Writing Tips!

Now that you have a story in mind and you know what you want to say, get to writing. But always remember no matter how perfect your manuscript is, you can always improve upon it. If you're a new writer, there are a few common pitfalls you should keep in mind.

There is such a thing as reading your own writing too much – you can become blind to your typos, your problem spots, and your recurring mistakes. To remedy that problem, we suggest stepping away. Shelve your writing for as long as you can stand to, then come back and read it with a fresh eye. You'll catch mistakes you never knew you made.

The thought of scrutinizing your own creation can seem a tad overwhelming, so we've put together a list of a few must-do things and a few pitfalls to be sure you keep an eye out for – and yes, Grammar Police, it is now considered acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition.

1. Not proofing: We're taking a moment to reiterate how important it is to proof your work – or better yet, have someone else proof it for you. You will make mistakes as you write. You cannot catch them all with one read-through. Do yourself and your publisher a favor and invest in good proofing.

2. Verbosity: No doubt you are in love with your story. You have a clear vision of what you want your reader to imagine when they read your words. That's great – just be careful of over-describing your setting, your characters, or the ongoing action. Bogging your reader down in too many words is just as bad as leaving them with no description at all.

3. Making yourself the story: This really only works if you're already famous. It's fine to pull a few autobiographical details from your life, but building a work of fiction solely around yourself could be dangerous. Never forget that your No. 1 priority as the author is to entertain and engage your reader. You may think your life is fascinating, but everyone else may not agree. Your best bet: fabricate some characters.

4. Awkward word choice/Overuse of words: The best novels talk to the reader in a conversational way. Don't spend too much time trying to sound über-intelligent. Using what we like to call "the New York Times word of the day," (no disrespect to the newspaper or its talented reporters) can often frustrate readers. Few people keep a dictionary next to them while they read a work of fiction. Also, be careful you don't overuse certain words or phrases. We're all guilty of it in real life. We have "our catch phrase" that we use almost unconsciously. Make sure the same habit doesn't creep into your writing.

5. Forgetting to monitor your grammar: In the heat of writing, it's so easy to miss an apostrophe (its vs. it's) or mix up your homonyms (there, their, they're). Take a few minutes to brush up on your grammar and slow down a bit in your writing. You'll save yourself and others editing time later.