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I’m a Professional Editor & These Are the 4 Biggest Mistakes New Writers Make
I can spot a novice from the first paragraph
If great writing were simply about stringing words together, we’d all be New York Times bestselling authors.
For a decade now, I’ve made my living as a . I’ve worked on articles, blog posts, web copy, speeches, proposals, and manuscripts — but no matter what form the writing takes, I can typically spot a beginner by the first paragraph.
It has nothing to do with spelling or grammar. (Now that we have free writing assistants like , no typo should survive the final draft.) Instead, novice writing reveals itself in verbal clutter that suffocates your story.
The bad news? Most beginners think flowery, rambling language makes their writing better. (It doesn’t.)
The good news? It’s easy enough to fix when you know exactly what to look for.
1. Using way too many modifiers
A modifier is any word, phrase, or clause that , phrase, or clause. The most common are adjectives and adverbs — and new writers love them.
