7 Mistakes That Scream “Amateur Writer”
Alyssa Matesic
View ChannelAbout
I'm an independent developmental book editor and publishing consultant with a decade of experience in book publishing. My career started in editorial roles at Henry Holt & Company (an imprint of Macmillan), The Book Group literary agency, and Ballantine Books (an imprint of Penguin Random House), where I worked with debut and bestselling authors. Since 2020, I've been sharing weekly writing and publishing insights on YouTube to help authors at all stages of their careers make their stories stronger. WORK WITH ME ON YOUR STORY https://www.alyssamatesic.com/inquire#inquire-2 DOWNLOAD MY FREE STORY SELF-ASSESSMENT! https://www.alyssamatesic.com/#freebie-form SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER FEATURING WRITING/PUBLISHING EXPERTS https://www.chapter-break.com/
Latest Posts
Video Description
I've edited hundreds of manuscripts over my career as a developmental editor, and these are the 7 most common issues I see time and time again, especially with new authors. I break down what these mistakes are, why they’re hurting your story, and how to fix them fast. DOWNLOAD MY FREE STORY SELF-ASSESSMENT! https://www.alyssamatesic.com/#freebie-form WORK WITH ME ON YOUR STORY https://www.alyssamatesic.com/inquire#inquire-2 GET A QUERY LETTER REVIEW https://www.queryacademy.com DEEP DIVE VIDEOS: Character Interiority 101: https://youtu.be/eV0LvssGJWE Common Mistakes When Writing Close Third Person: https://youtu.be/NjGwXvXjsg0 Why Info-Dumping KILLS Your Story: https://youtu.be/o0vCmAz-O2s 5 Scenes to Cut from Your Novel NOW: https://youtu.be/oD-tYgBHKbw The Secret to Writing Perfect Scenes: https://youtu.be/i_4-f_KLOwo 5 Major Differences Between Pro and Amateur Writers: https://youtu.be/4UHtlR5Ibfw How to Use Reverse Outlining to Fix Every Problem in Your Book: https://youtu.be/O9RFPR38SYs 7 BIGGEST MISTAKES AMATEUR AUTHORS MAKE: 00:00 Intro 00:30 Not exploring the protagonist’s mind enough 03:12 Having an inconsistent point of view 05:37 Info-dumping 07:39 Refusing to kill your darlings 09:18 Writing weak scenes 10:55 Not thinking about your reader 12:30 Neglecting the revision process ABOUT ME: My name is Alyssa Matesic, and I’m a professional book editor with nearly a decade of book publishing and editorial experience. Throughout my career, I’ve held editorial roles across both sides of the publishing industry: Big Five publishing houses and literary agencies. The goal of this channel is to help writers throughout the book writing journey—whether you're working on your manuscript or you're looking for publishing advice. SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER FEATURING WRITING/PUBLISHING EXPERTS https://www.chapter-break.com/ FOLLOW ME ON MY SOCIALS! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssabookeditor/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlyssaMatesic TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alyssamatesic MUSIC: Charlie Brown by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT
Writer's Toolkit Upgrade
AI-recommended products based on this video

Lenovo V15 Laptop | 15.6" FHD Anti-Glare Display | AMD Ryzen 7 7730U | 40GB RAM | 1TB PCIe SSD | HDMI | Type-C | Webcam | Wi-Fi | THUNDEROBOT Wireless Ergonomic Mouse | Windows 11 Pro | Black

Funny Cute Mouse Pad with Wrist Rest, Dumpster on Fire Ergonomic Mouse Pads Wrist Support for Desk, Mousepad for Wireless Mouse Gaming Laptop Work Home Desk Accessories Office Supplies Decor

Eye Contact Web Camera for Desktop Computer – 1080P USB Camera with Microphone & Stand, Center Cam for Laptop or Desktop, Manual Focus, Plug & Play for macOS & Windows(Black)

17 Inch Laptop Privacy Screen Filter for 16:10 Widescreen Display 14.5"x9.1" - Laptop Screen Privacy Shield and Anti Blue Light Anti Glare Screen Protector

Apple AirPods 4 Wireless Earbuds, Bluetooth Headphones, with Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Audio, Transparency Mode, Personalized Spatial Audio, USB-C Charging Case, Wireless Charging, H2 Chip

Apple AirPods 4 Wireless Earbuds, Bluetooth Headphones, Personalized Spatial Audio, Sweat and Water Resistant, USB-C Charging Case, H2 Chip, Up to 30 Hours of Battery Life, Effortless Setup for iPhone

Apple AirPods Pro 2 Wireless Earbuds, Active Noise Cancellation, Hearing Aid Feature, Bluetooth Headphones, Transparency, Personalized Spatial Audio, High-Fidelity Sound, H2 Chip, USB-C Charging




















