by If you are just starting the writer’s journey, you should know what makes a book boring. You should also know how to not make the mistakes that can make your book boring as there are a lot of things that can make your book boring.
Read on to learn more!
Mistake #1: Avoiding Conflict
When it comes to avoiding mistakes that can make your book boring, there are a few things that really stand out. Now, they might not necessarily put the reader to sleep, but sometimes, they really do.
We are referring to conflict and the way conflict is presented within the book in such a manner that it is intriguing to the readers. You should know that people are interested in conflict. They are intrigued by it because when a conflict is going on, they want to know what is happening.
So, when there isn’t conflict, literature and movies are boring. Of course, movies can go the other way, as they have too much conflict, because screenwriters are generally taught that there is a need for loads of conflict, and screenwriters understand this point very well.
However, novice writers of novels or memoirs and even nonfiction – many times, they don’t think they need conflict. So, as a novel writer, you might want to enroll in the novel writing course as a way to ensure that you have the basics right and that you have your readers intrigued from the very start of the novel.
Also, if you aren’t writing a novel but working on a nonfiction book, you will want to avoid this mistake, too, because many nonfiction writers believe that people read nonfiction to get something, which is true. However, you must ensure that the nonfiction that you are working on is very engaging, as you are basically showing people how to do something.
So, when nonfiction readers see conflict and see that something is happening through the conflict, it becomes much more interesting for them. However, when you are writing a novel and working on fiction, this part becomes absolutely crucial.
Mistake #2: Avoiding Humanizing the Conflict
This part is directly linked with the first part of the conflict. Many writers forget to humanize the conflict, which one might call an antagonist, which could be a monster or an animal. The antagonist could also be the weather or the harsh environment. Whatever it is, there are many different ways that the opponent can manifest.
Sometimes, newbie writers wonder whether they can integrate their inner conflict, and the simple answer is yes. But – if all you have is an inner conflict, then you will end up boring people by essentially producing a boring book.
So, if you are currently working on your book, and the only type of conflict that you are integrating is an inner conflict, you need to do better by humanizing that conflict. In other words, you need an opponent in your story, which can be a memoir.
No matter what your subject topic is, the truth is that everybody has some sort of opposition in their lives. Opposition is an integral part of life because it is how life goes on. If you put blinders on that, then it might be fine—it is up to you—but by doing so, you will be making your book boring.
To write a compelling book that will actually keep your readers on the edge of reading more, you absolutely need to have some sort of humanized opposition. If you humanize the conflict and have an actual person who is in the way of your protagonist’s goal, you will have your readers hooked on the story.
Mistake #3: Relying Too Much on Action
Another mistake that you might make, which in turn makes your writing boring, is to rely too much on action. You might have heard the rule that for every action, there is an equal amount of opposite reaction. However, when it comes to writing a novel, you should know that for every action, there should be an appropriate yet equal reaction.
What we mean by this is that as a writer, you need to see your characters respond not only internally but also verbally and externally to the events that are unfolding in the novel.
If you keep showing your readers what is happening choreographically, or you show your readers all the different actions that the characters take instead of taking the step to really help your readers understand how the characters are interpreting what is happening in their surroundings, then it will make your story fall flat.
When it comes to writing a novel, you should know that your readers are reading the novel for the characters so that they can relate to them and understand how they progress and what their journeys are throughout the novel. However, your readers cannot get into the heads of the characters unless you take them there.
So, you should avoid the mistake of showing your readers everything that is going on on the outside. Instead, you will want to dive in deep and really help your readers understand how they are reacting to everything that is going on.
You will want to show your character’s inner thoughts and feelings along with their reactions and reflections, as this can take the form of something as simple as describing an expression that they make in reaction to what someone says or does.
You could also describe the things that are going on inside the minds of the various characters through comments that they make to other characters about what just happened in the novel. This way, the characters will be reflecting to someone else about it.
It could also be a line of inner dialogue that you share with your readers. In novels, the inner dialogue is often italicized to indicate that it is unraveling inside a character’s mind. The perfect and most effective storyline, including a novel, has an equal balance of action and reaction.
