Traps To Avoid When Writing Your First Novel

Writing a novel is a lonely business. It’s also one of the most rewarding things you can do as an author, whether for yourself or for others. 

But it’s also easy to get stuck in the weeds and this can be especially true if you’re writing your first novel. With that in mind, here are some common traps to avoid (or at least be aware of) when writing your first book:

Key Takeaways
1. Be aware of common pitfalls that new novel writers may face.
2. Avoid rushing the writing process; quality takes time.
3. Don’t underestimate the importance of thorough planning.
4. Seek feedback and revise your work to improve its quality.
5. Stay persistent and committed, even when facing challenges.

Don’t Tell Yourself You Can’t Do It

The first and most important thing is to believe in yourself. Writing a novel doesn’t have to be hard, and it can be done by anyone. 

You may think that it’s impossible for you to accomplish your goal of writing a novel because of all the reasons above, but if you can think those thoughts, then you are capable of writing a novel!

Writing a novel is not as hard as some people make it out to be. Some say they have no time or they don’t know where to start or they don’t know what they want their story plotline to be like at first glance (I’m guilty of these things). 

If this is how you feel right now don’t give up hope yet! I’ve already broken down three ways that will help alleviate these issues:

• Take baby steps instead of trying to do everything at once
• Have someone proofread for grammar mistakes; ask friends/family who aren’t writers themselves if there are any plot holes or inconsistencies with character development (this could also lead them into wanting their own stories told!)
• Write from the heart; remember why this story means something special for YOU personally as well as others who read about experiences similar theirs

Building a strong foundation for your novel is crucial. Learn valuable insights from experienced writers with our guide on Top 10 Tips for the Aspiring Novel Writer, and avoid common pitfalls that can hinder your progress.

The Hardest Part Of Writing Is The First Draft

Your first draft is the most important.

Writing is not easy, but it’s a process. The hardest part of writing comes before you even start: knowing what kind of story you want to tell and then writing something that feels like it’s going in that direction. 

Once you’ve done that, your job becomes much easier because you have an outline with a clear direction on where the story’s going and what needs to happen next. 

That means when writing gets hard and it will get hard you’ll know exactly where to go next by following your map (aka outline). The first draft isn’t just a crutch; it helps us build our skills as writers so we can tell stories better later on down the line!

Cut Out All The Extraneous Words

When writing your first novel, you may find yourself in the following situation: You’ve written a few chapters, and you’re doing pretty well. Your story is coming together—you have characters, settings, and situations that all make sense. 

Then one day you decide to read through the manuscript again. And it’s terrible! Your sentences are long and clunky; your paragraphs are boring; the plot seems dull and lifeless…and worst of all: no one wants to read it!

What happened? What could have gone wrong? Well…maybe there are too many unnecessary words and phrases in your work that need to be cut out for readers to experience what’s happening (the good parts). 

The most common culprits include needless adverbs like “really” or “very,” unnecessary pronouns like “it” when referring back to something previously mentioned (like “he”), extraneous descriptions (“She was wearing a white dress”), or generalizations (“She was very tired”). 

These things may seem insignificant at first glance but they add up over time so try cutting down on them as much as possible while still retaining meaning!

New writers often fall into the trap of believing they need to be experts from the start. Debunk this myth and discover the truth about novel writing in our article on Debunking the Myth That You Need to Know How to Write a Novel.

Learn To Love The Characters’ Voices

This is a great trick because it’s so much easier to write something when you know it will be read. I think of this as “The Novelist’s Intuition”: The knowledge that your work will be published and read by someone, someday. 

The fact that someone will care about your characters’ lives and might even find them relatable gives the writer the energy to keep going through all those dull or difficult parts where it feels like nothing happens and everything is flat.

So what does this mean? It means that you should write what you want to read. Write what would make a good story for yourself and then trust yourself enough from there! 

As long as you’re writing with confidence, there’s no reason not to enjoy yourself along the way (and stumble upon some hidden gems).

Stay Away From Clichés And Stereotypes

A well-known cliché would be the spunky female protagonist whose life is turned upside down by an unexpected pregnancy. 

Or perhaps you could try the classic love triangle: boy meets girl; girl falls in love with a boy but can’t have him because he’s already in love with somebody else; another girl (who happens to be best friends with our heroine) tries to steal away her man.

Perhaps you’d like to use a stereotype for your main character maybe she’s blonde, young and naive, or nerdy looking? Those are all good options! You’ll want to make sure that she doesn’t come off as too much of a Mary Sue though.

Since the audience needs some way of identifying with her. Make sure not to put too much emphasis on one aspect of her personality either; don’t make her too violent when she’s angry or else it’ll seem unnatural or forced!

“Show, Don’t Tell” Is A Trap To Avoid

Use dialogue to show action instead of telling the reader what happens.

Storytelling is not just about information. It’s about making the reader feel something what you’re going for is an emotional response from your readers. 

Think about how you would feel if someone were talking about you behind your back and then think about how you would react if someone did it in front of your face! 

Your characters should be the same way: they should react differently depending on whether their feelings are hurt by being talked about behind their backs or facing up against those who are attacking them head-on (and vice versa).

Use action as much as possible to show character development so that they can change over time without relying on exposition alone (that means “telling”).

A Focused, Tight Narrative Will Help You Create Your World Faster

A lot of writers believe that the best way to learn how to write a novel is by writing as much as possible. In other words, they want to start with something big and ambitious maybe a space opera or an epic fantasy series, and go from there. 

They think that if they can just get their hands on enough paper and keep writing long enough, they’ll eventually figure it all out.

