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5 Editors Tackle the 12 Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing by C.S. Lakin (book review)

January 19, 2021 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

Fiction writers often struggle to improve their craft, and the biggest challenge comes from the inability to see what isn’t working. The prose feels off. The scene isn’t gelling. The dialogue sounds stilted or clunky. But they don’t know why or how to fix it. This book lays it all out.

5 Editors Tackle the Twelve Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing demonstrates the deadly dozen pitfalls on the road to a strong story, along with revisions that show writers exactly how to avoid novel failure.

No other writing craft book offers such detailed instruction in how to spot and remedy the major flaws of fiction writing. What makes this book an important addition to a writer’s bookshelf?

This in-depth guide to self-editing is an invaluable resource for any writer of any genre. It shows, not just tells, how to write better fiction. Using it, you’ll be armed with the tools and skills you need to conquer the twelve fatal flaws of fiction writing.


As an editor, I work with a lot of new novelists, and most of them make the same mistakes. I’m always looking for good books to recommend to help them learn how to identify and correct those mistakes — this book is going at the top of my list.

I’ll be honest — it’s not a great cover and the title is a bit tedious. I know three of the contributing editors, though, so I picked up a copy. Still, it took me a couple of years before I decided to read this.

If you’re a new writer struggling to understand and master the basics of fiction writing, you need a copy of this book. It approaches each “fatal flaw” from five different angles, increasing the odds that the reader will connect with and understand one of the explanations. On top of that, the book is full of before and after sections, so even if the reader doesn’t completely understand what the author is saying, all you need to do is compare the before and after examples to see how something was edited.

I’ll be adding this to my list of must-haves for new authors, next to Jeff Gerke’s The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction, Brown and Kings Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, and Kathy Tyers Writing in Deep Viewpoint.

G rated. Get your copy here!

Filed Under: book reviews Tagged With: book review, C.S. Lakin, Christy Distler, Linda S. Clare, Rachel Starr Thomson, Robin Patchen, writing books, writing fiction, writing resources, writing tips

Subtle Point of View Errors that Throw the Reader out of the Story by Robin Patchen

August 17, 2015 by Karin Beery 1 Comment

Robin PatchenNot all point of view errors are head-hopping shifts. In fact, there’s been so much written on POV in recent years, most experienced writers rarely, if ever, shift points of view. Head-hopping is out, and the fact that some famous author does it no longer feels like a viable excuse.

But I still see POV errors in novels—both unpublished and published. Not shifts, but something more subtle. I saw a great example when I was a reading a historical novel set in Boston. Being a New Englander at heart, I love reading about my favorite city. So when the very educated, local doctor said, “You’ll be wanting to elevate that knee,” I was wicked annoyed. Because nobody from Boston uses that kind of construction—“you’ll be wanting to.”

In case you’re curious, Bostonians are also never “fixin’ to” do anything, but here in my new home state of Oklahoma, people are fixin’ to do stuff all the time. At the same time, to put the very popular and perfectly wonderful adverb “wicked” in the speech of an Oklahoman would almost always be a POV error (unless your character were me or any member of my transplanted family).

It’s not just colloquial speech that gets people, though. Today I was reading a manuscript in which the manly, sports-minded hero said his friend was wearing a “snazzy” suit. Men in the audience, clap if you often utter the word, “snazzy.”

I hear crickets.

That’s not a word most men use. So if you’re going to have a male character use it, there’d better be a good reason. Maybe he’s in the beauty industry. Or maybe he was raised by a pack of wild, fashion-crazed women.

Staying within your character’s POV isn’t just about only showing the reader what he’s seeing and feeling. It’s also about making sure every word, phrase, and sentence in his POV reflects his personality. Sure, your blue collar worker can use fifty-dollar words, but if he does, there’d better be a reason, and you’d better show us what it is. Yes, an elderly grandmother can high-five her best friend over the pinochle table after a particularly “phat” hand, but that had better line up with Granny’s personality—and stay consistent throughout the book.

So when you’re searching your book for POV shifts, pay particular attention to:

Word choice
Sentence structure
Sentence length
Mannerisms

One suggestion I give my clients is to read their stories aloud and in the voice of their character. Often, you may not see the error, but your ears will pick up on it. And you don’t want any to slip by, because POV errors throw readers out of the story, and that is wicked bad.

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Finding AmandaRobin Patchen lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, with her husband and three teenagers. Her third book, Finding Amanda, released this spring. When Robin isn’t writing or caring for her family, she works as a freelance editor at Robin’s Red Pen, where she specializes in Christian fiction. Read excerpts and find out more at her website, robinpatchen.com.

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Finding Amanda: Chef and popular blogger Amanda Johnson hopes publishing her memoir will provide healing and justice. Her estranged husband, contractor and veteran soldier Mark Johnson, tries to talk her out of it, fearing the psychiatrist who seduced her when she was a teen might return to silence her.

But Amanda doesn’t need advice, certainly not from her judgmental soon-to-be ex-husband. Her overconfidence makes her vulnerable when she travels out of town and runs into the abuser from her past. A kind stranger comes to her rescue and offers her protection.

Now Mark must safeguard his wife both from the fiend who threatens her life and from the stranger who threatens their marriage.

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I know it’s August, but we’re keeping the celebration alive here at Write Now Editing! Robin has donated a copy of her favorite writing resource to giveaway to one lucky reader. Just leave your name and email in the comments – I’ll pick a winner next week!

 

Filed Under: guest blogger, writing Tagged With: point-of-view, Robin Patchen

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ABOUT ME

Editor. Teacher. Novelist.
A passionate lover of fiction, Karin doesn't just write novels, she helps others write their best stories! A certified substantive editor with the Christian Editor Connection, her goal is to help authors to put her out of business by equipping them with the tools they need to become better writers.

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Karin understood my advertising and marketing writing needs and accomplished the project in record time. She asked all the right questions up front to equip herself with enough … [more]

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Substantive Fiction Editing: A substantive edit looks at the big picture. Start here to tackle the big issues before moving on to the nit-picky details. Substantive edits not only point out … [more]

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Lover of all things fiction, I also love University of Michigan football, the Detroit Lions, Tigers, and Red Wings, kayaking, gluten-free cupcakes, and my husband.

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