The Editing Misstep That Makes Characters Feel Fake

One of the most common editing mistakes among new authors has nothing to do with grammar.

Their prose is elegant. They have solid pacing. The plot works exactly as intended. Yet the book doesn’t connect with readers.

Cases like this, in which all the pieces are there and seem to fit together can be hard to diagnose. Because the problem isn’t at the technical level. Often, it arises from the characters’ decisions.

When many new writers edit scenes, they’re focused on outcomes. They know where the story needs to go, which events must occur to get there, and what information must be revealed.

Which is all well and good. But the risk is reducing characters to tools for achieving those goals.

A believable character makes decisions based on his own priorities. A flimsy character’s decisions are dictated by the author’s priorities.

You’d think avoiding that misstep would be easy, but the difference can be surprisingly subtle.

Read the full post on Substack.