.
Sure, you've been writing for months and you just want to get the book over with, but don't wrap up the book so quickly that it leaves the readers wondering what happened.
Wrap it up well, tie up the loose ends, and avoid being lazy with the ending.
Make it one that will leave the readers feeling content. -
Step 3: Have a motive.
-
Step 4: Have a background.
-
Step 5: Don't make your character a Mary Sue.
-
Step 6: Have clear dialogue.
-
Step 7: Avoid pointless description.
-
Step 8: Make it original.
-
Step 9: Do your research.
-
Step 10: Avoid dragging out the book.
-
Step 11: End it well.
Detailed Guide
One of the worst things that could happen in a book is boring your readers to tears before page five.
Make sure to hook the readers and start off the action relatively quickly so that the readers aren't putting down the book before finishing the first page.
Your protagonist or hero/heroine should be introduced right away.
Avoid having pages of description about the town, the street, and the random people walking around before introducing your protagonist.
Alternatively, you could also choose to introduce your antagonist (the bad guy) before your hero, but either way, make sure to introduce someone relevant to the story ASAP! , Make sure that your characters have reasons for doing something.
If they're just ambling along in the book doing whatever they please for no real reason, the reader loses interest really fast. , If your character is just a "rebel princess"
or their village was attacked by bandits, and those bandits are never mentioned again, your readers will likely think that you were too lazy to make a good background. , Mary Sue is a term that originated in Star Trek fan-fiction, critiqued for the reason that every single canon character either admired her, or fell in love with her.
She was even promoted rapidly.
If your character has traits similar to a Mary Sue, readers will think your character is too perfect, and most of the time quit reading because of that.
Give your character weaknesses to balance out their strengths. , "I'm confused." He said. "Me too." He added. "What's going on?" He shrugged.
Readers will be scratching their heads in confusion if the dialogue in your book is like that.
Make sure that it's clear to the readers who is talking at what time in your book, otherwise it will be way too confusing, and not many readers will bother to decipher who's talking to whom. , When writing, if you don't know what you want to happen next in your book, don't use pointless description as a 'filler'.
Avoid filling up pages describing the coffee table that your protagonist is standing beside, or how the coffee they're drinking is lukewarm.
Your readers will get bogged down with useless details that have no real point or relevance to the story, which will confuse them. , When writing, you'll want your book to stand out, not blend in with every other book that's ever been written.
Make your plot and characters original and one-of-a-kind.
When we read your book, we don't want to feel like we've already read it.
Avoid copying storylines and characters from other books, and avoid excessive use of stereotypes and cliches. , Have you ever heard of the expression "write what you know"? It rings very true, especially in fiction.
If you don't live in England, it's probably not a good idea to make that the setting of your story, unless you do excessive research.
Don't assume that your readers are going to be stupid and overlook things that don't add up.
Do your research on even the smallest of things
- that's how your novel becomes believable. , Sure, you might want to write a 600-page book, but it's better to be short and sweet, with the readers loving every second of it.
You don't want to torture your readers by dragging out the book at a snail's pace until page
600.
Especially in the middle, avoid dragging out the story by having your characters take a trip to Mexico if it will have no relevance to how the story is going to end.
Keep it detailed, but keep it concise. , One of the worst things that can happen with fiction books is having an unsatisfying ending.
Sure, you've been writing for months and you just want to get the book over with, but don't wrap up the book so quickly that it leaves the readers wondering what happened.
Wrap it up well, tie up the loose ends, and avoid being lazy with the ending.
Make it one that will leave the readers feeling content.
About the Author
Isabella Peterson
Experienced content creator specializing in practical skills guides and tutorials.
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