Over my years of working as an editor, I’ve noticed that many unpublished novelists — even those who have mastered the mechanics of grammar — often make basic conceptual mistakes in their work-mistakes that, while subtle, can get the work rejected. I believe those writers do not realize that in order to get published, certain rules must be followed. Unfortunately, agents and editors are on the lookout for these common violations and often, without telling you, use them as the basis for sending their dreaded rejection notices.

I hope that by pointing out the most commonly-encountered problems, I can persuade you to root them out of your manuscript. Remember, in today’s highly-competitive marketplace you may get only one chance to submit.

The top ten writing mistakes are:

1. The Derivative Story Idea
2. Talking Heads
3. Wandering Points of View
4. Failing to Create Visualizable Scenes
5. Genre Drift
6. Undeveloped Subthemes
7. Failing to Sustain an Emotional Pull
8. The Unbelievable or Unsatisfying Ending
9. Lack of Unique Voice
10. Incorrect Assumptions About the Writing Business

For full access to all articles, please sign up for our Prescriptions Newsletter.