So, you’ve got that spark. You bought a brand-new, overpriced notebook. You created a Spotify playlist exclusively for "vibe curation." You are officially starting a new novel.

Before you type "Chapter One" and immediately spiral into an existential crisis, let’s clear the air. Writers get a lot of things wrong during the honeymoon phase of a new book.

Here are five traps you are probably walking into right now—and how to dodge them.

1. Expecting Your First Draft to Be Good

• The Delusion: You expect your first pass to read like a polished, award-winning masterpiece.

• The Reality: The first draft is just you telling yourself the story. It is supposed to be hot garbage.

• The Fix: Lower your standards. Lower them until they are underground. Write badly now so you can edit brilliantly later.

2. Starting the Story on the Most Boring Day Ever

• The Delusion: Readers need to see your protagonist wake up, brush their teeth, and eat cereal to understand them.

• The Reality: Nobody cares about your character's breakfast routine unless the cereal is poisoned.

• The Fix: Start on the day that is different. Start when the inciting incident kicks down the front door and ruins their life.

3. Dumping the Entire Encyclopedia Britannica in Chapter One

• The Delusion: The reader absolutely must know the 400-year political history of your fictional empire by page three.

• The Reality: This is called "info-dumping," and it works better than a sleeping pill.

• The Fix: Sprinkle details like seasoning, don't dump them like a bucket of water. Let readers be a little confused; mystery breeds curiosity.

  
  

4. Prioritizing "Poetry" Over actual Plot

• The Delusion: Crafting the perfect, lyrical metaphor for a sunset is more important than characters doing things.

• The Reality: Beautiful prose cannot save a story where absolutely nothing happens.

• The Fix: Hook them with conflict, stakes, and action first. You can add the fancy adjectives during your second pass.

5. Waiting for the "Inspiration Fairy" to Strike

• The Delusion: You can only write when the creative lightning bolts strike your brain perfectly.

• The Reality: If you only write when inspired, you will finish your novel sometime in the year 2045.

• The Fix: Treat writing like a blue-collar job. Show up, sit down, and punch the clock, even when the muse is taking a nap.

  
  

5 things writers get wrong about starting a new novel

Now that you know what not to do, go open that blank document and start making a beautiful, glorious mess.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out our weekly blog, both Dan and I really appreciate your comments and suggestions and remember your suggestions not only help us but help other writers who may be struggling.

Here is Dan’s latest revised & published book effort, it’s a great story built on true events that happened during the Korean war.

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