What a tragic title?
Well, they were costly mistakes for me, because they have prevented my book from receiving top reviews. I must be honest and admit what is clear to me. My mistakes have made it near impossible for my series to move forward in sales and my second and third book has had no reviews and dismal sales. All in all, anyone that reads my book and knows anything about structure and flow can see my mistakes. Although I have fixed many of them in the second edition of my book.
However, I will spell them out here for you, my top five in the hopes you learn from my mistakes and can avoid the chasm of the deathly mistakes. On the other hand, I will give an idea or two on how to avoid these mistakes but they are not exclusive, and there are many others.
1. I Did Not Do All My Research
I had a great story. I created a character arc for all the main characters and secondary characters of importance. I developed the world and created a back story. I made a map to trace all the action and created a glossary of invented words. I thought I had covered all my bases. Like Moliere’s said, “A learned fool is more a fool than an ignorant fool.” I forgot to do my research in topics like voice, Point of View and plot continuity, to name a few. I made a cardinal sin. I rushed and made a deadly mistake. So, I wrote a story that in my mind had a structured flow, but in reality, it was hard for my readers to follow. Moreover, I learned that after the book was published. Bad
2. I Did Not Check the Document Twice.
Everyone that celebrates Christmas know the “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” song and the verse that says “He’s Making a List, Checking it Twice.” Well, I did not check my manuscript twice. It was my very first book, and I was so full of myself that I thought, my words were gospel. Plus, I was going to send the book to the Developmental Editor, and any mistake in my manuscript was going to be detected by the Editor. “Oh, Wrong I was, Again. Rush, I did, again” The Force wasn’t with me at all, because I had done deadly mistake number one. Then I rolled into mistake number two, and now I was drowning in my ignorance.
3. I Chose the Wrong Developmental Editor
So, in my defense, here I did do some research in “what good writers need to do and what was essential for creating a worthy manuscript.” I knew I needed an Editor. I must say, English is not my First or my Second Language. Therefore, I knew my words needed to be polished. So, I looked for a Developmental Editor and found one I could afford. However, I did not do my job correctly. Again, I rushed, I forgot to do my due diligence. Which took me back to mistake number one. I did not do my research correctly.
If only someone would have had written something about this issue. The Editor I hired, edited YA books, and my book was High Fantasy. He was a writer that knew about editing but not an editor that specialized in Developmental Editing. His advice did not point out my book was littered with head hopping’s, multiple POV’s in the same scenes, plot holes, it needed a timeline chart, and in need of part separations, to name a few of the monsters of maladies in my literary work of fiction. The editor did
4. I Hired the Same Developmental Editor as the Copyeditor and I Did Not Check His Work T
Ladies and Gentlemen, because I am an overachiever, I hired the same person to copyedit my manuscript. This person did the job of a proofreader than a copyeditor. I took it at face value that I was getting quality for my money. I paid a comparable amount to a certified editor. Let’s make a pause here. Some universities give editing certifications like the University of Chicago which has a program for Editor.
Moreover, there are highly recognized organizations and societies that have certifications and rankings. Society for Editors & Proofreaders, for example, gives certifications to its members,
5. No proofreader
The last of my costly mistakes was that after I paid so much money for Developmental Editing, Copyediting, and a book cover, but I did not have the book proofread. I did not check it a third time. For a person that English is not my first language, every word, every sentence and every paragraph must be close to perfect. Why? Because we are scrutinized harshly. In my case, I was short on funds, and I suffered from a bad syndrome called impatience. I didn’t want to wait until I could make the money for a proofreader. I wanted to see the book in print. I trusted the Copyeditor had done a pristine job. After all, I paid good money for his work. My fault, I did not check his work. A costly mistake I will pay for a long time.
How You Can Prevent from Making Any of These Mistakes?
Preventing from falling in the trap of the costly writing mistakes are simple. First, do your research. As I wrote the mistakes, I gave some possible fix for some of my mistakes but all of them boil down to a straight and forward solution. Read and do your research. Ask questions when you don’t know what to do. Find a mentor or join a writer’s group. Facebook has many writers’ groups that will give you many ideas on how to fix things a improve your craft. Here is a good Facebook group. It is called Write
I belong to this Facebook group, and the community is like a family. We know each other, we share ideas and our host continually interacts with the group.
Finally, do not rush when you are revising your manuscript. Before your novel goes to the Editor, make it as polish as you can. Do like Santa Claus. Check it twice, three times, four or five if you have to, but also give yourself a dead line, so you know when to stop revising and not get obsessed.
I learned my lesson the hard way, but now I am a writer that seeks knowledge. I take my creations seriously. They are part of me and deserve the best I can provide within my means. I hope my words were of some value to you. If they were let me know, leave me a comment.
You all have a blessed day.
Later, I’ll write about what I learned during editing.
