5 Editing Mistakes New Writers Make (and How to Avoid Them)

You’ve finished your manuscript – congratulations! First of all, take a second to breathe that in. Completing a book, whether it’s a short story collection, a novella, or a full-length novel, is a massive achievement. Most people talk about writing a book; very few actually sit down and do it. You should be proud.

But now comes the part that makes many writers want to hide under their desks: editing.

There is a common misconception that editing is just about fixing typos and making sure your commas are in the right place. While that’s part of it, real editing is about “saving” your manuscript from the habits that pull readers out of the story. It’s about refining your voice, tightening your plot, and ensuring your message actually lands.

In my time working with writers, I’ve seen the same few stumbling blocks pop up time and time again. If you’re a new writer, don’t feel bad, we all make these mistakes (myself included!). The key is learning how to spot them so you can polish your work into something truly professional.

Here are five of the most common editing mistakes new writers make and, more importantly, how you can fix them.

1. The “edit-as-you-go” trap

I know, it is incredibly tempting to finish a paragraph, look at it, decide it’s “rubbish,” and spend the next three hours rewriting it. This is the fastest way to ensure your book never gets finished.

The mistake: Trying to wear your “writer hat” and your “editor hat” at the same time. These two roles use different parts of your brain. Writing is creative, messy, and expansive. Editing is critical, clinical, and reductive. When you try to do both at once, you freeze. You lose your momentum, and often, you end up deleting scenes that might have been brilliant if you’d just given them room to breathe.

How to avoid it: Give yourself permission to write a “messy” first draft. Don’t look back until you hit “The End.” If you find a plot hole or realize a character’s name changed halfway through, just make a note in a separate document and keep going. Once the draft is finished, step away for at least two weeks. When you return with fresh eyes, you’ll be in the right headspace to edit objectively.

2. Over-explaining (the “show, don’t tell” struggle)

This is perhaps the most frequent issue I see in early manuscripts. New writers often feel the need to explain every emotion and every action to make sure the reader “gets it.”

The mistake: Over-explaining usually looks like this: “She was furious, so she slammed the door hard to show how angry she felt.” We already know she’s angry because she slammed the door! By adding the explanation, you’re essentially telling the reader they aren’t smart enough to figure it out on their own. This creates a distance between the reader and the character.

How to avoid it: Look for “emotion” words like angry, sad, happy, nervous, excited. When you find them, ask yourself: How can I show this through action or internal sensation instead? Instead of saying someone is nervous, show their palms sweating or their fingers tapping incessantly on the table. Trust your reader. They are smarter than you think!

3. The Passive Voice plague

Passive voice isn’t technically a grammatical “error,” but it is a momentum killer. It makes your writing feel heavy, academic, and, well, passive.

The mistake: In passive voice, the subject of the sentence is being acted upon. For example: “The glass was broken by Sarah.” It feels a bit clunky, doesn’t it? It takes the agency away from the character and places it on the object.

How to avoid it: Flip the sentence so the subject is doing the action. “Sarah broke the glass.” See the difference? It’s shorter, punchier, and more direct. Active voice gives your story energy. While there is a time and place for passive voice (usually when the “doer” of the action is unknown), 95% of your manuscript should be active.

If you’re struggling to spot this, a fun (if slightly silly) trick is the “By Zombies” test. If you can add the words “by zombies” after the verb and the sentence still makes sense, it’s probably passive voice.
Example: “The town was destroyed (by zombies).” , Passive.
Example: “Zombies destroyed the town.” , Active.

4. Weak and “on-the-nose” dialogue

Dialogue is one of the hardest things to master. New writers often use dialogue to relay information to the reader (info-dumping) or to mirror real-life conversations too closely.

The mistake: Real-life conversation is full of “Um,” “Ah,” and “How are you? I’m fine, thanks.” If you put that in a book, your reader will be bored to tears. Another mistake is “on-the-nose” dialogue, where characters say exactly what they are thinking with no subtext.
Example: “Hello brother, I am still mad at you because you stole my inheritance ten years ago.” Nobody talks like that!

How to avoid it: Dialogue should serve two purposes: moving the plot forward or revealing character. If it does neither, cut it. Give your characters subtext. People rarely say exactly what they want; they talk around it. Instead of having a character say they are mad, have them give a short, clipped answer or bring up a completely unrelated grievance.

Also, watch out for “dialogue tags.” You don’t need your characters to exclaim, retort, bark, or whimper. A simple “said” or “asked” is invisible to the reader and keeps the focus on the words being spoken.

5. Inconsistent Point of View 

Unless you are writing in a very specific “Omniscient” style (which is actually quite difficult to pull off well), you should generally stick to one Point of View (POV) per scene.

The mistake: “Head-hopping” is when the narrative jumps from one character’s thoughts to another’s within the same scene.
Example: Mark looked at Jane and wondered if she loved him. Jane looked back, thinking about what she wanted for dinner.
This is disorienting. It prevents the reader from fully immersing themselves in one character’s experience because they keep getting yanked into someone else’s brain.

How to avoid it: Pick a “POV character” for each scene. Everything the reader experiences in that scene must come through that character’s five senses. If Mark is the POV character, he can’t know Jane is thinking about dinner; he can only see that she looks distracted or hear her stomach growl. This limitation actually makes the writing stronger because it forces you to use better descriptions.

Why a professional eye matters

You can (and should) do your best to fix these mistakes on your own. Self-editing is a vital skill for any author. However, there comes a point where you are simply too close to the work to see it clearly anymore. You know what you meant to say, so your brain automatically fills in the gaps, even if the words on the page don’t actually reflect it.

This is where professional manuscript preparation comes in. Whether it’s a developmental edit to look at the big picture or a line edit to fix those pesky passive sentences, having an expert guide can be the difference between a “good” book and a “publishable” one.

Writing is a lonely business, but editing doesn’t have to be. Sometimes, you just need someone to tell you, “Hey, you’ve used the word ‘suddenly’ fourteen times in this chapter: let’s look at that.”

Ready to take your manuscript to the next level?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the editing process or you’re just not sure where to start, I’m here to help! Whether you need a push to finish that first draft or a professional eye to polish your final version, Accomplish Press offers a range of services tailored for writers just like you.

• 1:1 Coaching: Work with me directly in my Draft to Done Book Coaching programme. We’ll tackle your manuscript together, from the first word to the final polish.
• Creative Writing Courses: If you’re still honing your craft, join one of my Creative Writing Courses for Beginners. It’s a supportive environment where you can learn the ropes and avoid these common pitfalls from day one.

Don’t let your manuscript sit in a drawer gathering dust. Let’s work together to make it the best it can be. Click here to find out more about how we can work together.

Happy writing (and editing)!

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