6 Newbie Writer Mistakes I Made as a Newbie Writer & How You Can Avoid Them
- Bair Klos
- Feb 6, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 4
Are you a newbie writer and want to get better at writing? Want to skip the painful lessons I, and many other authors, had to learn? Well then, keep reading as this blog will enlighten you. Even if you're an experienced writer with decades of experience under your belt, stick around as you can probably relate to many of these newbie writer mistakes. Read until very end to get a sneaky bonus tip.
Without further ado...
Here are the 6 Newbie Writer Mistakes I Made as a Newbie Writer & How You Can Avoid Them
1.) Not writing down your writing ideas.
This may seem like a no brainer but as a young teen with a fresh brain and ability to remember ideas in great detail, led me to the bad habit of never writing down my story ideas during the early stages of my writing journey. I lament never writing my story ideas down as a teen as there worlds-worth of ideas that I've forgotten that I wish I could remember; and subsequently tell.
Don't be like me and delude yourself into believing that you'll remember all of your ideas and their nuances later. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you wont. Create a series bible or a create a way to keep all of your ideas in order. I love my writers notebook and my OneNote for this reason.
With OneNote, I can have several notebooks with several folders and notes that can help me keep track of all my various thoughts and ideas for everything—not just my writing. I plan to write a future blog entailing how I like to organize my OneNote for all my writing as it leads me to my next point...
2.) You don't organize your ideas from the get-go.
I'm not talking about plotting here. Even if you are a sworn panster, coming up with a small outline is better than none. I'm a discovery writer myself, but once I have the meat and bones of my story I have to organize them.
Whether it's in a word processor, notebook, or scrivener, keep your ideas organized. You'll save yourself so much trouble and pain down the line. Don't be like me and get 80,0000 words deep into a project only to put down your novel for two years to come back to a dumpster fire of a mess. It's like coming home to a hoarders house not knowing you were a hoarder and asking yourself, "how the f*ck did I live like this?"
Don’t do it. Just... don't.
Do yourself a favor and create a system that best suits how you and your brain work for organizing your writing. Create special folders for everything you need: characters, setting, plot, worldbuilding, inspiration, research, etcetera. Make it as detail or simple as you need
I have a personalized scrivener template which I created which you can download here so you can get a head start so you don't have to do it at all—that helps me keep track of all my writing. Everything from characters, character sheet & scene card templates, to worldbuilding, and research. If you decide to download my template, feel free to delete or add anything from the list. And please comment below if you found it helpful or not.
3.) Info-dumping
This may seem like a, "uh… duh Bair, I would never info dump," no brainer. But instead of being the writer who tells you, "NEVER INFO-DUMP!" I'm here to tell you to info-dump to your hearts content… Outside of your main draft.
In the beginning stages of your writing and your first drafts, feel free to info-dump outside of your main writing. Create a separate file to write it all down. Just like in my first point, write down all of your ideas. Then take bits and pieces of your info-dump and evaluate what info you have that will actually be needed and relevant to your story. This way you don't end up deleting something in your main manuscript that contained an important detail that you're now forgetting because you deleted it. (Trust me, I've done this one too many times to count.)
But just in case, if this is the first time you've heard of info-dumping and you have no idea what it is, info-dumping is when a writer provides a large amount of information to their audience in a story in a concentrated and uncontrolled manner. This can be overwhelming for readers as it may disrupt the flow of the narrative. Info-dumping often occurs when a writer tries to convey a significant amount of background information, world-building details, or explanations all at once, without integrating them seamlessly into a story.
This can be problematic because it may lead to a lack of engagement from the audience, as they may find it tedious or difficult to absorb the information. Effective storytelling usually involves gradually revealing information in a way that is relevant to the plot or character development, allowing the audience to become naturally immersed in the world of the narrative.
Info-dump—just don't keep it in your finished manuscript. Distribute the information strategically throughout the narrative, provide it in digestible portions and integrate it as seamlessly into the storyline as much as possible. Allows your readers to learn about the world, characters, or concepts at a pace that enhances their understanding and enjoyment of the narrative.