But when it comes down to writing any work of fiction (especially your first book), this approach can be dangerous because it keeps you from focusing on what matters: your characters and story. 

Instead of creating depth in those areas, your world-building efforts become diluted with details about the setting, plot devices, etc., which slows down both reader engagement and writer momentum. If we return once again to our “trap” analogy here: 

Instead of digging yourself into quicksand by trying so hard not to fall in the hole next door… why not focus instead on building a sturdy bridge over the ditch? That way you won’t have anything stopping you from getting back up onto solid ground again once your novel is finished!

Embarking on your novel-writing journey? Check out our 17 Tips for Anyone Wanting to Write a Novel to ensure you’re equipped with the knowledge to steer clear of common mistakes and stay on track.

Begin With A Goal In Mind Then Decide What You Need To Do To Achieve It

• Start with a goal in mind.
• Decide what you need to do to achieve it.

In other words, write yourself a list of goals that you want your novel to achieve or accomplish, and then figure out how best to get there. You might want your book to be funny and heartwarming, but does your story have enough humor? 

Or maybe its tone is too dark do you need more lightness? Is it clear what happens at the end of each chapter? If not, then maybe re-write some scenes so that they do their job better by clearly showing us where they’re going! 

Once we know what we’re trying to accomplish with our writing projects (and whether we’re doing so), then we can make sure our time is spent wisely on those things that will help us reach those goals rather than wasting it on things that won’t lead anywhere good.

Use Dialogue To Show Action Instead Of Telling The Reader What Happens

If you want to show action in your novel, it’s better to use dialogue rather than telling the reader what happened. For example, instead of writing:

“I walked into the room and saw a person looking out the window,” you could write something like this:

“What are you doing?” I asked as I walked into the room and looked at him. He turned around and smiled at me before responding, “Just looking outside.” 

This is much more interesting because it shows both characters’ reactions the first character asking a question and then getting an answer from another character as well as their physical actions (walking into a room). 

It also sets up what happens next without needing any additional explanation from an authorial voice that might take away from the scene’s flow or believability by adding unnecessary details.

Don’t Write Without A Scene On Paper First

One of the best ways to get started on your novel is to write a scene. You’ll be surprised by how much progress you can make in a short amount of time, and once you’ve got that first scene done, your story will feel much more alive and real.

Writing without a plan is like walking through a maze blindfolded you’re liable to end up going in circles or running into dead ends. If your writing lacks direction, then it might not be worth attempting until later when you have more experience under your belt.

Hindsight is 20/20. Discover the valuable insights experienced writers wish they had known earlier. Our article, 12 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Writing My Novel, offers you a chance to learn from their experiences and avoid potential writing pitfalls.

Storytelling Is Not Just About Information

The goal of storytelling is to create a world and characters that feel real, a story that captures the reader’s imagination and makes them want to continue reading. 

This requires you to go beyond writing down facts and figures; instead, think about how your character would behave in certain situations. How would they react? What would they say or do? You’ll need to consider these questions carefully if you want your book to be successful.

Writing Is Not Always Easy

Writing is not always easy. It can be a real struggle at times, especially in the beginning when you’re trying to find your voice and find your story. But once you get started, things will get easier over time…or so I’ve been told!

To avoid getting stuck along the way, there are some traps you should try to avoid:

Being too ambitious – It’s easy to want everything (and then some) when writing your first novel. You want the best cover art, killer reviews, and sales numbers that would make JK Rowling jealous.

But if you focus too much on those things before actually finishing your manuscript, it can lead to unnecessary frustration and writer’s block because there will always be something else left undone or could be better; just finish what’s important first!

Not setting boundaries – Your life doesn’t need to end when you start working on something new like writing a book since everything has its place in our daily schedule whether we like it or not (for example work vs gym vs friends vs family). 

So don’t forget about these other areas of importance outside of just sitting down at the computer all day long without any breaks whatsoever–that’s where burnout occurs and productivity begins falling off rapidly into oblivion!

All these traps can easily lead someone down an empty path without anything good coming out from it later on down their journey towards success.

As an author but there are also ways around these pitfalls by being disciplined enough even though sometimes this may mean sacrificing certain hobbies or activities that might seem fun at first but aren’t helpful for what needs to be done right now.

This means giving up some free time during evenings/weekends spent watching Netflix shows instead of writing screenplays during weekends etc., however hopefully one day soon those sacrifices won’t matter anymore once they reach their goal with relative ease thanks

Rushing to complete a novel in a short timeframe can lead to mistakes. Learn how to navigate this challenge with our guide on How to Write a Novel in 30 Days or Less, and gain the knowledge you need to succeed while avoiding burnout.

Conclusion

The hardest part of writing is the first draft. You have to get it all down on paper before you can start editing and revising. 

That means a lot of time spent typing away at your computer, but eventually, you will find yourself in a comfortable groove where every word feels right and flows easily into the next sentence. 

If you ever feel stuck or overwhelmed by everything there’s still left to do, try taking an hour off from your project and going for walk around town or something! It’ll give your brain some space to rest so that when you return later on it will be ready for more work!

Further Reading

What Not to Do When Writing a Novel Short Description: Learn from the experts about the common mistakes to avoid when writing your first novel.

Author Traps: 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Book Short Description: Discover 10 crucial traps that authors should steer clear of during their writing journey.

Common Traps to Avoid While Writing a Book Short Description: Explore common pitfalls that writers face and find out how to navigate them effectively.

Now, let’s move on to the FAQs section:

FAQs

What are the key mistakes to avoid when writing a novel?

Learn about the common pitfalls and mistakes that writers should avoid to ensure a successful writing journey.

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What are some common writing traps that can hinder my book’s success?

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