1. Dull
openings - Novels that open with the weather or description don’t inspire
an imagination. Also, be aware that scene building can be equally dull. Build
your world in between action, and throughout your novel; you DON'T need to get it all in in the first chapter.
2. Trying to be
clever - Novels that use humungous words and long cryptic paragraphs makes the writer appear arrogant, and nobody likes arrogance.
3. Too
Much Info - Trying to describe something as you see it is hard. Better to
describe a little, and let your readers’ imagination do the rest otherwise your
MS is going to be tossed to one side in favour of another because it's OVER WRITTEN.
4. Clichés - "Her
hair was jet black.” “She looked as white as a ghost!” Yes, the meaning is there,
but it doesn’t stand out. Clichés dulls writing, so think of your own
descriptions.
5. POV - Whose
story is it? If point of view is all mixed up, it’s difficult to form a
connection with the main character.
6. Unlikely
narrative - Don’t make your characters talk the reader through something. If your character is injured he wouldn’t be
talking about the pain, but living it out in agony.
