Something important to remember is that every writer starts somewhere. At one point in time, people like J.K. Rowling or J.R.R. Tolkien were elementary students learning how to hold a pencil and write complete sentences. Even the greatest authors started with mistakes—and that’s the good news.
Every writer will find mistakes in their writing and grow over time. Mistakes are inevitable, but they are also how we improve. My hope is that these common writing mistakes will help you grow as an author, build your confidence, and add extra gas to your creative engine. As writers, we are always learning and always growing, and this list will help you improve that growth scale even faster.
1. Repetitive Words
One of the most common writing mistakes is overusing the same words. I can’t tell you how many times I read my writing out loud and notice I’ve used the same word twice in one sentence—or repeated a word several times in a chapter.
We all do this without realizing it. Often, you won’t catch repetitive words until you read your work out loud or review it multiple times. That’s why reading your writing aloud is so important!
How to fix it:
- Read your work out loud
- Highlight repeated words
- Replace them with synonyms when appropriate
- Be careful not to overdo synonyms and lose your voice
Sometimes all you need is a simple word swap to improve clarity and flow.
2. Weak Dialogue (& Dialogue tags!)
Another common writing mistake is weak or unrealistic dialogue. In most novels, dialogue rarely goes back and forth without description, thoughts, or dialogue tags. Because of this, it’s easy for conversations to become confusing or unnatural.
Here’s something helpful: go through a chapter and only read the dialogue. Skip everything else. When you read dialogue on its own, you’ll quickly notice:
- responses that don’t sound natural
- dialogue that feels out of character
- confusing conversational flow
- unrealistic reactions
Dialogue tags can also weaken your writing if they’re misused. While “he said” and “she said” are perfectly fine, dialogue tags can also add emotion, action, and depth when used intentionally.
Ask yourself:
- Does this tag add meaning?
- Does it show emotion?
- Does it help the reader visualize the scene?
Your dialogue tags should enhance the conversation—not distract from it.
3. Too Much Description
Description is important because it helps bring your story to life. However, too much description is another one of the most common writing mistakes.
Over-describing can slow your pacing and cause readers to lose interest. Have you ever read a book where your eyes skim over paragraphs because you just want to get back to the action? That’s usually a sign of unnecessary description.
Strong description should:
- move the story forward
- build atmosphere
- reveal character
- create emotion
If it’s not doing one of those things, it may not be needed.
4. Show! Don’t Tell
You’ve probably heard this advice before, but it’s repeated so often because it truly can make or break a book. Many writers “tell” emotions instead of showing them. For example:
Telling:
“Jackson looked angry and slammed the door.”
Showing:
“Jackson’s jaw tightened. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the handle before slamming the door. His footsteps echoed down the hall, heavy and quick.”
Notice how the second example uses senses and action to create emotion.
Two helpful tips:
- Think about the five senses
- Ask what your character is feeling in the moment
When you combine emotion, action, and sensory detail, your writing becomes far more immersive.
5. Starting Too Slowly.
Starting too slowly is one of the most common writing mistakes, especially for new authors. There’s a time and place for long descriptions, backstory, or a character’s morning routine—but it’s usually not at the beginning of your book.
Readers need a reason to keep turning pages. If nothing is happening early on, they may lose interest before the story truly begins.
In the article The Brutal Math of Reader Abandonment, the statistics are eye-opening:
- 57% of all new books are never read to completion
- Nearly one-third of readers abandon books before page 50
- 60–65% of readers don’t finish the books they start
These numbers shouldn’t scare you—they should motivate you. They highlight how important it is to hook your reader from the very beginning.
Ask yourself:
- How can I create curiosity in the first page?
- Can I start closer to the conflict?
- Is this backstory necessary right now?
This doesn’t mean your book must be nonstop action. Readers still need slower moments to breathe. But you should begin with something intriguing—tension, mystery, emotion, or a question that makes them want to keep reading.
Every chapter should serve a purpose. If a chapter exists only to explain things, it may slow pacing and cause readers to lose interest—even if they’re already fifty pages in.
Final Thoughts
Every writer makes mistakes—even experienced ones. The key is learning to recognize these common writing mistakes and improving with each draft. Writing is a process, and growth happens over time.
The more you edit, revise, and learn, the stronger your writing will become, and the brighter your story will shine.
