How To Avoid Sounding Like An Amateur Author

We all begin somewhere, writers are not naturally gifted. You can't pick up a pencil and pour out the next greatest American novel. Writing takes practice and a lot of devotion. It is a learned skill, and with time you can draft a literary masterpiece.

These are four mistakes even experienced authors make; correcting them can drastically improve your prose and level up your work.

1. The Ever Descriptive Mirror

"My reflection stared back at me; eyes worn and gray, my hair once a vibrant red now stripped to its natural brown."

This is a common technique new authors use to describe their characters to the readers. It's overused and shows a lack of creativity. Consider how often you stop to take in every detail about yourself. Do you scrutinize your hair color or notice the strange hue in your eyes? No, this is unnatural; unless your characters pulled a Freaky Friday, they aren't hyper-focused on their appearance.

Here is what to do instead:

"My elbows collided with bodies around me; I shoved my weight between the people in front of me, forcing a path to open."

In this example, we can tell that the POV character is short and probably petite. They are struggling to break through a crowd and are less visible to those around them. Using the scene is a great and natural way to describe your character without stalling the story and boring your reader.

2. Fancy Terminology

Synonyms aren't always necessary. Many writers want to make their work sound intelligent and creative, so to the thesaurus we go! But switching out everyday words for more complex terminology can ruin the emotional feel of the scene and make your writing sound pompous. Take a look at these examples below.

"He couldn't stomach the sight of them together. The stranger reached over and caressed her delicate fingers. A hot flush crept up his neck, his veins visible through his pale skin. He pulled the knife from its sheath and stalked towards them. His footsteps echoed through the alley; the two bodies jumped apart, staring at him with horror."

"He couldn't abide her dishonesty. The stranger reached over and grazed her delicate fingers. He felt enraged, his blood boiling. He removed the knife from its sheath and stalked towards them. His footsteps reverberated through the alleyway. The two bodies jumped apart and stared at the man, horror-stricken."

The imagery and emotional feel of the second paragraph is stiffer and less powerful than the first. It's best to save the synonyms for the editing process.

3. The Helpful Info-Dump

Don't discredit yourself if in your first draft you threw in a ton of context and background information about your world and characters. It's good for you as a writer when crafting your novel but dull for the reader.

Every writer does this; it's natural to want to fill in the blanks for readers and give them as much information as possible so they feel connected to your story. But readers deserve more credit; through effective imagery, readers can analyze text and pick up on what is unsaid.

Learning to weave in background information is a skill that can be achieved through time and practice. Too much information is boring, but too little is confusing. Give your reader enough to understand what is happening in the current scene; as your story progresses, they will develop a deeper understanding of your world.

4. The Melodrama

Drama can make your reader sob late at night under their covers, cackle out in public, or kick their feet in excitement, but there comes a point when the dramatics become too unrealistic, and readers start to roll their eyes.

"It was dreary outside; the storm took a turn for the worse, flooding the streets and turning the October night into a sombre affair. The occupants of London took up shelter in their tiny, dense homes, leaving the usually congested streets deserted as if the plague had returned.

The ornate grandfather clock ticked ticked ticked in the otherwise silent room. Leaning into my traditional red leather wingback chair, I rested the book on my knee, not able to concentrate on the words jumping out of the page. A knock on the door had me up in an instant. My coattails flapping as I strode across the study and into the grand entryway. Standing before the door, I contemplated telling whoever was on the other side to bugger off and to not disturb me at this ungodly hour. Peeking through the shiny brass mail slot, I catch a glimpse of my scowl. A woman stood on the dark porch, barely illuminated by the old oil lamp, a large deathly black hat obscuring her face."

In this example, we have unnecessary details that do not add to the plot line of the story. Unless your character was intended to be a spoof such as Michael Scott, Sherlock Holmes, or James Bond. The extra details make the story unrealistic. Here is the same story toned down.

"It was dreary outside; the storm took a turn for the worse, flooding the streets and turning the October night into a sombre affair. The occupants of London took up shelter in their tiny homes, leaving the usually congested streets deserted.

The ornate grandfather clock ticked in the otherwise silent room. Leaning into my wingback chair, I rested the book on my knee, not able to concentrate on the words jumping out of the page. A knock on the door had me up in an instant. I contemplated telling whoever was on the other side to bugger off and to not disturb me at this ungodly hour. Peeking through the door slot, I saw a woman standing on the dark porch, a large black hat obscuring her face."

Removing the unnecessary details made the story feel more realistic. The comparison to the plague, the color of the chair, and his reflection were added to set the scene but did not contribute to the plot. The details that stayed gave the reader strong imagery and kept a good pace.

I have made all of these mistakes, as have many published authors. By noting them, you can level up your writing and create a story that readers want to see. There are exceptions to some of these rules, as every writer is different; some authors can pack strong backstory into their books and still keep a good pace. Others can have dramatic characters that enhance the plot.

When in doubt, you can speak with an editor for advice on creative techniques.