First Draft Mistakes I See in Almost Every Novel

Finishing the first draft of your novel is a huge feat — but then comes the hard part: revising. As a developmental book editor, I often work with writers on their early drafts of their manuscripts. In this video, I reveal the most common first draft mistakes that I see in almost every novel I edit. Checking your manuscript against these three issues will help you strengthen your story on the next draft!

MOST COMMON FIRST DRAFT MISTAKES:
01:11 - Too long or too short
06:05 - Poor pacing
09:34 - Unnecessary scenes or characters

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GREAT BOOKS ABOUT WRITING/PUBLISHING:
Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer / https://amzn.to/3VE8dtt
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody / https://amzn.to/3Vyk2Bn
Before and After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum / https://amzn.to/3Z4at03

SOME OF MY FAVORITE NOVELS:
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones / https://amzn.to/3vvWItt
Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips / https://amzn.to/3CFz4Pt
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid / https://amzn.to/3CjFFi5

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RELATED LINKS:
Common Dialogue Mistakes:    • Dialogue Mistakes You Might Be Making...  
Common Plot Mistakes:    • 5 Common Plot Mistakes and How to Fix...  
Top 5 New Writer Mistakes:    • Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make in the Fi...  

ABOUT ME:
My name is Alyssa Matesic, and I’m a professional book editor with 7+ years of book publishing and editorial experience. Throughout my career, I’ve held editorial roles across both sides of the publishing industry: Big Five publishing houses and literary agencies. The goal of this channel is to help writers throughout the book writing journey—whether you're working on your manuscript or you're looking for publishing advice.

Feel free to get in touch!

Website: https://www.alyssamatesic.com
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Email: [email protected]

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Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.