Three Common Mistakes of Beginning Writers

While participating in creative writing workshops, I've edited and critiqued over fifty short stories, and several full length manuscripts, both my own and those of other students. I've read stories so gripping they could keep a stranglehold on any reader. I've also read stories that fell flat because the writer made mistakes that no reader could overlook. If you are a beginning fiction writer, these are some of the unforgivable sins, mistakes that will cause your readers to stop reading-a fate worse than death for any writer. They are:

3) Wandering timeline

Some of the most problematic stories I've read were the ones that tried to cover too wide an expanse of time, often covering years of time in a few sentences of narration. The reason this kind of writing fails to grab the reader's attention is because there's nothing to visualize; there's no imagery for the reader's mind to latch onto during narrative summaries. If you're afraid your story may be affected by this problem, ask yourself this question: could my story be filmed? If the answer is no for most of your scenes, some rewriting is in your future. You should make the timeline of your story as brief as possible. Leave your reader wanting more, not less.

2) The wrong details

A picture is worth a thousand words, but that analogy doesn't work in reverse. As a writer, it's not your job to describe every object in your scene, what every character is wearing, etc. Part of the joy of reading is imagining things for yourself; don't rob your reader of this joy. It's also not practical in a short story, in which you have precious little space to tell a story. If you know how to use them, details can help your story write itself. Perhaps your character is sitting in a coffee shop-then he sees an object that triggers a painful memory-the object he sees could dictate the entire plot of your story. Make details count: readers hate getting lost in a hailstorm of details that are never used again.

1) Bad dialog

Two things you should know about writing dialog: it should never be written in perfect English, and it should never stand alone. So many helpless young writers are made to believe that every sentence that drips from their pen should be in perfect Queen's English. Not in fiction, and certainly not in dialog! Dialog can be fragmented, and it can run on. It can swear and leave cigarette burns on the couch. Remember: dialog is the most powerful tool of characterization; how a character speaks is often the most telling aspect of his personality. And further, do not have dialog which merely hangs in empty space. Once again, visualization is the key. Even if all you need is to have your characters disclose information quickly, make sure the narration surrounding the dialog has some indication of body language or setting. For instance:

"How are things at home, Jeff?"

"Everything's fine-fine and dandy." Jeff looked at his watch and avoided eye contact.

Small bits of narration interspersed in dialog can add mystery and intrigue to your story. Why is Jeff avoiding eye contact? The reader will continue reading to find out, if you bait them well. If you follow these tips, and introduce them into your writing habits, I guarantee your writing will become stronger. Now go forth and start marching words across the page.