Often these novels are self-published by authors who have been driven mad by years of rejection, or blinded to simple things that might have made their books more marketable on a larger scale. If that is you, reading this, I feel your pain. Sometimes such books are put out by small presses, or even major publishers, who for whatever reason, simply do not do careful editing. Like unripened fruit, these books would have benefited from more nurturing, editorial feedback and yes, even rewriting, before they were thrust into the world, or thrown into the marketplace. Ironically, some authors at the top of the heap are guilty of this carelessness because of the pressure to publish more frequently, while authors standing at the foot of ladder do the same thing because they haven't stumbled upon someone to give them knowledgable feedback.
Want to avoid this mistake? I'm going to share one simple way. I learned this secret some years ago. It may be the commonest error in novel writing. Every time I see it, I want to drop the book in irritation yelling, "Ditch the first three chapters, the story starts on page 20, or 30 or, lord help us, 50!"
One of my most valued how-to books on writing (which I hesitate to recommend because I hate to strengthen the competition!) is literary agent and author, Donald Maass' Writing the Breakout Novel. In the workbook edition he puts it well:
Again and again in manuscripts I find my eyes skimming over backstory passages in chapters one, two, and even three. Backstory doesn't engage me, because it doesn't tell a story. It does not have tension to it, usually, or complicate problems. However, once problems have been introduced, backstory can be artfully deployed to deepen them. It can be particularly useful in developing inner conflicts.(p. 141 Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass)
Write on!
Lynne
-jpg.jpg)