When you’re deep in the writing process, it can be easy to overlook mistakes in your work. After all, you’ve spent countless hours immersed in your structure and voice. But even the most amazing writers fall into some common self-editing traps. The good news is, most of these issues can be fixed with the right tools. Through research, we identified the top five frequent mistakes authors make. In this post, we will address those mistakes and provide practical solutions for each.
Mistake #1: Editing Too Soon (While Still Writing)
What it means: Attempting to revise sentence-by-sentence before the full draft is done.
It’s tempting to start editing your sentences before you finish the story, especially if inspiration hits in the moment. But editing too early can disrupt your creative flow and often leads to wasted effort. You may revise a section only to change direction later, undoing all your hard work and effort.
Example: Imagine an author working on a devotional. One day, she starts writing a reflection on Psalm 23. She writes two paragraphs but keeps going back to fix her wording and change the flow to help readers understand the theme of the Scripture a bit better. By the end of the session, she’s only written one page in three hours. The next day, she opens the draft but decides she doesn’t like its direction and changes to a different Scripture completely. This results in her progress stalling and confidence slipping.
Solution: Give yourself permission to write a messy, imperfect first draft. Don’t worry about sentence structure or grammar; focus on finishing the story or message. What matters first is capturing the heart of your message without worrying about the phrasing. Once the messy first draft is complete, you can return with fresh eyes for edits.
Mistake #2: Over-reliance on Spellcheck and Grammar Tools
What it means: Letting software handle all your edits.
Grammar tools are helpful for initial screening, but they are not meant for a full edit. While automated tools can be great for catching typos and basic grammar issues, they often miss deeper issues such as phrasing, tone, and style.
Example: God’s grace is sufficient for us. Now, let’s dive into the next important part.
While the sentence is grammatically correct, it switches tone from reverent to casual with no warning. Spellcheck won’t flag that inconsistency, but your readers will notice.
Solution: Use editing tools as support, not as a substitute. These tools may not be able to catch everything, so after your digital check, try reading your manuscript aloud to yourself. You’d be surprised what you’ll catch. You can also invite another trusted reader or professional editor to give your writing a fresh perspective.
Mistake #3: Repetition (of Words, Phrases, and Ideas)
What it means: Using the same word, phrase, sentence structure, or concept multiple times unintentionally.
Repetition weakens your writing and loses your reader’s attention. It’s easy to be repetitive when you feel the need to overexplain a concept or restate information, or if you lack confidence in conveying an idea effectively.
Example: She was afraid and felt nervous. Her heart pounded because she was scared.
Both sentences repeat the same idea without building on it and describing what it may feel like to be scared. Description is important, and your readers want to be able to imagine the scene you’re trying to express.
Solution: Search your manuscript for repeated words and overused phrases. Use tools that can help locate these, like a word frequency analyzer or the navigation feature in Microsoft Word. Replace unnecessary repeats with stronger language or delete them altogether to tighten your piece.
Mistake #4: Inconsistent Tone or Voice
What it means: Shifting between formal and informal tones or multiple narrative voices.
This mistake is common, especially when a manuscript has been written over a long period or by multiple authors. However, shifting tones throughout your writing confuses readers and weakens its clarity.
Example: A tear streaked down her cheek as she stared toward the empty driveway, hoping for his safe return. “Whatever, he’s probably just stuck in traffic,” she said to herself.
The first sentence is tender and expectant. The second sentence introduces a casual, dismissive tone that doesn’t match the emotional weight of the first. This creates tonal inconsistency.
Solution: Do you want to be warm and conversational? Academic and precise? Read your manuscript with one lens and look for places where the tone shifts. Ask yourself, “Does this sound like me?” If not, revise for consistency.
Mistake #5: Being Too Close to The Work
What it means: Being unable to see what’s missing, unclear, or overly familiar because you already know what you meant.
You know your writing like the back of your hand—every description and underlying meaning. So you know what you meant to say, but will your reader? When you’ve spent so much time on a manuscript, it’s easy to miss gaps in logic, vague language, or unexplained references. The mistake is that most authors underestimate how much context their readers need. You fill in the blanks mentally without realizing your reader can’t.
Example: A Christian nonfiction writer pours her heart out into a memoir about forgiveness. She knows her message well because she lived it. In one chapter, she writes, “It happened on Tuesday. I still can’t believe the phone call, but I knew God met me there like always.” She knows exactly what “it” was, what happened on the phone call, and how God showed up for her. But to the reader, it’s vague and doesn’t matter without context.
Solution: Take a break between writing and editing to gain distance. Then read with your reader in mind: Does this make sense to someone unfamiliar with my story or topic? You can also ask a trusted reader or a professional editor to flag anything unclear.
Conclusion
Self-editing is a vital part of the writing process, but it can also be one of the hardest. When you know what mistakes to watch out for and become intentional with revisions, your manuscript can be effectively strengthened. Remember: Don’t be afraid to write a messy first draft, don’t over-rely on grammar tools, search your manuscript for repetition, define your tone before editing, and take a break now and then from your writing to gain distance. The goal isn’t perfection but clarity and consistency.
If you want a professional look at your manuscript, Christian Editing & Design is always here to help. We offer content editing, line editing, proofreading, and more—always with a commitment to excellence and a heart for serving our clients.