Two of the Most Common Mistakes I See, and How to Avoid Them

Once upon a time, I was a newbie fiction writer with a few short story publications under my belt ready to try my hand at writing a novel. I jumped in at what felt like the most natural place to start. A plot outline. I learned very quickly that I do not think in outlines – I’m more of a discovery writer, meaning I figure out my story as I write (AKA a pantser). I tried reverse outlines, story maps, beat sheets. I tried every method out there as I worked out what would happen in my story.

The other thing I did was a deep-dive character sketch of my protagonist. Because you’re supposed to do that, right? Create a fully-formed, 3D character readers will care about? I went through all the exercises and prompts I could find and made sure I knew everything I needed to know about my protagonist.

That first novel manuscript? It took me years to write.

Years of writing and rewriting. Of pulling apart and stitching back together again. Of banging my head against the same problems, again and again. No idea how to fix any of it.

Unbeknownst to Past Me, I’d made two very common newbie mistakes: I’d written from the outside-in, and I’d failed to develop my antagonist with as much care as I’d developed my protagonist.

And both of these mistakes kept me stuck for a long time.

Fast-forward a decade, and, having learned what I needed to dig myself out of that hole, I now help writers climb out of the very same stuck place.

If you have a sneaking suspicion that you’ve also made these two common mistakes, don’t worry. I’ve got you. I’m going to tell you how to avoid these mistakes and share some helpful resources.

Common Mistake #1: Writing from the Outside-In

There’s a very logical reason for why writers make this common mistake.

Think about it. When someone asks us about the book we’re reading, or the movie we’ve just seen, what do we say?

“It’s about this guy who gets stranded on Mars and has to grow potatoes to survive until his crew can rescue him…” (The Martian).  

“It about this girl who has to go into an arena with a bunch of other kids to fight to the death…” (The Hunger Games)

“It’s about a woman scientist in the 1950s who faces a lot of old-fashioned misogyny and ends up becoming a cooking show host…” (Lessons in Chemistry)

In other words, we jump to the What Happened. To the plot. And it makes sense. Our brains are actively following the plot, piecing the story together. So it’s natural that when we sit down to write a story, we start with plot. It’s the most visible layer of the story.

But starting with plot is like walking into a story backwards.

When you start with your story’s external plot, you end up with a protagonist who feels inconsistent. Who changes from scene to scene to fit the plot events as they unfold. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to write a story with a satisfying resolution when your protagonist is blowing about in the plot winds.

That’s what I mean when I say writing from the outside-in. You’re starting with the external plot.

Instead, you need to write your story from the inside-out.

Stories need change. It’s what gives them both a sense of movement and a sense of meaning. But change doesn’t come from the external plot; change comes from your protagonist’s internal arc of change.

That means you need to know that internal arc of change before you can plot your story. And that means you’ve got to dig into some big questions, from why you’re writing this story to what it is you’re trying to say to how the protagonist’s journey will make that point for you. Then you design a plot that will carry the protagonist along that internal arc of change, whether that’s a wholesale change in worldview or a small shift in perspective.

This layer of the story – the Why It Matters – is the invisible connective tissue that holds your story together. Because we tend to take this layer of the story in passively as we actively follow the What Happens, we writers have to train ourselves to see it.

Next time you’re reading an author you admire, look for the ways they set up the internal arc of change. Track it as the story progresses. Notice how the plot grows logically and organically out of that arc of change.

My favorite craft book for learning to see this critical, invisible-unless-you’re-looking-for-it layer of story is Lisa Cron’s Story Genuis.

My craft resource, the Inside Out Synopsis, is another great way to start thinking about your story from the Inside Out.

And my new coaching offering, the Inside Out Story Blueprint, is all about articulating this inner layer of your story. Based on Author Accelerator’s Blueprint method, it’s a 4-week coaching intensive designed to help you get your arms around your story’s inner core and external plot of your story.

Common Mistake #2: Underdeveloped Antagonism

This is a big one. And, again, there’s a logical reason for this.

Readers experience a story through the eyes of the protagonist. Like Bastien following Atreyu through his adventures in Fantasia, we make allies, run from enemies, fall in love, get our hearts broken, cry, cheer, scream, curse, and melt along with the protagonist. They are the most important character in the story. Maybe they’re a hero, maybe they’re not. Maybe they’re deeply flawed, utterly charming, endlessly infuriating, hopelessly romantic, completely unreliable. Whoever they are, they’re the character we’re following, from page one to The End.

So, naturally, when we first sit down to write a story, we go straight to the protagonist. We put our energy there, creating a character readers will care about.

And we forget about the antagonists.

But, just as stories need change, they need conflict.

Antagonists need just as much character development as protagonists do, even if they’re rarely on the page. But often what I see is vague antagonists, with vague goals and even vaguer motives (no shade - I did the same thing as a newbie). It’s not clear why they want what they want, what they’re doing to get it, why it matters to them, and, importantly, how the protagonist is getting in their way. Remember: the protagonist is an antagonist to your antagonist.

Developing well-rounded, fully-formed antagonists with their own goals, needs, motivations, and stakes is key to writing a story that works. Without it, you’ll have a hard time creating the conflict you need to push your protagonist, logically and organically, to the point of change.

I’ve yet to come across a craft book that successfully treats antagonism as more that a “oh, and by the way you need an antagonist” afterthought or resists overly simplifying them into villains. (Any suggestions? Send ‘em my way in the comments below.) I did do a deep dive myself into the layers of antagonism every story needs in my blog post: Developing Antagonism in Your Story.

I also created a resource called the Conflict Generator that can help you develop the layers of antagonism your story needs.

To say the learning curve is steep when it comes to writing a novel is an wild understatement. One of my favorite editors, Tiffany Yates Martin, likens writing to directing an orchestra. Except, in addition to directing, you’re also playing all the instruments and you wrote all the arrangements. (BTW, Tiffany is also the author of, not one, but two of my favorite craft books: Intuitive Editing and The Intuitive Author.)

I love this analogy because it captures the immense complexity of weaving character, plot, setting, and theme into a seamless whole. Just like learning how to play an instrument, learning how to write a novel takes time and practice. But there are lots of resources out there - including me! - that can help you hone those skills so you can write a story that works.

Till next time…

Happy writing,

Erin