A Writer’s List of Common Sense Mistakes

Okay, so I’m somewhat back in the grove of things, writing and reading that is. And in the midst of all my reading and writing (I seem to read/write several works at a time) I’ve decided to compile a list of common sense mistakes that writers make. I admit it, I’ve been guilty of some of these mistakes and I’ll tell you how. You get into the grove of writing and if you write enough, sometimes plot strings blend, characters jump books, basically you stare at the pages of your manuscripts so long that it all becomes a big ‘ol jumbled mess in your head. So here is a list to check off when you do that final read through (and yes it does help if you do that read through a week or two after you end all your tinkering with your manuscript):

1)      Consistency in characters – ever read a book where a character has brown eyes in the beginning and hazel eyes halfway through (I’m not talking colored contacts)? I have and it can be very distracting for my imagination as I always try to imagine the characters I’m reading about. The most important thing is to keep them consistent unless something happens to actually change them and that is your purpose. Same goes for setting, job, friends, etc. Drives me nuts when a character is in one place and then ends up in another without any explanation.

2)      Tie plot strings together – this is much harder than readers think and it is something I completely struggle with as I continue to dig my plots deeper and deeper. Still, without some kind of closure or tying together of plot strings, you can leave your reader feeling lost or as if something is missing from your work.

3)       Historical accuracy – I know a lot of what I read and write is fiction, but nothing throws you off more than an author who weaves a bit of historical fact into their story…incorrectly. Saying Columbus discovered the New World in the eighteenth century or that World War II started in 1961 are ridiculous errors not easily forgiven by readers, even if they’re only typos.

4)      Misspelling and grammatical errors – a couple errors here and there aren’t a big deal but any book riddled with them will no doubt turn a reader off. With the dawn of self-publishing and the digital age, this is something we writers need to pay close attention to. Editors seem to be squeezed out of many equations and even when you get an editor, having a great one is truly a blessing.

5)      Scenes that make sense – ugh, this is another one I try very hard not to be guilty of. It can be very easy to write a scene, have it be wonderful and then realize it has no purpose in your story or really doesn’t make sense. The make sense part is huge in sex scenes. Some of the sex scenes I’ve read have the most unusual positions and descriptions. I sit there trying to figure out how they are doing what this author has described and next thing I am completely pulled out of the storyline.

I’m sure I can think of more but this list of five should give you a good start. Make sure to look for these after you’ve given your manuscript a rest for a few days. Makes it awfully hard to spot errors when your eyes and brain are in their jumbled up phase. Happy writing this week!

Filed under: Toni Kelly, Writer's Life, Writing Topics