Top Ten Mistakes Aspiring Fiction Writers Make

Aspiring fiction writers have it hard in today's publishing world; fewer and fewer manuscripts are selling and the criteria for a desirable manuscript is becoming more stringent by the day. If you're lacking in publishing success, check out these top ten mistakes that aspiring fiction writers make.

Mistake #1: Flat Characters

Even more than the plot of a fiction story, characters must come alive in the minds of the readers. Too often, aspiring fiction writers create characters who are stereotypical and boring. If you're hoping to sell a fiction manuscript, mold your characters based on real human traits rather than the popular conception of the villain and hero.

Mistake #2: Lack of Pace

This is something that I used to see all the time in manuscripts submitted by aspiring fiction writers. You don't have to detail every second of your main character's day; you can jump to the next exciting moment. Your readers know that everyone brushes their teeth before bed and that a day at the office consists of answering phone calls, responding to e-mails and conducting meetings with subordinates. Skip all that and get to the juicy stuff (unless your character meets an untimely end while brushing his teeth or answering the phone at work).

Mistake #3: Skipping Over Secondary Characters

Most aspiring fiction writers concentrate on developing their main characters, but what about the supporting actors whose job it is to aid your main characters? I love it when an author describes Aunt Kate's obsession with collecting porcelain elephants or Best Friend Mark's love for Batman comics. Give your secondary characters a little time to shine.

Mistake #4: Glossing Over the Setting

The Houston suburbs are far different from backwoods Kentucky or downtown Manhattan, so why should your setting look, feel, sound and smell the same as every other place? Wherever your fiction story is taking place, describe it to the best of your ability: the sun setting over a sprawling suburb, the sound of newspapers smacking cement driveways as the paperboy throws them, the scarred tabletops of a small-town diner, the taste of fresh salty air from the Gulf.