There is no doubt that
authors are a weird breed. But what's weirder is that some common mistakes
happen all the time. For lack of a better term, a mistake happens only once. So,
by studying these steps and researching the mistakes that common authors make
all the time, you are already setting yourself apart. In this blog, I'll be
talking about 3 common author mistakes. Are there more than 3? Most definitely.
But I want to keep this at a smaller length. Don't forget you can always
contact me or leave a comment and I promise to get back to you as fast as
humanely possible (I'm not human).
Before starting off, I
want to make it clear that these are always general and broad rules defined by
the experienced authors in the industry. Although this is influenced by my
opinion, this is not mine alone but instead the opinion of many professionals who
have been writing in their career for years beyond counting. Now, without further
ado:
- Lack of Editing
- Developmental Edit
- Copy Edit
- Proofread
I can't believe I still
have to mention this. No matter how good of an author you think you are, never
EVER underestimate the value of editing. Should you not edit your work and
depend on others? No. Should you depend completely on other editors to do your
work for you? No. What you should do is basically revise and edit your drafts
and get them into an appropriate shape prior to starting any real editing. Keep
in mind that, for Self-Published books, the bar is set high enough already; you
are competing with other traditionally published authors, oh which their books
go through many rounds of editing. Keep in mind that ONE ROUND of editing (in
most cases) follows the following process:
Traditionally published
books usually go through 6 rounds of editing (there are stories of it reaching
12 rounds for some books). That is the sole reason why traditionally published
books look so much more polished than indie/self-published books. This is what
drives most amateur writers away from perusing their career objectives as well,
thinking that their work will never be as polished as the books they see in
libraries.
- Poor Use of Dialog
I still can't get around
the idea that some authors use dialog poorly in their books. Either the
characters all sound the same, or they sound totally ridiculous with
unrealistic accents. Dialog is not an excuse for bad grammar.
Some authors write pages and pages of just dead beat dialog and expect the
reader to fully grasp the flow and not shy away from the book. Consider for a
moment the art of presenting in real life. If a presenter just goes on stage
and literally reads blocks of texts on slides you would be so taken back and
might throw tomatoes (don't do this)!
No, a good presentation
should consist of little "text" and try to engage the audience in the
act. It shouldn't be a presentation but more like a performance. You use hand
gestures, and body language to communicate something effectively, and this is
what your book should portray when two or more characters are talking.
"Hi Dan. How are you doing today?"
"Pretty good, David! Thanks for asking!"
I'm talking about just
the text, no body movement, nothing. That is how poor dialog comes off to
readers. It's just... poor. Also, when two people are talking, chances are,
they already know who they're talking to (or after they're introduced to each
other) so no need to keep mentioning the names again and again.
- Plot Holes
Nothing throws readers
off than a convenient plot throughout for the hero. I'm talking about the hero
or protagonist being in dire situations and all of a sudden, a happy coincidence
occurs that aids them in the struggle. Sometimes these develop and destroy any
form of plot design that the author made. The greatest challenge here, is to
foreshadow as much as possible from the early beginnings without tipping
readers off.
For example, in a
fantasy novel, the hero cannot suddenly remember they can fly and get to the
villain much quicker towards the end of the novel because that would destroy
nearly the entire book where they travel on foot/horse to get to places. If
they could fly, why didn't they from early on? Honestly, designing a good plot
is a big challenge (and one that should be conducted from a bird's eye view in
my opinion) because that in itself could make or break the story.
There should always be a
conflict of some sort. Something should always challenge the protagonist and
push them towards their limit.
I'll leave this here.
Remember, as always, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me or
leave a comment here.
Until next time,
Write on.