Top 10 Signs You are a Newbie
There’s nothing wrong with being a writing newbie; all writers were unpublished and inexperienced at one point. But you can avoid having flashing neon signs in your writing that point out that fact by steering clear of doing the following:
- You address your query letters, “To whom it may concern.”
- You are willing to give your work away. (Exception - when it’s a barter situation or to support a cause you believe in.)
- You brag to editors about how much your mother and your friends love, love, love your work.
- You think doing two drafts is one draft too many. Or, even worse, you think your work is perfect and never needs editing.
- You claim that your work will appeal to everyone in the entire world.
- You have been doing research for a decade but have not written more than three pages of your novel.
- You refuse to share the full idea of what you are working on with editors, just allude to it, as you are scared the editor will steal your idea.
- Dream scenarios are a mainstay in your fiction writing.
- Believing that you don’t have to have a social media presence or even an online presence to be a successful writer.
- Your writing is full of clichés. After all, you don’t want to be a flash in the pan.
Happy writing!