I’m a developmental editor & book coach who loves working with pantsers.

Failure is part of the writing life. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at the writers collecting rejections as they query, or the ones complaining about bad reviews from readers, or the ones who are silently waiting for someone–anyone–to take a chance on their book in the first place.

In reality, there are things that we cannot control in our writing lives. But there are also many things that we can control. That’s what I’m talking about today. Four mistakes that writers make in their writing or revision process. Mistakes that keep them stuck when they could be more successful.

The mistakes that keep readers stuck are:

1. Getting too attached to their original ideas.
2. Prioritizing the wrong things in revision.
3. Trying to please ev ...