How to Avoid Common Novel Writing Mistakes

by

Okay, so you’ve got this amazing idea, right? A whole world, characters buzzing in your head, a story just itching to get out. It’s that blank page, that intoxicating promise. But hold up, before you dive headfirst, let’s chat. Because here’s the thing: getting that brilliant idea from your brain to a finished, published novel? It’s tougher than it looks. Most of us, myself included, hit snags not because we’re not talented, but because we fall for some pretty common traps.

This isn’t about finding some magical shortcut – believe me, I’d have found it by now if it existed! This is about recognizing those sneaky mistakes before they trip you up. We’re going to break down the most common ones and figure out how to avoid them. My goal is to arm you with the foresight and tools to really craft a compelling, publishable novel.

1. Diving Headfirst Without a Map (Neglecting Pre-Writing & Outline)

We’ve all been there, right? That rush of inspiration, you’re tingling with excitement, and BAM! You’re in chapter one, fingers flying. But then, a few chapters in, you’re like, “Wait, where am I going with this?” Or your characters suddenly change their minds about everything. That’s the dreaded “pantser’s block,” and it’s soul-crushing.

The Mistake I Used to Make (and see others make all the time): Just starting to write without a clue about the plot, where my characters were headed, or even the basic rules of my world. Result? Endless rewriting, plot holes big enough to drive a truck through, and a story that just felt… messy.

My Solution: Embrace Smart Planning (It’s Not as Scary as It Sounds!). Trust me, planning isn’t about crushing your creative spirit. It’s about focusing it like a laser beam.

  • Plotting vs. Pantsing: Find Your Sweet Spot. Look, you don’t need a super-detailed, rigid outline if that feels stifling. But even if you’re a “pantser,” it really helps to know a few things before you start:
    • The Inciting Incident: What’s the spark that kicks everything off?
    • The Core Conflict: What’s the main problem your protagonist has to solve?
    • Major Plot Points (Turning Points): What are the 3-5 big moments that absolutely change everything for your story or your main character?
    • The Climax: What’s the ultimate showdown or resolution?
    • The Resolution: How does it all end up?
  • Character Blueprints: Really get to know your main characters before you put them on the page.
    • Motivation: What do they really want? And why is it so important to them?
    • Flaws: What’s holding them back? What are their internal struggles?
    • Strengths: What makes them awesome? What helps them push through?
    • Arc: How do they change throughout the story? Do they grow, mess up, or stay the same (and if so, why is that important)?
  • World-Building Essentials (Even for “Real World” Stories):
    • Core Rules: If you’re writing fantasy or sci-fi, know your magic systems, technology limits, who’s in charge.
    • Setting’s Impact: How does the place your story happens affect your characters and plot? Is a bustling city key to their anonymity, or a desolate wasteland vital for their isolation?
    • Research Key Details: If it’s historical or realistic fiction, make sure your facts are straight on dates, customs, whatever.
  • A Little Example of What I Mean: Instead of just starting with “Sarah woke up,” try getting specific: “Sarah, a disgraced detective haunted by a cold case, is jolted awake by a frantic call from her former partner. A new murder, eerily similar to the one that destroyed her career. Her one goal: find the killer, even if it means digging into a past she desperately wants to forget.” See? Immediately, you know her motivation, the stakes, and a hint of her emotional journey.

2. Telling, Not Showing (The Over-Explanatory Trap)

Oh, this one is probably the biggest offender out there. I used to do it constantly. You’re so excited for your reader to get what you’re trying to say, that you just… tell them. Instead of letting them feel it.

The Mistake I’ve Learned to Avoid: Treating my reader like they’re a passive sponge, just soaking up information. It makes the story feel dry, like a textbook, instead of a living, breathing experience.

My Solution: Immerse the Reader with Senses and Action. Let your characters’ actions, their internal thoughts, and their conversations do the heavy lifting.

