My Biggest Writing Mistakes (And What I Learned)

By georgelthomas on 5 Aug 2025 • ( 0 )

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today, I’m delving into some things I’ve learned from my biggest writing mistakes.

My Biggest Writing Mistakes (And What I Learned)

Every writer has a graveyard full of early drafts, abandoned projects, and painful lessons—and this writer is no exception. In fact, looking back, my biggest writing mistakes taught me more than any class, course, or book ever could. Here are some lessons I’ve uncovered through my writing over the years.

1. Waiting for Inspiration to Strike
In my early days, I believed writing should happen when it happened. If the muse didn’t show up for her shift, neither did I. I’d tell myself I was merely “waiting to feel inspired.” In reality, I was procrastinating.

What I learned:
Inspiration is unreliable. Discipline and practice aren’t. Writing regularly— even when it’s difficult will hone your writing skills, build momentum and make inspiration more likely to visit. I still procrastinate, and it can be hard to knock it on the head once it sets in, but those times are few and far between.

2. Overediting Before Finishing
I used to spend hours polishing the first few pages of a story, only to burn out and abandon it halfway through. I thought every page had to be flawless before I moved on.

What I learned:
First drafts are meant to be messy. You can’t edit a blank page. Finishing a project, even imperfectly, is more important than obsessing over a few paragraphs.

3. Ignoring Story Structure
At first, I thought structure was too restrictive—real creativity didn’t need outlines, right? My stories wandered, sagged in the middle (sometimes at the start, too, let’s be honest), and fizzled out without satisfying endings. In fact, many of my very early writings (as an adult) wound up being directionless ramblings.

What I learned:
Structure is not the enemy. Whether it’s the three-act model, the hero’s journey, or another framework, story structure gives your story a spine. It’s the map, guiding readers (and writers), helping them stay engaged from beginning to end. I love discovering new ways to outline a story, and contrary to popular belief, an outline doesn’t need to be strict and confining; outlines can be loose—barely there supports. They can even be a bulleted list of each plot event of your story.

4. Writing to Impress, Not to Communicate
Early on, I laced my writing with complicated words and flowery sentences—because I wanted to sound smart. All I did was confuse my readers and, invariably, myself. My pages were so purple that Prince would have decorated his walls with them.

What I learned:
Clear writing is powerful writing. The goal isn’t to impress people—it’s to move them, to make them feel something and create a connection by tapping into their humanity—we all have it (in theory), so we can all empathise with one another (in theory).

5. Taking Rejection Personally
The first few rejections from agents and editors crushed me. I saw them as proof I wasn’t a real writer. I always believed that real writers were discovered after submitting their first query letter, becoming instant, overnight successes. Boy, was I deluded? Yes, yes, I was.

What I learned:
Unfortunately, rejection is a part of the overall writing process, not a judgment of your talent. Each “no” you receive will nudge you ever closer to your “yes.”

Final Thoughts
Mistakes aren’t failures. They’re milestones. Every mistake makes me a better writer. When I look back over stuff I wrote in my teens (when I obviously knew everything, ‘cause, duh!) I’m amazed, first by the ambition; I was writing some big, dark, bloody things back then—and second, by the progress in style, voice and skill I’ve made over the years.

So, remember, if you’re making mistakes right now, take heart: it means you’re in it, you’re doing the work, and that’s something to be proud of.

Anyway, I’ve droned on quite enough for one post.

Thank you, as ever, for spending some time with me. It means a lot.

Until next time,

George