Don’t Make these Mistakes (Make New Ones)

For my final entry, I’d like to focus on the top two mistakes most aspiring writers make. Keeping the list to two instead of the usual ten means that you’re likely to pay more attention and also retain this information when next sitting at your desk. Or so I hope.

1. Sending out unfinished work

This is by far the most common mistake aspiring writers make. In a rush for fame and fortune, or to see their name in print, many people send their work out well before it’s ready to be reviewed by professional eyes. By the time a book hits the shelf or gets downloaded on e-readers, a lot of money and hands have been put to work over it. This means that the publisher has to be 100% sure that it is the best work they can put in front of readers. And the people who convince publishing houses, are editors and subeditors, who get thousands of requests a year. Take the time to craft, create, revise, edit. Your work deserves it and is unlikely to get shelf space without it.

1. Being focused on the product, not the process

Slightly related to number one, this point further emphasizes that writers are people who make meaning through words. You may have one book in you; you may have dozens. Beware of asking yourself too early if the idea you have is actually a book, a series, or adaptable for multimedia. While we all want to be creative and cross genres, the only true path for success is to do the bone crushing work of sitting in a chair and putting words across the page. Some people take months between drafts and others even years. Let your work breathe before imposing form, word count, genre, marketplace on it. While these are all important aspects to consider (see again how expensive books are to produce in point one), they aren’t necessarily part of the creative process – you’re better off if they’re lurking on the backburner.  If you try to answer all these questions as you are writing a first draft, you could run into the dreaded writer’s block.

Storytelling is one of the most creative, engaging, and pleasurable past times of the human experience. From the early days of the cave paintings, to the calligraphic books of the Middle Ages, and now to e-books in the digital age, writing is something we use for reflection, communication, and evocation. It is a multi faceted tool with wide ranging capabilities; be clear with yourself why you’re writing the particular piece you are at a particular moment – fame, fortune, or fellowship – and you’ll be starting off on the right foot and in doing so, avoid two of the most common mistakes of aspiring writers. So you can make new ones and share your lessons with the rest of us instead.

Best wishes,

Mohana (Reading & Writing Development Director)