  • Focus on All Five Senses: Instead of “The room was scary,” paint a picture: “A cold draft snaked under the crumbling door, raising goosebumps on her arms. Dust motes danced in the sliver of moonlight, swirling around cobwebs as thick as frost. The faint, metallic tang of old blood hung heavy in the air.”
  • Show Emotions Through Body Language and Dialogue: Don’t just say “He was angry.” Instead, how would that anger manifest? “His jaw clenched, a muscle jumping beneath his ear. He gripped the chipped mug until his knuckles blanched, then slammed it on the table, coffee sloshing over the rim.”
  • Use Subtext in Dialogue: People rarely say exactly what’s on their mind, especially when emotions are running high. What are they not saying? That’s where the good stuff is.
  • Avoid “Info Dumps”: Don’t just stop the story to give a history lesson or explain your world. Weave that backstory and world-building in naturally, little by little, when it actually makes sense.
  • A Little Example of What I Mean: Instead of: “John was a kind man who loved animals,” show it: “John crouched, his weathered hand extended, coaxing the shivering stray out from beneath the dumpster. He didn’t flinch when it nipped his finger, only offered a gentle murmur, then unwrapped the half-eaten sandwich from his lunch pail.” See how that shows his kindness way more effectively?

3. The Bland Main Character & One-Dimensional Sidekicks

When I first started, my protagonists were either perfect angels or completely passive doormats. And my side characters? They were just there to move the plot along, not as real people. Boring!

The Mistake I Realized: Not giving my characters genuine complexities, interesting reasons for doing what they do, or relatable flaws. If I didn’t care about them, why would my readers?

My Solution: Create Multi-Faceted Characters with Real Stakes. Readers connect with characters who struggle, who mess up, and who have clear goals.

  • Define Your Protagonist’s Core Desire and Flaw: What do they want more than anything? And what internal barrier is stopping them? This inner conflict often drives the whole external plot.
  • Give Them an Arc: How do they change (or not change!) by the end of the story? Do they overcome their flaw? Do they fail spectacularly? Both are valid, but the change (or lack thereof) needs to feel earned.
  • Provide Stakes (Both Internal & External): What’s in it for them if they win? What do they lose if they fail? This has to matter personally to them.
  • Make Your Supporting Characters Live: Even if they’re only on the page for a short time, every significant side character should have their own motivations. They shouldn’t just be robots there to help or hinder your main character, but actual people with their own desires and reactions.
  • Avoid Stereotypes: Challenge those easy assumptions. Is your villain truly evil, or are they twisted by their own sense of justice? Is your hero always brave, or do they constantly battle fear?
  • A Little Example of What I Mean: Instead of: “Eleanor was a good witch,” dig into her complexities: “Eleanor, a powerful spellcaster, secretly feared her own magic, believing it cursed her family. Her greatest desire was to break the generational curse, a desperate act that forced her to confront the very power she’d always suppressed. It risked not only her own life but the fragile balance of her magic-infused village.” This gives you her strength, her fear, her motivation, and what she stands to lose.

4. Plot Without Purpose: No Conflict, No Stakes

A story without real conflict? That’s just a bunch of stuff happening. If your character can just sail through everything easily, or if nothing really matters, honestly, why would anyone keep reading?

The Mistake I Caught Myself Doing: Writing stories where things were just too easy for my characters, or where their problems wrapped up quickly without any real struggle. Snooze.

My Solution: Inject Meaningful Conflict and Keep Raising Those Stakes. Every scene, every chapter, should add to the tension and make the reader care more and more.

  • Introduce Both External and Internal Conflict:
    • External: Character vs. another character, vs. nature, vs. society.
    • Internal: Character vs. themselves (their fears, doubts, moral dilemmas). The best stories have both.
  • Escalate the Stakes: The consequences if your character fails need to get scarier and scarier as the story goes on. What starts as a small hiccup should eventually feel like a potential disaster.
  • Consequences Matter: Make sure there are real effects for your characters’ actions and failures. This makes the story feel real and creates urgency.
  • The Ticking Clock: Sometimes, a deadline (even an implied one) can really crank up the tension.
  • A Little Example of What I Mean: Instead of: “Detective Miller looked for clues,” add some stakes: “Detective Miller knew the clock was ticking. The killer’s cryptic note promised another victim within 24 hours, and the city’s corrupt police chief was already breathing down his neck, demanding a quick, clean arrest – no matter who was truly responsible. Miller had to choose between exposing the truth and protecting his reputation, or risking another innocent life.” See that internal and external struggle?

5. Dialogue Disconnect: Unrealistic Chatter & Info Dumps

Dialogue is so powerful for showing who your characters are, moving the plot, and adding layers. But stiff, overly formal, or repetitive dialogue can yank a reader right out of your story.

The Mistake I Used to Make: My characters sounded like robots, just spouting information, or everyone sounded exactly the same.

My Solution: Write Dialogue that Reveals, Propels, and Characterizes. Make every single line count.

  • Listen to Real Conversations: Seriously, pay attention. People interrupt, they hesitate, they leave sentences unfinished. They use slang (when it makes sense for that character).
  • Show, Don’t Tell, Even in Dialogue: Instead of “I’m angry,” maybe your character snaps, “Don’t you dare speak to me that way again.” Powerful, right?
  • Vary Speech Patterns: Different characters should have unique voices. A college professor shouldn’t sound like a grumpy teenager. Think about their vocabulary, sentence structure, even their common sayings.
  • Use Subtext: What are your characters not saying? What emotions are simmering beneath the surface? That’s where the real tension is.
  • Avoid Overuse of Dialogue Tags: “Said” is your friend – it’s mostly invisible. “Muttered,” “whispered,” “shouted” are fine occasionally, but stay away from weird ones like “ejaculated” (unless you’re being humorous, maybe?). Let the dialogue show the emotion.
  • Cut Unnecessary Chitchat: Every line of dialogue needs a purpose: advance the plot, reveal character, or build atmosphere. If you can cut it without losing anything important, cut it!
  • A Little Example of What I Mean: Instead of:
    “Hello,” said Bob.
    “Hello,” said Alice. “The weather is bad.”
    “Yes,” said Bob. “Very.”

    Try:
    “You’re late,” Alice accused, her gaze dissecting his rain-soaked trench coat.
    Bob merely grunted, shaking water from his umbrella onto her pristine rug. “Don’t start. The old man’s waiting.” His words were clipped, sharp, leaving no room for argument.

6. The Pacing Paradox: Too Fast, Too Slow, or Just All Over the Place

Pacing is basically how fast your story feels like it’s moving. A common issue is either rushing through super important moments, dragging on forever in dull ones, or just having a wild, inconsistent rhythm that makes your reader feel lost.

The Mistake I’ve Had to Learn to Control: Not managing the flow of information and events, which led to readers getting bored or frustrated.

My Solution: Deliberately Vary Your Pace to Build Tension and Engagement. Learn when to hit the gas and when to hit the brakes.

  • Speed Up for Action and Climax: Use shorter sentences, quick back-and-forth dialogue, and rapid scene changes when things are intense. Pile on sensory details related to the immediate action.
  • Slow Down for Emotion and Revelation: Use longer sentences, more detailed descriptions, internal thoughts, and character reflection during moments of introspection, deep emotion, or big discoveries.
  • Balance Show vs. Tell: Telling often speeds things up (e.g., “Three days later, he arrived”), while showing slows it down (describing those three days in detail). Use both strategically.
  • Avoid Unnecessary Details: Don’t linger on boring, mundane stuff after a big event, unless it’s really serving a purpose.
  • Strategic Chapter/Scene Breaks: Use these to create natural pauses, build suspense (hello, cliffhanger!), or signal changes in time or perspective.
  • A Little Example of What I Mean: To speed up a chase scene: “The alley walls blurred. Footsteps thundered behind him. A dead end. No. Never. He hurled the trash can, scrambled, vaulted the fence. Landed hard. Knife glinted. Not enough time.” Then, to slow down for the reaction: “His lungs burned, each breath a searing agony. He pressed his back to the cold brick, heart hammering against his ribs, the stench of fear metallic on his tongue. He’d lived. But at what cost?”

7. The Unseen Hand: Inconsistent Point of View

“Head-hopping” – jumping into different characters’ brains in the same scene without any clear reason – is a huge no-no. It confuses your reader and makes it hard for them to truly connect with anyone.

