10 Signs of Amateurish Writing
The very last thing any of us want, as writers, is for our writing to come off as amateurish. But the 10 signs we’re about to discuss are growing pains that all writers, especially new writers, need to go through to reach their potential.
If we appear like we don’t know what we’re doing, we’re going to lose our credibility as writers.
And finally, without further ado – here are the 10 signs of amateurish writing:
P.S. These signs relate only to fiction writing.
P.P.S. I have committed every single one of these at one time or another.
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1. Using Excessive Punctuation
Using !, ?, !!, ??, ?! far too much is a big sign that we’re either new to writing or simply don’t know that too much punctuation is not a good look.
Besides just using them, overusing them is a no-no too.
A good rule of thumb:
● If you feel the need to overuse exclamation points, try to convey the emotion through your character’s dialogue or actions. Make them strong and show rather than tell us by using punctuation.
● Avoid using the interrobang (?!) at all costs.
How do we fix this?
Really, really try to limit exclamation points throughout your novel. If the scene calls for it, sure, go for it. Use one every chapter or every other chapter. Less is more here.
2. Showing Off Your Knowledge
I fall victim to this one often because I can get so bogged down by the research when I’m writing. I want to show off or be able to insert what I learned during my research. I don’t know if it’s because I feel the need to share it with my readers or because I think it helps the narrative.
I still haven’t figured it out.
But ultimately, when it comes to research and inserting it into your story, you have to be aware of sharing this information for no other purpose than flexing what you learned.
How do we fix this?
Go ahead and insert whatever you need to in your first draft—info-dump the sh*t out of it, honestly. And then, on your first and second rounds of self-edits, do your best to be as subtle as possible.
Remember that your readers are more intelligent than we give them credit for.
3. Head-Hopping
While it isn’t noticeable when we’re writing, readers are quick to pick up on head-hopping.
What is head-hopping?
Say you’re writing a scene purely in Harry Potter’s head. As readers, we’re listening to his thoughts, seeing his actions, and the reasoning behind his actions. Harry’s worried about Voldemort, the upcoming quidditch match, and whether or not Ginny is into him.
Then, in the same scene, we’re suddenly in Ron Weasley’s head – and he’s worried about what he’s going to eat for dinner and if Hermione is going to let him copy her homework.
This completely removes your readers from the immersive experience they’re looking for.
How do we fix this?
Head-hopping happens in a lot of first drafts, but first drafts are meant to be messy. Learn what POV you’d like to write it in (e.g., first-person, third-person limited, third-person omniscient, etc.) and do your best to stick to it.
4. Unrealistic Character Actions
Let’s say you’re writing a fight scene, and one of your characters gets stabbed in the kidney and then runs from the fight like they didn’t just get stabbed in the kidney. Is that realistic?
Barring superheroes, would you be able to sprint away from danger if you were stabbed in a vital organ? Uhm, doubtful.
Same thing when it comes to emotions. Are they crying one second, laughing their heads off the next? That’s only going to work if they’re unstable characters.
Make sure that your characters don’t act out of character.
How do we fix this?
Keep in mind the scene you’re writing. Ensure that your characters’ actions and dialogue align with the tone you’re crafting.
If the scene is dramatic, they won’t be laughing. If the scene is happy, they won’t be sad.
If it’s a historical romance novel, your characters won’t use 2020s slang, and your contemporary romance characters won’t speak as they did back during the Regency Era.
5. Opening Every Chapter the Same Way
How many times have you read a scene of a character waking up or getting ready for their day? Of course, that’s what we do every morning, but it doesn’t have to be the norm for how you start your story or how you start your chapters.
Too much of the same will make your readers bored, and they might end up putting your book down or, worse, DNFing it entirely.
How do we fix this?
Play around with how you open chapters and scenes. My favorite tip is to get in late and leave early. Start as close to the action of a scene as possible to hook your readers and keep them reading.
6. Unnecessary Scenes
This one is something Oscar Wilde, Stephen King, and me like to call Kill Your Darlings. And we aren’t talking about the 2013 movie starring Daniel Radcliffe and Elizabeth Olsen.
We’re talking about unnecessary scenes that don’t progress the plot or characters toward completing their arcs. This also includes a fun little bit of information that isn’t necessary either.
That fun scene between three characters partying all night for the sake of partying and talking about boys—cut it. The three pages of description explaining the intricacies of how a spaceship works—cut it.
If it doesn’t progress the plot or develop your characters, it might be a Kill Your Darlings moment.
How do we fix this?
If the book still makes sense without it, it’s a good sign that it needs to be cut.
7. Unnecessary Word Choice
You can commit this “crime” in two ways:
Filler words like that, was, so, just, only, really, very, etc.
Words that make your writing sound smarter
Stephen King said it best, “One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up the vocabulary, looking for long words because you’re maybe a little bit ashamed of your short ones. Use the first word that comes to mind, if it’s appropriate and colorful.”
As much as I love learning new words, I get tired of pulling out my dictionary.
How do we fix this?
Don’t get too down on yourself if you see a lot of filler words in your writing. We use them so frequently (and unconsciously) when we speak that it’s easy not even to be aware of them until you’re editing. See if you can edit them out entirely.
As for the intelligent-sounding words, simply get your point across in the simplest terms. We’ll get our GRE terms from our textbooks.
8. Imbalanced Dialogue
Fiction writing is a balancing act. There has to be a good amount of dialogue, exposition, and action. And this relates to the pacing of a story as well.
Too much exposition and chunky paragraphs will slow your book down and potentially cause your readers to skim, hoping to get to the action a bit sooner.
Too much dialogue, and there will be very little context for readers to draw upon. Too much action, and it might fatigue the readers. The pace will be quick, but is that what you want?
How do we fix this?
You likely favor dialogue or action or exposition over the others. The solution is to remember to mix them.
9. Pacing Issues
This is the most technical skill on the list, and it’s something that takes time and practice to master.
Fast pacing = the scene reads quickly.
Slow pacing = the scene reads…slow.
How do we fix this?
Quick words and short sentences help pick up the pace of your story, while longer words, sentences, and paragraphs will slow the writing.
One is not better than the other. It changes based on the context of the scene. Typically, action scenes are faster-paced, while heartfelt, romantic scenes can be slowed down.
10. Identical Characters
Do all your characters feel a bit same-same?
This is an issue many of the writers I’ve worked with express to me before we begin the editing process. They want to make sure that their characters stand out and are different from each other.
How do we fix this?
Take your time developing your main characters and side characters. There are hundreds of character questionnaires and writing exercises on the internet to help you learn your characters' big and little details.
Learn their wants, needs, and goals. Learn what they look like, how they speak, their tone of voice, and specific body language or physical characteristics.
In The End
It’s perfectly okay to make these amateurish writing mistakes. I’ve done it, I still do it, and I’m sure I’ll always dip my toe into amateurish writing now and then. But it’s important to bring awareness to these common mistakes and learn to form them.
What are the 10 signs of amateurish writing?
Using excessive punctuation
Showing off your knowledge
Head-hopping
Unrealistic character action
Opening every chapter the same way
Unnecessary scenes
Unnecessary word choice
Imbalance dialogue
Pacing issues
Identical characters
What do you catch yourself doing when writing? Let me know in the comments!
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