I've edited hundreds of manuscripts over my career as a developmental editor, and these are the 7 most common issues I see time and time again, especially with new authors. I break down what these mistakes are, why they’re hurting your story, and how to fix them fast. DOWNLOAD MY FREE STORY SELF-ASSESSMENT! https://www.alyssamatesic.com/#freebie-form WORK WITH ME ON YOUR STORY https://www.alyssamatesic.com/inquire#inquire-2 GET A QUERY LETTER REVIEW https://www.queryacademy.com DEEP DIVE VIDEOS: Character Interiority 101: https://youtu.be/eV0LvssGJWE Common Mistakes When Writing Close Third Person: https://youtu.be/NjGwXvXjsg0 Why Info-Dumping KILLS Your Story: https://youtu.be/o0vCmAz-O2s 5 Scenes to Cut from Your Novel NOW: https://youtu.be/oD-tYgBHKbw The Secret to Writing Perfect Scenes: https://youtu.be/i_4-f_KLOwo 5 Major Differences Between Pro and Amateur Writers: https://youtu.be/4UHtlR5Ibfw How to Use Reverse Outlining to Fix Every Problem in Your Book: https://youtu.be/O9RFPR38SYs 7 BIGGEST MISTAKES AMATEUR AUTHORS MAKE: 00:00 Intro 00:30 Not exploring the protagonist’s mind enough 03:12 Having an inconsistent point of view 05:37 Info-dumping 07:39 Refusing to kill your darlings 09:18 Writing weak scenes 10:55 Not thinking about your reader 12:30 Neglecting the revision process ABOUT ME: My name is Alyssa Matesic, and I’m a professional book editor with nearly a decade of book publishing and editorial experience. Throughout my career, I’ve held editorial roles across both sides of the publishing industry: Big Five publishing houses and literary agencies. The goal of this channel is to help writers throughout the book writing journey—whether you're working on your manuscript or you're looking for publishing advice. SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER FEATURING WRITING/PUBLISHING EXPERTS https://www.chapter-break.com/ FOLLOW ME ON MY SOCIALS! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssabookeditor/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlyssaMatesic TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alyssamatesic MUSIC: Charlie Brown by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT