Writing a book can be very challenging, not only because the task of writing takes skill and effort, but because it can require a lot of dedication to complete a book. For many writers, finding the time to get the manuscript done is the biggest hurdle, so if you have completed your first draft and are ready to begin the editing process, congratulations!
You are about to embark on the most crucial step in the process—polishing and editing your manuscript so it is the best it can be. Without sufficient editing, your book will feel unprofessional, unfinished, or difficult to read. The difference between an average manuscript and a great one isn’t just talent, it’s knowing what common mistakes to look for in the editing process. To help you get started, here are twelve common mistakes editors see new writers making in their manuscripts:
The best stories are those that fully immerse readers and keep them engaged from start to finish. A common writing mistake that can break this connection with readers is using too much narration to relay details. This can make readers feel like you are dictating the story to them, leaving them feeling detached. Signs you may be excessively “telling” the reader in your writing include:
• Using long paragraphs of prose• Filling in gaps with lots of backstory• Including long paragraphs of internal monologue
Telling can be effective in brief passages where the writer needs to convey information about the characters or world that are essential to the story, or when transitioning from one scene to the next.
Conversely, to “show” a reader means to provide descriptive elements that bring in sensory details or illustrative dialogue that display a character’s actions, reactions, thoughts, feelings, or senses. For example, don't tell the reader your main character enters a room; “take the reader into the room” by describing the sunlight beaming through the window, illuminating the dancing dust particles and intensifying the smell of musty, antique furniture. Don't tell the reader your main character is angry; show it by describing her flushed face or raised voice.
Using all five senses to describe scenes—sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste— is not only an effective technique for fiction writers, but also for memoir writers sharing their personal story. By including these specific details, you are evoking emotions in the reader, bringing the scenes and characters to life, setting the story’s tone, and allowing readers to feel more intimately involved.
For your characters to sound like real people, the dialogue between them must reflect real conversation. When dialogue is stiff, overly formal, or too convenient it can feel inauthentic; more like the author explaining information than real people speaking. Readers will notice when every character sounds the same, when dialogue exists only to insert backstory, or when characters say things no one would naturally say in the moment.
Writers can avoid inauthentic dialogue by grounding every line in character voice, motivation, and context. Ask yourself, “What does this character want right now and how would they naturally express it?” People rarely say exactly what they mean, so use subtext, interruptions, pauses, and unfinished thoughts. Let personality shape word choice, rhythm, and sentence length, and give each speaker a distinct verbal style. A blunt character may use short answers, while an anxious one may ramble or avoid the point.
To fix dialogue that already feels unnatural, read it aloud. If it sounds wrong to your ear, it will likely feel unnatural to the reader. Listening to real conversations can also help writers notice how people hesitate, change subjects, and respond imperfectly. The goal is not to copy real speech exactly, but to create the illusion of real conversation that is purposeful, character-driven, and emotionally accurate.
Point of view is one of the most powerful and misunderstood tools in a writer’s kit. It is the perspective from which a scene or an entire story is told, determining what the reader knows and when, directing the way the story will flow, and shaping the narrator’s voice, stance, and attitude. There are three primary points of view writers can use:
First person: Uses the “I” or “we” voice. The story is told directly by the main character who is experiencing the events. Readers only know what that narrator thinks, feels, and observes, which creates closeness and a strong personal voice. This point of view is commonly used in young adult, coming-of-age, and memoir stories.
Second person: Uses the “you” voice. The narrator speaks directly to the reader, placing them inside the action. It is less common in fiction but is effective in interactive stories and instructional nonfiction writing.
Third person: Uses the “he,” “she,” or “they” voice. The narrator exists outside of the story and describes what characters do, think, and experience. This is the most flexible point of view because it can stay close to one character (limited) or move more broadly across multiple characters and events (omniscient). This point of view is most commonly used in genre fiction.
To keep readers engaged and emotionally invested, writers must maintain a consistent point of view within scenes. When a writer jumps from one character’s thoughts, feelings, or inner perceptions to another’s within the same scene it can confuse readers. This shift in point of view is called “head-hopping” and can feel disorienting rather than immersive. Readers engage more strongly when they experience the story through one clear lens at a time. Sudden switches can pull them out of the moment and make the narrative feel unfocused.
Writers can avoid head hopping by choosing a consistent point of view for each scene and staying focused on what that character can directly observe. If a switch is necessary, make it clear with a scene break, chapter break, or extra line space so readers know they are entering a new perspective.
It is important to be clear about what your main character wants early on in your story and what is stopping that character. If your main character does not have to fight to get to his or her desired ending and there is nothing at stake, your story likely won’t matter to readers.
This conflict provides necessary tension, adds depth to your characters, and moves your story forward. It is important the stakes are specific, clearly showing what can be lost or gained. Stakes can be raised by presenting both internal and external conflicts for your main character. Internal conflict is the opposition your character faces from within and can include struggles with morality, mental health, or a physical disability. This type of conflict causes a psychological battle, driven by your character’s emotions, fears, or conflicting desires. Your character is his or her own worst enemy. External conflict is when your main character struggles with something or someone beyond his or her control such as another character, nature, the supernatural, technology, or society.
Stories can and should contain multiple opposing forces. Real life includes both internal and external struggles, so writing both into your story will make it believable and relatable.
The opening pages of any book must hook readers and entice them to keep turning the pages. For fiction, writers must ground readers in time and place, introduce the main characters and conflict, and set the story in motion quickly. For nonfiction, writers need to present the topic, theme, or problem in an interesting way that leaves readers wanting more. It can be tempting in fiction and memoir to open with a lot of backstory or explaining, but this will bore readers and they will quickly lose interest. It is important to open the story as close to the inciting incident as possible. This is the event or catalyst that launches the main conflict and moves the story forward.
When building a complex world or plot for a fiction story, writers may need to include some backstory throughout, so readers understand what is happening. To avoid long paragraphs of information dumping, writers can weave backstory into dialogue, action, and scene descriptions throughout the narrative. Backstory can be a powerful tool when used correctly, letting your readers in on what is driving the characters and plot.
Stories follow an underlying rhythm called “pacing,” with some narratives unfolding slowly while others seem to race to the ending. Chapters, scenes, paragraphs, sentences and word choices all affect the pacing of a story. Short punchy words and sentences speed up the pacing while longer words and sentences slow it down.
Slumps in pacing often happen mid-manuscript, where writers unintentionally start moving everything at the same pace. This causes the narrative to feel monotonous and flat. To keep readers engaged, the pacing should always match the emotion of the characters and story in the moment. Great stories keep the tension and conflict rising as characters approach the climax of the story, creating anticipation. There may be points in the story where it is necessary to elevate the emotional temperature, and there may be points where it makes sense to slow things down and build atmosphere. Varying sentence, scene, and chapter lengths can provide reflection and breathing room when needed.
Overwriting and underwriting are two common style issues that affect clarity, pacing, and reader engagement. Overwriting happens when the prose has too many words, too much description, or unnecessary explanations to convey an idea. The writing may become repetitive, overly dramatic, or cluttered with adjectives, adverbs, and elaborate phrasing. Instead of strengthening the scene, it can slow momentum and bury the important emotion or action. Overwriting often comes from trying too hard to sound literary or from not trusting the reader to understand subtext. A reader’s imagination is more powerful than your description, so give only the key details. Some white space is not a bad thing.
Underwriting, by contrast, happens when the prose provides too little information. Scenes may feel rushed, emotionally flat, or hard to visualize because the writer skips over sensory detail, context, or character reactions. Readers may understand what happened, but not why it matters. With little description and narration, a manuscript that is underwritten has gaps and demands too much of its readers.
Every sentence in a manuscript should either advance the plot, deepen the characters, build atmosphere, or sharpen the theme. When revising, it is important to cut words that repeat the same idea, and expand moments that need more emotion, tension, or clarity.
A common misunderstanding amongst new writers is the difference between active and passive voice. In active voice, the subject performs the action. The sentence is usually clearer, stronger, and more direct because the reader immediately knows who is doing what. In passive voice, the subject receives the action, and the words “was, were, and had” are used. The person or thing doing the action may appear later in the sentence or may be omitted entirely.
Active voice tends to create more engaging prose because it moves quickly and makes responsibility clear. It is especially useful in fiction, essays, and persuasive writing where momentum matters. When passive voice is overused, the narrative can feel more distant, formal, or vague. Passive voice can be useful when the receiver of the action matters more than the actor, when the actor is unknown, or when writers want a softer tone. The best writing uses both strategically, but active voice is usually the stronger approach because it keeps prose clear, vivid, and immediate.
Past and present tense each shape how a story feels, how readers experience time, and how close they feel to the narrator. Alternating between past and present when it is not necessary can cause reader confusion. Past tense tells the story as if events have already happened and is the more common choice in fiction because it feels natural and flexible. Past tense often creates a sense that the narrator understands the full shape of events.
Present tense unfolds as if events are happening right now. This can create immediacy, urgency, and intimacy. Readers feel as though they are moving through the scenes alongside the character, creating a stronger “in the moment” experience.
New writers often unintentionally shift tenses in a scene when they lose track of time frame. To avoid this, choose a scene’s primary tense before drafting and stay aware of verb usage. Also watch dialogue tags and internal thoughts, as these are common places for accidental shifts.
These types of errors can be the most glaring in a manuscript but are often the easiest to fix. Spelling mistakes are usually simple typos, homophone mix-ups, or incorrect word forms. Grammar mistakes often involve sentence structure and agreement. New writers may write sentence fragments, run-on sentences, or comma splices. Subject-verb agreement errors and pronoun confusion are also common, making sentences and scenes unclear. Punctuation mistakes most frequently appear in dialogue where writers misuse commas and periods. Other punctuation errors include the misuse of apostrophes, exclamation points, ellipses, and em dashes.
At a minimum, it is recommended writers use a word processor’s spell check tool or download a free software tool like Grammarly. These tools will not catch everything but will provide a good start.
Weasel words are vague, noncommittal words or phrases that weaken writing by making statements sound uncertain or unsupported. Common examples include words like “some, many, often, very, really, probably, possibly, arguably,” or phrases such as “it is said, experts believe, and people say.” These words and phrases are not always wrong, but when overused they can cause issues.
In fiction, weasel words often dilute emotion and description. In nonfiction, they can make claims sound unsupported or less trustworthy. Writers can avoid weasel words by replacing them with specific language, concrete evidence, and stronger verbs. The goal is not to eliminate every vague word, since nuance sometimes requires them, but to use them intentionally. Strong writing favors clarity over vagueness, evidence over implication, and specificity over filler.
Many writers make the mistake of starting the editing process without taking a break from their manuscript. Before doing any self-editing or revisions, we recommend stepping away from the project for at least a few weeks or more. Make sure it is long enough to feel like you have separated yourself from the book and can look at it with fresh eyes. You are closer to your manuscript than anyone, so you cannot self-edit effectively unless you get out of the weeds for a bit and can look at your book as a reader, not the writer.
The manuscript revision process can be long, daunting, and frustrating, but is so important to the overall quality and success of a book. Editing is often one of the most overlooked steps in the publishing process, resulting in thousands of books that are error-ridden or difficult to read. By taking the time to self-edit, you can ensure your book’s content is appropriate for your target audience and genre, while also saving you time and money in the long run. The more polished and error-free your manuscript, the less you will have to invest in professional editing or publishing updates. When self-editing, writers can refer to guides such as the Chicago Manual of Style or the Editing section of the Author Learning Center as needed.
For those still working on a first draft, do not let the editing side of your brain take over. Seeking perfection will only distract you from getting the words down, making it more difficult to finish. When you are ready to start editing, be prepared to disconnect from your manuscript and look at it from a reader’s perspective. By understanding these common mistakes, you will be able to find and fix any errors, making your manuscript as polished as possible. This will allow a professional editor to focus on the more advanced aspects of book editing.
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