Like everything in life, writing comes with challenges and the opportunity for errors are plenty. If there’s one thing you can be sure of it’s my uncanny ability to make every mistake in the book and then some (in every conceivable manner unfortunately).
Whether to assist or amuse, I have thrown together some of the biggest duh moments I have experienced so far.
Editing too soon
Your first draft should be, well, pretty crappy. Not necessarily in content but in cleanliness. I can’t tell you how many times not recognizing this cost me dearly.
I would finish a chapter and then spend precious hours proof reading and editing line by line only to later discard huge chunks if not the entire damn thing. What a monumental waste of time that frankly I did not have.
My suggestion would always be to build the story first. Decide what flows, what details are necessary rather than desired, and forget about grammatical or spelling errors. For a little while at least.
Early editing breaks the writers flow and by focusing on the finer details early on you fail to see the big picture at a time when it is of paramount importance.
The purpose of a first draft is to tell yourself the story - not to write something that’s perfect.
Failing to develop the characters
Movies are great but they can only skim the surface of what makes a character tick. One of the major appeals of writing is its unique power to dive deep beneath the surface. It provides the key to unlock the innermost thoughts and feelings, memories, and influences of its characters.
This allows the reader to engage with the characters on an intimate level. To experience the story from their internal perspective, and many times it allows the reader to relate to the character.
Direct access to a character's inner world, achieved through techniques like internal monologue or deep point-of-view, allows the reader to understand their motivations, struggles, and emotional journey, fostering a deeper connection and empathy that's harder to achieve in film, where viewers primarily rely on visual cues and dialogue.
Ultimately, by providing a window into the characters' inner lives, novels and memoirs create a more immersive and emotionally resonant experience for the reader, which is, at its core, why people are drawn to these forms of storytelling.
Showing vs Telling
In my head writing was predominantly telling.
In reality telling is bloody well boring.
The difference can be understood through the concept of "showing versus telling." Showing involves using actions, dialogue, sensory details, and internal thoughts to allow the reader to experience the story, while telling simply states facts or summarizes events. While a movie can only show a character clenching their fists or speaking angrily, a novel can delve into the swirling thoughts of frustration and resentment behind those actions, painting a much richer picture of the character's emotional state.
Believing you need to have it all figured out before you start
Generally speaking writing styles fall into two categories. Conceptual and experimental. Or in more simplistic terms planners and pantsers.
Conceptual writers, aka planners, do as the name suggests. They plan out their work before they begin, typically creating detailed outlines of their story, often scene by scene. They prefer to have a roadmap for their story, which helps them to stay on track and avoid getting lost.
It makes a lot of sense and what you’re about to read next is highly subjective.
In my humble opinion this method prevents the writer from travelling with the plot. Overly detailed plans can restrict the natural flow of ideas and inhibit creative detours or spontaneous developments that could enrich the story or character development.
Allowing for organic character development can lead to more complex and believable individuals in fiction.
Experimental writers, aka pantsers, on the other hand, may have a general idea or concept but they allow the plot and characters to evolve as they write. Often, elements of the story appear throughout such a process, elements that the writer may have never even considered before.
While outlines can be incredibly valuable tools for some writers (and can help identify potential plot holes early on), it's important to remember that there's no single "right" way to write a novel.
If you’re unsure of which category you fall into, I would recommend using a combination of both methods, starting with a rough outline but allowing for flexibility as your story evolves. Don't let the fear of not having everything perfectly mapped out stop you from starting your writing journey.
Convincing yourself writing falls beyond your capability
For years I had a million ideas yet never committed to even attempting to produce anything. Who was I to even try?
I cannot stress this enough. Don’t be that person. Don’t limit yourself. Until you try you will never know and in the majority of cases the only person stopping you is you.
Remember that you don’t need to share with everyone what you are doing. By keeping it a secret at the beginning you remove the attention and pressure from the outside world.
Being Afraid to Fail
We all have it. Even experts within their field will from time to time encounter the fear of failure. But for first time authors, especially ones who have no prior experience or formal training, it can become a demon to battle on a daily basis.
Unfortunately there is no secret cure. No definitive way to rid yourself fully of such fear. You can however learn to manage it.
Having a support crew is great. But sometimes, despite having the best of intentions, their “encouragement” actually does more harm than good. In building up your abilities they unwittingly burden you with unrealistic expectations regarding the success they predict.
I’m sure we would all love to be the next Colleen Hoover or James Patterson, but its important to remember that being validated as a writer is not dependent upon matching the level of success attained by others. The idea of not living up to someone else's vision can lead to a fear of failure and a hesitation to take on new challenges. Trying to reconcile external expectations with your own aspirations can lead to internal conflict and self-doubt.
Instead of trying to live up to others' expectations, focus on defining what success looks like for you and work towards that vision.
And whatever you do (pause for a cringe) don’t start your novel with someone waking up in bed.