This week, I went to the library to load up on new books.
I deliberately chose one light read, so I would easily be able to identify its story structure–something I’ve been researching lately.
Though I wasn’t expecting literary perfection, I was quite disappointed in my selection. I found a number of common writing pitfalls that could easily have been fixed.
I’d rather not identify this particular book because I think anyone who’s managed to write a novel and have it published has accomplished something amazing. Still, I think we can all learn from the things that irritate us as readers.
Here are 6 easily-fixed weaknesses I found in this particular novel:
1. Too Derivative
Think total rip-off of Bridget Jones’s Diary. Everything about this novel is something I’ve already read or seen somewhere else. There’s absolutely nothing that sets it apart from other chick-lit books.
2. Stereotypical Characters
The main character is (you guessed it) a thirty-something professional woman living in a big city, looking for Mr. Right. Throw in two cliched best pals (one outgoing, one reserved) and a boisterous gay friend, and you’ve got a full cast of stereotypical characters.
Come to think of it, didn’t Bridget Jones hang out with those very same people?
3. Improper Story Structure
As I mentioned earlier, my main reason for choosing a light read was to be able to quickly spot the story structure. Unfortunately, the structure of this novel was off.
If you don’t know much about story structure, you can find tons of great articles by Larry Brooks over at Storyfix. Basically, a story should consist of a set-up, a response, an attack, and a resolution (in that order).
In this book, the inciting incident happens within the first few pages, and the ‘response’ part of the story takes up nearly the entire rest of the book. Near the end, you think the main character is going to ‘attack,’ –that is, figure out what she wants and go for it. But that never eventuates and the resolution is rushed, and questionable.
