Common Mistakes New Authors Make (and How to Avoid Them)
Every author starts somewhere. And almost every new writer makes the same painful mistakes:
- overcomplicated plots
- lifeless characters
- endless exposition
- rewriting Chapter One seventeen times instead of finishing the book
The good news? These mistakes are normal.
Writing is one of those skills you mostly learn by doing badly first.
The difference between authors who improve and authors who quit is simple: one group learns from their mistakes.
Here are some of the most common mistakes new authors make — and how to avoid them before they sabotage your story.
1. Trying to Sound “Writerly”
New authors often believe good writing must sound sophisticated.
So they overload sentences with:
- fancy vocabulary
- excessive description
- unnecessary metaphors
- dramatic dialogue
Example:
“The cerulean heavens wept crystalline tears upon the sorrowful pavement.”
That’s not immersive.
That’s exhausting.
Strong writing is usually clear, specific, and controlled.
Simple writing is not bad writing.
In fact, many great authors write in surprisingly straightforward prose because clarity keeps readers engaged.
How to Avoid Sounding "Writerly"
Focus less on sounding impressive and more on making readers feel something.
Clarity beats cleverness almost every time.
2. Starting the Story Too Early
Many beginner novels begin long before anything interesting happens.
Readers get:
- pages of backstory
- characters waking up
- daily routines
- worldbuilding explanations
- scenes with no conflict
The actual story starts fifty pages later.
Readers shouldn’t have to dig through the setup waiting for momentum.
How to Avoid It
Start as close to the conflict as possible.
Ask:
“Where does the story become impossible for the protagonist to ignore what's happening?”
Start there.
You can weave in background information later.
3. Explaining Everything
New writers often don’t trust readers enough.
So they over-explain:
- emotions
- themes
- motivations
- symbolism
- plot points
Example:
“Jake slammed the door because he was angry.”
Readers already understood the anger from the slammed door.
Over-explaining weakens emotional impact because it leaves nothing for readers to interpret.
How to Avoid Over-Explaining
Let actions, dialogue, and context carry meaning.
Trust readers to connect the dots.
4. Writing Flat Characters
A lot of characters new writers create feel less like people and more like plot delivery systems.
They exist only to:
- move the story forward
- explain information
- fulfill archetypes
Real characters have contradictions.
Someone can be:
- brave but emotionally immature
- kind but manipulative
- intelligent but reckless
- confident in public and insecure in private
Perfect characters are usually boring.
How to Avoid Flat Characters
Give every major character:
- desires
- fears
- flaws
- contradictions
- personal motivations
Characters should want things even when the plot pauses.
5. Confusing “More” With “Better”
Bigger doesn’t automatically mean better.
New authors often overload stories with:
- too many subplots
- huge casts
- endless backstory
- constant twists
- excessive worldbuilding
Complexity without control creates confusion.
Readers don’t care how much information exists.
They care whether the story feels emotionally engaging.
How to Avoid Writing "More" and not "Better"
Simplify.
Focus on:
- one strong central conflict
- a manageable cast
- meaningful stakes
- emotional clarity
Depth matters more than scale.
6. Ignoring Pacing
Pacing problems show up in two major ways:
Too Slow
Nothing meaningful happens for long stretches.
Too Fast
Major emotional moments rush by without impact.
Good pacing is about balance.
Readers need:
- tension
- release
- movement
- reflection
How to Avoid Wrong Pacing
Every scene should accomplish at least one of these:
- advance the plot
- reveal character
- increase tension
- change relationships
- raise stakes
If a scene changes nothing, cut or rewrite it.
7. Writing Dialogue That Doesn’t Sound Human
New writers often create dialogue that feels:
- overly formal
- too explanatory
- melodramatic
- identical between characters
Example:
“As you know, brother, our father disappeared ten years ago.”
Nobody talks like that.
Realistic dialogue isn’t perfectly realistic — it’s believable.
How to Avoid Clumsy Dialogue
Read dialogue aloud.
If it feels awkward to say, it’ll feel awkward to read.
Also:
- cut filler
- avoid excessive overload of information
- give characters distinct speech patterns
- let subtext do some work
People rarely say exactly what they mean.
8. Editing Too Early
Many new writers endlessly revise the opening chapters instead of finishing the manuscript.
This creates the illusion of productivity while preventing actual progress.
You can’t properly revise a novel that doesn’t exist yet.
How to Avoid Editing Too Soon
Finish the draft first.
Even if:
- it’s messy
- inconsistent
- imperfect
- full of plot holes
First drafts are supposed to be rough.
Revision is where good books actually emerge.
9. Taking Criticism Personally
Feedback can feel brutal — especially when you’ve poured months into a story.
New authors often:
- become defensive
- reject all criticism
- spiral emotionally
- quit too early
But critique is part of the process.
Even bestselling authors receive edits.
How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Criticism
Separate yourself from the manuscript.
Criticism of the work is not criticism of your worth as a person.
Look for patterns in feedback:
- if one person mentions an issue, consider it
- if five people mention it, pay attention
10. Quitting Too Soon
This is the biggest mistake of all.
Most writers quit during:
- self-doubt
- slow progress
- rejection
- comparison
- imperfect drafts
They assume struggling means they lack talent.
Usually, it just means they’re learning.
Writing is not a skill people magically master on the first attempt.
It’s built through repetition, revision, failure, and persistence.
How to Avoid Quitting
Keep writing.
Not endlessly planning.
Not endlessly researching.
Not endlessly restarting.
Writing.
Improvement comes from finished work.
Some Thoughts: Every Author Starts Badly
Nobody begins as a polished writer.
Not your favourite novelist.
Not bestselling authors.
Not award winners.
Early writing is often awkward because writing is partly a process of developing taste faster than skill.
You notice flaws before you know how to fix them.
That’s normal.
The goal isn’t perfection.
The goal is progress.
Every finished draft teaches you something the unfinished ones never will.
And every great author was once a beginner, making the exact same mistakes.
Happy writing...
Arabella Xxx
About Arabella Sheen
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| Arabella Sheen |
Arabella Sheen is a British author of contemporary romance and likes nothing more than the challenge of starting a new novel with fresh ideas and inspiring characters.
One of the many things Arabella loves to do is to read. And when she’s not researching or writing about romance, she is either on her allotment sowing and planting with the seasons or she is curled on the sofa with a book, while pandering to the demands of her attention-seeking cat.
Having lived and worked in the Netherlands as a theatre nurse for nearly twenty years, she now lives in the south-west of England with her family.
Arabella hopes her readers have as much pleasure from her romance stories as she has in writing them.
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