4.) Not keeping things internally consistent.
Be it character voice, behavior, timelines, worldbuilding, or character description, keep it consistent. Say it with me now, "Write it all down."
Your first drafts and writing ramblings are meant to be where you discover your characters, your story, your settings, and all the little details you discovered during your initial writing. But once you get to your third or fifth draft, create a series bible (sometimes known as a story bible), note section, what have you, and in detail consider your characters' past experiences and ensure their actions and decisions align with their established traits. Developing well-rounded characters with consistent personalities, motivations, behaviors, and maintaining internal consistency is crucial for creating a believable and engaging story.
Don't forget to maintain a consistent tone and writing style throughout your narrative. Consider the genre and atmosphere of your story, ensure the language, dialogue, and overall feel remain cohesive. Avoid introducing elements that contradict the established rules unless there is a well-thought-out and logical explanation. Pay attention to small details, such as names, dates, and descriptions, to ensure they remain consistent throughout the story.
Stay true to the rules you create. When in doubt, regularly review your work for inconsistencies during the writing process. During the editing phase, pay special attention to details and verify that all elements align with the established rules and continuity. If you're unsure, share your work with beta readers or writing buddies who can provide fresh perspectives and identify any inconsistencies you may have missed.
5.) You don't read writing craft books or books in the genre you write.
This next tip is a quick one.
If you want to stay an amateur, fine. Be my guest I guess. But no one will read your books. Sorry but that's the truth.
Writing craft books can be the thing that make or break your writing. Learning how to better flesh out your characters, the driving force of your story, is pretty critical don'tchya think?
Sink your teeth into plotting books, story craft technique books, how-to-write-to-reader books, how-to-set-a-scene books. There are so many good story and writing craft books written by expert authors that you have no excuse to not read them.
Not only are writing craft books important, but it is immensely important to read books in the genre you write. Reading books in the genre you write helps you gain an understanding of trends, tropes, common cliches, what is typically expected by your genre audience, and so on. The list goes on.
Reading books in the genre you write can also help inspire your own writing. It can help you figure out what to do in your own narrative, give you insight into how characters in your genre typically behave and how you can subvert readers expectations. Help your readers stay engaged and on the edges of their seats—or better yet, have them staying up all through the night 'til sunrise—by doing your do-diligence as an author.
Read in your genre and read writing craft books. Heck! Take a writing class. Or feel free to read this blog here to learn more about my absolute favorite writing craft books that immensely helped my writing. (Forewarning: Unsurprisingly, you will see Sacha Black pop-up often).
6.) You don't actually write.
This is the kicker.
(I bet a whole bunch of you just cringed.)
How can you become better at writing if you don't write? It doesn't matter how many writing craft books you read if you don't apply what you've learned, what real good is it if you don't put it into practice.
Five words is better than no words. Three good sentences are better than an empty word document.
You can always edit bad writing, you can't edit a blank page.
Need I say more?
BONUS TIP: Make friends with other writers
If the last point kicked you in the crotch, then more than anything please take this advice.
Make friends with other writers.
As many of you can relate, it can be really difficult to gather-up motivation to write. Having even one writing friend can be the difference of writing 50,000 words in three years to writing 35,000 words in a month. Writer friends are invaluable. Read this blog here on writing buddies, where to find them, and why they're so important.
Now get out there and put these tips to use.
Happy writing!
—Bair✍︎
Want to stay up to-date on get exclusive updates and insights on future projects, book launches,
writer and reader resources, FREE literature,
writing freebies, and a more?
Sign up for my Newsletter!
Find more helpful writing tips on the rest of my blog.
Struggling to get your word count in? Check out my writing podcast!
Need a new notebook? Check out my hand-bound books!
Support the blog on Ko-fi!
Check out My Writer & Reader Merch Store
Like this post?
Share the link on your social media or
pin the image below to your Pinterest board!
Kommentare