20 Universal Signs of Bad Writing

1. There’s no story.

2. There’s no pacing.

3. Too many adjectives and adverbs.

4. No subtlety.

5. No surprises for the reader, no subtext.

6. Viewpoint is used badly.

7. TMI.

8. Incorrect details.

9. Tell, don’t show.

10. Cliches.

11. Characters no one cares about.

12. Dropped threads

13. Purely evil villains.

14. Characters who disappear or die for no reason.

15. Same word 15 times on a page.

16. Scenes that have no point.

17. Using words other than said to excess.

18. Inadvertent rhyme.

19. Never letting the hero fail.

20. Eight beginnings, no middle, and a tacked on ending.