Podcasts › Fiction Writing Made Easy with Savannah Gilbo
#240. 10 Writing Mistakes That Make Readers Put Down Your Novel
What's in this episode
Are you revising the same chapters over and over, but nothing you change is actually fixing the problem? Most writers go straight to the prose when their story isn't working. They tighten sentences, swap out words, and reread the same chapter over and over. And still, something feels off. But most first-draft problems don't occur at the sentence level. They occur at the story level. In this episode, I share the 10 writing mistakes I see most often in manuscripts. Plus, I’ll give you the diagnostic question for each one so you can pinpoint what's holding your story back and know exactly where to start revising. Here’s what I talk about: [01:44] Why some stories start too early and how this common first draft mistake makes readers feel like the real story hasn't begun. [05:59] The one question every strong story is built around, and how to tell if your manuscript is missing it. [07:49] Why stories start to feel aimless when the protagonist doesn't have a clear, specific goal driving the action. [12:10] Why tension collapses when your antagonist is weak or underdeveloped, even when they're present on the page. [16:23] Why so many novels lose momentum in the middle, and the structural