Guest Post: Mistakes newbies make and how to avoid them
- Relying on your family and friends for feedback.
- Reading good books is very important. Read the book you like three times. First time read for entertainment, second time for the plot consistency and its execution and third time notice the language nuances.
- The first draft is good to go.
- Write, then edit, edit, edit… (there is no shortcut to this). There are four levels of editing, one that we do during writing, second time read out loud and correct the mistakes. Third time take the manuscript through an automated tool. Then keep the manuscript away for at least two weeks, plan your next novel during this period. In the fourth round take a print-out and correct the mistakes on hard copy.
- Buy a good automated editing tool and use it. This is the first step towards presenting an error-free manuscript to the world. Grammarly and ProWritingAid are two tools which are available online and do some basic editing for free.
- Sending the first draft to the publisher.
- Aspiring writers think that the publisher/editor is supposed to correct the grammar. Thinking this is like committing professional suicide. There are two things to a finished fiction project; storytelling skills and proficiency in the chosen language. Learn both aspects and develop your own voice and style.
- Master the language you are writing in. It is very important to understand the nuances of a language, and I am not talking about grammar or sentence structure but the idioms, clichés, metaphors, and slang. When to use them as it is, and when to become creative with them.
- Take feedback from professionals, not friends. They are called beta-readers. It’s very important to select the right people for taking feedback and be open to criticism.
- Not going for a professional editor or for the right editor. Take reference from writer friends, ask them to do a sample edit, and select a good editor. Then get it proof-read by at least two people.
- Blurb or the details at the back of the book is a teaser for the reader. Newbies sometimes give the entire synopsis of the book. This is wrong. Read a few good book’s blurbs and write your own. Ask your writer friends to give feedback on the same and make it crisp.
- Get a professional cover if you are self-publishing. The cover should not be taken lightly. It is the window to your story and a marketing tool. Make sure it reflects the setting and the genre of your book.
Take informed decisions for your writing project.
Don’t follow the blog posts advice on writing blindly. All the very best!
About the Book:
The Man
Security expert Nikhil Mahajan is in mortal danger. Gravely injured and unable to see,
he is in the midst of hostile strangers in an unknown place.
Any hope of survival is fast fading away.
The Angel
Should an innocent man be left to die just because he had been in the wrong place
at the wrong time? Someone has to intervene.
Book Links:
About the Author:
Winner of TOI WriteIndia Season 1, Ruchi Singh is a novelist, and writes in two genres;
romance and romantic thriller. A voracious reader, she loves everything—
from classics to memoirs to editorials to chick-lit, but her favourite genre is ‘romantic thriller’.
Besides writing and reading, her other interests include dabbling with
Indian classical dance forms.
Giveaway:
~ 1 winner for 500/- Amazon Gift Card + kindle copy of Guardian Angel
~ 1 winner for 250/- Amazon Gift Card + kindle copy of Guardian Angel
~ 1 winner for 250/- Amazon Gift Card + kindle copy of Guardian Angel
Comments
Post a Comment