A few simple writing mistakes can often make the difference between a very good
manuscript and a not-so-good one that is rejected by publishers.
Below are just three of the most common mistakes I see day after day as a writing
instructor and writing coach:
1) Overuse of participle phrases to begin a sentence. A participle phrase usually
begins with a word that ends in the letters "ing." There is nothing wrong with beginning a
sentence with a participle phrase. But when you do it too often, it begins to draw attention
to itself and distract the reader from the action of the story.
Like this:
Reaching behind her, Mary grabbed her backpack and ran straight for the woods.
Pushing branches and tangled vines out of her way, she was able to find the foot path. But
a snake was stretched out across it. Turning around quickly and searching for another way
through the forest, she suddenly heard someone call out her name.
Notice how clunky that sounds.
When you finish writing a story, go back over it and circle all the sentences that
begin with a participle phrase. If you have several of these phrases on each and every
page, change most of them.
Like this:
Mary reached behind her and grabbed her backpack, then she ran straight for the
woods. She pushed branches and tangled vines out of her way until she was able to find
the foot path. But a snake was stretched out across it, so she turned quickly and searched
for another way through the forest. Suddenly, she heard someone call out her name.
2) Dislocating or projecting body parts. Yes, many writers actually do this in their
stories. The most common example of this is when characters' eyes leave their bodies.
Here’s what I mean:
I was angry at my brother. I shot my eyes across the room at him and gave him a
dirty look.
Yikes! Was the poor brother left holding those eyeballs, or were they just stuck on
the front of his shirt or something?
3) Dialogue that is punctuated incorrectly. The most common example is when
characters laugh words. They simply can’t do this.
Try it yourself. Can you laugh and speak at the same time? Not really. Yet, when
you use a comma to separate the dialogue tag from the dialogue itself, you are indicating
the words were laughed.
Here’s an example:
"I'd never try that in a million years," laughed Denise.
To avoid this mistake, simply use a period after the dialogue, creating two separate
sentences.
Like this:
"I'd never try that in a million years." Denise laughed.
As you can see, these common mistakes are easy to correct, but now that you're
aware of them, try to avoid making them in the first place and you'll be a much stronger
writer immediately.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For more writing tips visit
http://www.workingwriterscoach.com or
http://www.the-working-writers-coach.blogspot.com and also sign up to get Suzanne
Lieurance's two free ebooks for writers. If you'd like to learn more about writing for
children, visit the National Writing for Children Center at
http://www.writingforchildrencenter.com and find out how to join the Children's Writers
Coaching Club.
