Plan a Story from Beginning to End: Simple Guide for Beginners
February 11, 2026
Stay Consistent While Writing: Simple Guide That Works
February 13, 2026Plan a Story from Beginning to End: Simple Guide for Beginners
February 11, 2026Stay Consistent While Writing: Simple Guide That Works
February 13, 2026
Beginner Writing Mistakes to Avoid (Simple Guide + Examples)
Every writer starts somewhere.
When I first began to write fiction, I assumed that the most difficult part of writing fiction would be coming up with ideas. But the truth is, ideas are the easy part. The real challenge is learning how to develop those ideas into a story that people actually want to read. That usually means learning what makes a story weak before those habits become hard to break. And like new writers, I made plenty of mistakes and learn in the course of time.
The good news? Most of the mistakes that beginner writers make are perfectly normal and they are fixable. Once you have an idea of what to look for, you can improve your writing much faster than you think. If you are an aspiring author, here are some mistakes to look out for and simple ways to avoid them.
If you are still trying to figure out the basics of writing, you can also read our guide How to Start Writing a Book before diving in.
Trying to Sound “Too Literary”
Many beginning writers believe good writing must be complicated in sound. So they stuff their sentences with long words, loads of descriptions and complicated phrases. Making your sentence sound powerful often just makes it more difficult to read. Great storytelling is generally simple and clear. Simple writing doesn’t mean flat writing, it means every word is doing useful work.
What Works Better
Focus on being clear, not to make it complicated. Instead of writing, “An overwhelming aura of melancholy saturated the environment,” try something simpler, “There was a quiet sadness in the room.”
Simple writing helps the reader keep their attention on the story rather than having to struggle through the sentences and look for a dictionary.
Remember, good writing doesn’t come across as forced, it comes across as natural with the flow. Passive voice also weakens your writing, and passive voice is allowed in fiction writing, know when to use Passive Voice in Fiction.
Telling Instead of Showing
One of the most common writing mistakes made by beginners is telling what happened, instead of showing the reader what happened through action, behaviour or emotion.
For example:
- Telling: “Meera was very nervous about the meeting.”
- Showing: “Meera tapped her pen on the desk and looked at the clock every few seconds.”
The second version works better as it has the reader experiencing the moment through Meera’s character instead of just telling about it.
How to Improve
Ask yourself,
- Can I try to express this emotion through action?
- Can I capture what the character sees or does or notices?
Showing makes a better emotional connection with the reader. That means not every line needs to be fully shown, sometimes a little telling is good to keep the story moving. If you want to go more in-depth on this, read What Is Show vs Tell in Writing? along know also what is Metaphor and Analogy, to make your writing more vivid. Overusing Adverbs Weakens in your Writing leans on telling side, know Why Overusing Adverbs Weakens Your Writing.
Weak or Passive Characters
Readers identify themself with stories through strong characters. Many beginning writers usually create characters that only react to events instead of ‘actively’ driving the story forward. Simply, a good character has some wants in their life which lead them to make decisions and experience consequences. So to build Active Characters, give your characters some traits,
- Clear goals
- Personal motivations
- Difficult choices
- Challenges they have to overcome
It also helps your reader to know about your character’s losses, when if he or she fails. When characters are seeking something or have a want in a story, the story naturally becomes interesting. It’s also important that your characters must express themselves through dialogue.
Characters are at the heart of every story and without them, the story becomes flat. A character should sound strong and be memorable.
Learning from the article how to create Memorable and strong characters and with that learn how to make them speak with Realistic Dialogue.
Too Much Backstory
It’s tempting to explain everything about your characters right away — their childhood, their struggles in the past, their entire life story. But huge chunks of backstory can slow down a story. The reader will generally be more interested in what is happening in the present.
A Better Approach. Make information available step by step, as the story progress. Instead of explaining all at once, sprinkle the details throughout the story.
For example,
- A memory while having a conversation
- A minute detail in a description
- A brief flashback if it is important
- This keeps readers curious and invested in the story.
Too much of the backstory relates to info dumping, know How to avoid Info Dumping in Stories
Editing While You Write
Many new writers stop every few sentences to edit what they have written. The result? Progress becomes agonisingly slow. Writing and editing are two different processes. Trying to do both at once often results in frustration and your stories will become untold.
A Simple Writing Rule, Write first. Edit later.
If you get stuck on a scene, a description, or even a name, leave yourself a quick note and keep moving in your process.
If you need more help in this stage then know more about How to Write a First Draft of a Book. Your first draft does not need to be perfect and it just needs to be written. Once your story is complete, you can edit, modify, improve and polish it later. Even experienced published authors work this way.
Fear of Imperfection
Many new writers make the mistake of waiting till their writing is perfect before continuing or proceeding to the next step. But perfection is not the objective of a first draft; it’s progress toward completing your story. The truth is that all writers, no matter how successful they are, they start with imperfect drafts. A rough draft merely looks ugly if you compare it to a finished book rather than compare it with a blank page.
Stories Are Made Great By Being Rewritten, Edited and Persistent. That is what really makes you a better writer.
Know about Common Grammar Mistakes Fiction Writers Make while writing their first fiction so that you can avoid them.
Three Simple Habits Make A Biggest Difference
- Writing regularly
- Reading widely
- Finishing what you start
Your writing will become more confident and stronger as you write more stories. If consistency is difficult at this moment in building, read Daily Writing Habit That Actually Sticks.
Three Simple Habits Make A Biggest Difference
- Writing regularly
- Reading widely
- Finishing what you start
Your writing will become more confident and stronger as you write more stories. If consistency is difficult at this moment in building, read Daily Writing Habit That Actually Sticks.
Final Thoughts
Becoming a Better Writer Takes Time.
Writing fiction is a journey. Every author you admire struggled with many of the same beginning writing mistakes and you may be suffering today. The difference is simple,
- They kept writing.
- They learnt from their mistakes.
- They finished their stories.
- And they kept improving.
That growth typically occurs little by little and not all at once. If you really want to be an author, bear this in mind, every page that you write now moves you closer to the writer’s journey that you desire to be.
So keep going.
If you are interested in storytelling, fiction writing and the creative process, you can explore more articles on the site, and you can also explore my books and stories. Your writing journey is just beginning — and in many ways, that is the most exciting part.
Writing can feel lonely sometimes. Why not join me on Patreon? I share a mix of both free and premium writing content there and I’d love to have you there!