The Mistake I Used to Make: Bouncing around between characters’ thoughts and feelings mid-scene, or not committing to one character’s perspective, which left my readers disoriented.

My Solution: Establish and Maintain a Clear, Consistent Point of View. Decide whose story you’re telling, and stick with it.

  • Choose Your POV (and Stick With It):
    • First Person (I): Super intimate, very subjective, you’re only inside one character’s head. Amazing for voice.
    • Third Person Limited (He/She/They): Still focused on one character’s experience, but uses third-person pronouns. Lets you do a bit more authorial description.
    • Third Person Omniscient: The “all-knowing” narrator. You can dip into anyone’s thoughts, but it can feel a bit detached if you’re not careful.
  • Avoid Head-Hopping Within Scenes: If you’re in Sarah’s head, you only experience what Sarah sees, hears, thinks, and knows. Don’t suddenly reveal what Mark is thinking in the same paragraph. If you need to switch, do it between scenes or chapters with a clear break.
  • Consider the Narrator’s Voice: Even in third person, the overall narrative voice often reflects the character whose POV you’re following. If your protagonist is cynical, the narrative voice might reflect that.
  • A Little Example of What I Mean:
    • Bad Head-Hopping: “Sarah glared at Mark, her anger simmering. Mark, feeling her gaze, suddenly felt nervous. He wished she would just leave him alone.” (See how we’re in two heads at once?)
    • Correct (Third Person Limited on Sarah): “Sarah glared at Mark, her anger a hot coal in her gut. He shifted, avoiding her gaze, a nervous twitch at the corner of his mouth. She wondered what flimsy excuse he’d offer this time.” (Here, we onlyinfer Mark’s feelings through Sarah’s observation.)

8. The Editor’s Oversight: Skipping Self-Editing & Feedback

You’ve finally finished that first draft! You’re exhausted, celebrating. And what’s the next step? Often, new writers just rush to send it out or hit “publish.” Big mistake.

The Mistake I’ve Seen (and made!) Too Many Times: Underestimating how crucial revision, self-editing, and getting outside feedback are. You end up presenting a manuscript that’s just not ready.

My Solution: Embrace Revision as an Actual Part of Writing, Not an Afterthought. Your first draft is just the raw clay; revision is where you sculpt it into something beautiful.

  • First Draft: Just Get It Down! Don’t try to make it perfect. The goal is simply to finish the story.
  • Take a Break: Seriously, step away for a few weeks (or even a month). When you come back, your eyes will be fresh, and you’ll spot errors and inconsistencies you completely missed before.
  • Think in Layers of Editing:
    • Developmental Edit (Big Picture): Does the plot make sense? Are the characters compelling? Is the pacing good? Are there any gaping plot holes? (This is often where beta readers or a professional editor come in handy).
    • Line Edit (Sentence Level): Is your writing clear, concise, and engaging? Are you repeating words? Is the phrasing awkward? Are you “showing” instead of “telling”?
    • Copy Edit/Proofread (Grammar & Typos): Spelling, punctuation, grammar, formatting. This is the final polish before it goes out.
  • Read Aloud: This is a game-changer! Reading your manuscript aloud forces you to slow down and catch awkward sentences, repetitive phrases, and clunky dialogue that your eyes would just skim over.
  • Join a Critique Group or Find Beta Readers: Objective feedback is priceless. They’ll find plot holes, confusing parts, and tell you if your characters aren’t resonating. Be open to their constructive criticism!
  • A Little Example of What I Mean: After finishing a draft, print it out. Read it aloud. Grab different colored pens to mark plot issues, character inconsistencies, and clunky sentences. Then, ask two trusted beta readers (people who aren’t afraid to be honest!) to read it and fill out a specific feedback questionnaire you design (e.g., “Which character did you connect with most/least and why?”, “Were there any parts where you were confused about the plot?”, “What was the most engaging/least engaging scene?”).

9. The World-Building Overload & Lack of Immersion

If you write fantasy or sci-fi, it’s so tempting to dump every single detail of your amazing world on the reader. And even in contemporary fiction, if you neglect your setting, the story can feel bland.

