6 Lessons I Learned by Going Through My Old Stories

I’ve written 1000s of pieces online since 2014.

Recently, I went through my old stories and articles. To my surprise, I found many writing mistakes that all professional writers must avoid.

Here are the 6 writing lessons I learned from my old stories (Don’t repeat these mistake

#1 The use of an ellipsis (set of three dots)

I thought it represented continuity, and was a semicolon's alternative.

I was wrong.

According to GrammarBook, ellipsis has two uses:

• To quote material at the sentence’s end.

• To express hesitation or thoughts trailing off.

Another use of ellipses: To show one side of a phone conversation — to indicate the other person is speaking.

It’s best to avoid ellipsis unless in:

• conversation,

• dream sequences, or

• train-of-thought passages.

And it’s NOT an alternative to the semi-colon.

#2 The liberal use of exclamation marks

I believed: exclamation marks = excitement.

But today, I know the best way to stir up excitement is by:

• clever use of pauses,

• dialogue, or

• by showing intense thoughts in the protagonist’s head.

Exclamation marks can still be used to express:

• anger,

• surprise, or

• joy.

But using them often makes them less effective.

Readers will get annoyed if there’s one at the end of every other sentence.

#3 Presenting dialogue as in real life

In real life, people repeat talking about the same thing.

But when reading a novel, no one likes to read multiple paragraphs that talk about the same thing without moving the story forward.

#4 Beating about the bush

Readers lose interest if there isn’t anything valuable in each sentence.

Fillers don’t make for powerful sentences.

To avoid this, delete the sentences that don’t:

• take the story forward, or

• define the characters’ depth.

#5 Using language you don’t understand

Replacing a word with its synonym never works.

Readers can tell if you looked a word up in a Thesaurus.

If you’re not confident about a word, don’t use it. Stick to the basics.

Focus on the quality & don’t aim for flowery language

#6  Not writing for the reader

If you want to become a successful writer, your stories must:

• educate,

• inspire, or

• entertain the reader,

and give actionable takeaways.

6 writing lessons I learned by going through my old stories and articles. TL;DR:

#1 Don’t use an ellipsis

#2 Stop using exclamation marks

#3 Present dialogue smartly

#4 Get straight to the point

#5 Don’t use synonyms just for the sake of it

#6 Write for the reader