Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Novel Writing You May Never Have Considered

I’ve enjoyed many, many novels in the past fifty years. As a preschooler, I became so familiar with the kiddie books I demanded my mom and dad read to me that I could recite them to myself as I sat with the open book pretending literacy. But when I could read for myself, I devoured books so voraciously that I won a frisbee in third grade for reading the most books. I didn’t even know the contest was running. 

I enjoy editing my work almost as much as the original creative process and I’m a bit OCD about it. So I tend to spot some not-so-common pitfalls all too easy for any author to fall into and I cover them in this blog. I’ve also included a few things I’ve learned along the way.

Avoid Cliched Mannerisms

Many authors, even best-selling ones, often have their male protagonists run their hands through their hair when stressed, confused, or otherwise frustrated. Have your guy do something different. Maybe he takes a deep breath and puffs out his cheeks. Maybe he yanks on one earlobe. One of my male characters rubs his chin–which probably borders on cliched but it’s still different than the ubiquitous fingers through the hair.

Avoid Odd Word Pictures

One common example is the POV character who, “Leaned her hip against the wall,” or  “Leaned his back against the fence.”  Doesn’t that give you a weird mental picture? Can the character remove her hip or her back, lean it against the object while the remainder of her body steps away? Why not just say, “Grace leaned against the wall, her face to James. The stones in the wall bit into her back.” That may make the sentence longer, but it doesn’t sound so odd and provides better POV detail for Grace. 

Research Even The Smallest Details; You Might Have it Wrong

It’s all too easy to overlook accuracy in details and it happens to the best of us. But inaccuracy can stand out like a black eye to readers who know better. In a murder mystery I read recently, the protagonist bought wire mesh fencing and put it around her garden to keep deer out. But the fencing was low enough for a human being to reach across. She hadn’t done her research. My mother once witnessed a deer sail over a fence that was at least eight feet high.

Another author, and a best-selling one at that, wrote a novel set in East Texas. His opening lines mentioned the mountains there. I lived in that part of the country for over seven years and it has no mountains, only low, rolling hills.

Avoid Common Misconceptions

One example of this is the protagonist who misses meals for several days and grows weak. However, if you are healthy and have been eating well on a regular basis, you should be fine after skipping meals for three or four days or even more. You may not have the energy to do something strenuous, but you do not grow weak. Your body cleanses toxins from your system and you can feel better during the fasting. 

A second misconception is the character who suffers head trauma and experiences pounding headaches. Yet, after a day or two in the hospital, he still goes back to business as usual. I took a fall back in 2015 and ended up in the hospital overnight with a concussion and slight skull fracture. My head hurt only upon impact and the doctor had me take off from work and rest for a week. So it’s unrealistic to have your detective hero take a hard blow to the noggin and return to his high stress job two days later with no ill effects. And headaches aren’t always a consequence.

Avoid Cliched Dialogue

Too many authors have their protagonists say the following line while in the clutches of the villain: “You’ll never get away with this.” Beside sounding like a line from a badly written movie, remember that plenty of bad guys in real life do get away with it. I’m waiting for the character who says, “Wow, I think you actually might get away with this.”  

Avoid Making Inaccurate Word Choices

Few things in novels make me cringe more than inaccurate word choices. I’m guilty of this as well but some author choices are glaringly obvious. One main female POV character was thrilled to be in the “midst” of the hero with whom she was falling in love. You cannot be in the “midst” of just one person. It takes at least several in attendance.

Another antagonist “plunged” the heroine’s face against the steering wheel of her car. Besides sounding terribly painful, you plunge into something, like deep water for instance, not against it.

Avoid Using Terms in Fantasy Writing With Roots Only In This World

I’ve learned to take care with what terms I use in writing my Children of Eloihim series.

Here are a few examples: 

• I wanted one of my characters to hire a “hansom cab.” But research showed me that hansom cabs were named after Joseph A. Hansom, an 1882 English architect. I don’t have anyone like that in Eloihim’s world so I had to choose a more general term. 
• I cannot refer to that bump in the male throat as an Adam’s apple because there is no Adam or forbidden apples in my world’s spiritual history. 
• My characters cannot eat off china because there is no country by that name in the provinces or in the Taralon empire. 
• I also had been using the term “bread with real butter” in the first book. A writer friend of mine asked, “Do they have something besides real butter?” So unless I want the empire of Taralon or the Razman Province to have margarine, they can’t eat anything but “real butter.” 

Hope this collection of bits and pieces helps you pinpoint a few more “problem details” you might otherwise unintentionally overlook. Happy writing!