The Mistake I’ve Made: Either overwhelming my reader with too much explanation about my world, or not making the setting feel real and impactful enough.

My Solution: Weave World-Building Naturally and Purposefully. Think of your world as another character, influencing the plot and characters, but never overshadowing them.

  • Integrate Details Organically: Don’t stop the narrative to explain the 500-year history of a magical artifact. Introduce its abilities and importance when it actually matters to the plot.
  • Use Sensory Details to Ground the Reader: What does this world look, sound, smell, and feel like? Is the air always thick with smog? Does the ancient forest hum with magic?
  • The Rule of Three (or Fewer): When you introduce new concepts (magic, technology, political groups), only share what’s absolutely necessary at that moment. Fight the urge to explain everything upfront. Let the system unfold as your character interacts with it.
  • Show the World’s Impact: How does the setting shape your characters’ lives, their beliefs, their behaviors? Does living in a harsh, desert environment make them frugal and resilient?
  • Avoid “As You Know, Bob” Dialogue: Your characters are in this world, they wouldn’t explain common knowledge to each other. “As you know, Bob, the sky is blue.” – No, just no. That’s clumsy exposition.
  • A Little Example of What I Mean: Instead of: “The planet Xylos had two moons, two suns, and was ruled by a sentient crystal council,” try: “The twin suns of Xylos painted the western sky in hues of violent orange and bruised purple, casting long, distorted shadows of the sentient crystals that formed the council’s imposing spire. The air was thin, tasting of ozone and metallic dust – a constant reminder to its inhabitants of their world’s unique, unforgiving nature, and the absolute power held by the glittering giants that ruled them.” See how the details are woven in?

10. The Premature Polish: Fixing Too Early

This is a big one for a lot of new writers. You get bogged down trying to perfect every single paragraph, or even every sentence, while writing your first draft. This kills your creativity and often means you never actually finish the story.

The Mistake I Had to Learn to Stop Making: Focusing on making individual sentences perfect when I should have been focused on getting the whole story out.

My Solution: Separate the Creative Flow from the Critical Eye. Think of your writing process in distinct phases.

  • First Draft: The “Discovery” Phase: Your main goal here is to get the story from your head onto the page. Don’t worry about typos, making the prose beautiful, or checking for plot holes. Your inner editor needs to be gagged and bound for this stage. Just get the core story down.
  • Second Draft: The “Structural” Phase: Now you address the big-picture issues: plot holes, character arcs, pacing, consistency. This is where you might cut whole scenes, add new ones, or move chapters around.
  • Third (and Subsequent) Drafts: The “Polishing” Phase: Now you dive into the sentence-level work: word choice, imagery, rhythm, making sure you’re “showing not telling,” and getting rid of clichés. This is where you make your prose truly sing.
  • Proofreading: The Final Check: This is the absolute last pass for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
  • A Little Example of What I Mean: If you find yourself stuck on a single paragraph for an hour, or obsessively searching for the ‘perfect’ synonym while writing your first draft, just make a quick note (like [NEEDS BETTER WORD CHOICE] or [EXPAND HERE]) and move on. Trust that you’ll come back to it later with fresh eyes during the revision phase. Getting the whole story written is way more important in the early stages.

Conclusion: The Journey of a Thousand Words (or a Hundred Thousand!)

Look, writing a novel is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes dedication, resilience, and a real willingness to learn and adapt. The “mistakes” I’ve gone over aren’t actually failures; they’re more like signposts on your road to becoming a better writer. By understanding these common pitfalls – from not outlining and just telling everything, to creating flat characters and rushing your editing – you gain the power to easily sidestep them.

Embrace the fact that writing is a messy process. Your first draft will be imperfect, and that’s not just okay, it’s absolutely essential. The real magic happens in the revision process, in taking that raw material and shaping it into something polished, compelling, and uniquely yours. Approach your craft with intention, learn from those of us who’ve walked this path before you, and most importantly, tell your story with passion and precision. The journey is challenging, but the reward of a completed, impactful novel is just… immeasurable. You’ve got this!