Three Mistakes Writers Make

I'm a firm believer that mistakes are part of becoming a great writer. However, if you find yourself stuck, maybe one of these three mistakes are holding you back.

Let's be honest, mistakes are part of the process. I've made a ton of mistakes so far on this journey, but here are three I'm very familiar with.

I'm the Queen of mistakes

“If you're not making mistakes, you're not trying hard enough.”

One way to be successful through the writing process is to know what pitfalls to avoid. Here are my top three mistakes new writers make:

Mistake #1: They don't have a clear understanding of what a first draft is. A first draft is just that: a FIRST draft. There will be many, many revisions in your future once your first draft is done. But step one is to finish that pesky first draft. So, don't worry too much about sentence structure, grammar, and spelling. Your first draft will have a ton of mistakes. It will have a bunch of words that you probably will not use. Don't worry about getting it perfect. It's supposed to be messy. Embrace the mess and enjoy the process.

Mistake #2: They aren't consistent. In order to write, you have to write. Crazy, huh? Writing needs to be a priority. If you don't come up with a writing schedule, you are at a disadvantage. Everyone has a different context they are writing from. Some are single parents, some work full time, and we all have a million things vying for our attention. It's so important to come up with a writing schedule that works for you. It's best to write every day, but if you can't manage a daily writing time, then you should block out regular times during the week to write. Be committed. Make it a priority. If you can't, then maybe you aren't ready to commit to writing a book.

Mistake #3: They get caught up in everything except the actual writing. Being a writer is an exciting thing. It's easy to get distracted by so many things. It's not bad to design your cover, join writers groups, read blogs, watch videos about writing, or post on your social media that you're writing. But here's the thing: Only writing is writing. Make writing your priority, and save all of that other stuff for when you're not supposed to be writing.

“Be original, show off your style, and tell your story.”