I've edited nearly 100 blog posts this year -- some for well-known writers, others for promising new writers.

I've noticed a few writing pitfalls that are amazingly similar across both groups.

Here are the 5 most common writing "mistakes" I see.

Thread time!

1. Long, throat-clearing intros.

Don't be the food blogger who starts off a fried chicken recipe with a 2,000-word backstory on their grandma.

"Ol' Granny Hellen sure loved chickens growing up..."

Nobody cares. They want the recipe.

Cut the fluff & get to your idea or a hook.

2. Using overly-abstract language.

You think you sound smart when you use jargon.

Unfortunately, you don't.

You are confusing readers, but they won't tell you because they're afraid to sound dumb.

Good writing eliminates confusion.

Use simple language.

(see: @paulg essays)

3. Not having clear intentions.

Do you want to inject a new idea into a popular conversation? Give some practical advice? Entertain people?

Get clear on what you're trying to do with your piece.

Do this and you’re already in the top 10% of writers.

4. Overusing caveats and qualifiers.

"I'm not saying..."

Save the caveats for deeper in the piece. Early on, your readers want to get the gist of your idea.

It's better to be slightly misunderstood than to be boring. Otherwise, you won't have any readers to misunderstand you.

5. Losing momentum.

Don't assume people are as interested in your thing as you are. After all, you were the only one excited enough to write about it.

Inject momentum throughout your piece so that readers can feel your energy.

@ejames_c explains this brilliantly:

That's it! I still do these things all the time, but being aware of them has helped.

Oh, and there is a 6th pitfall...

Not plugging your work ;)

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