33 Worst Writing Mistakes (by topic)

If you haven’t discovered her site yet (and please tell me you’ve discovered her amazing fantasy novels), Holly Lisle has some incredible writing resources, much of which she has developed herself.

Recently, she has supervised the writing of a series titled: 33 Worst Mistakes Writers Make. Pretty self-explanatory. But this isn’t just some general list. What she’s doing is getting people with expertise in various fields and having them write up ways that authors have botched scenes and plots because of their ignorance of the way things work in real life. It’s the details that matter, whether you want to know how to swing a sword without lopping your ear off, or the physics of hopping onto a horse already in full gallop. Maybe you’re writing a crime novel, and you want your hero to be toting a particular sidearm, but you’ve never chambered a bullet in your life.

This series is here to help you avoid big mistakes that could fatally flaw your story, or at least make it less of a joyous read to the in-the-know reader.

http://shop.hollylisle.com/index.php?crn=222

So far, they’ve only got three titles focused on horses, courtroom law, and firearms. I think she’s on the lookout for folks who might want to write one of these helpful guides in areas of their specific expertise, so if you have the urge, you might want to get in touch with her. Otherwise, take advantage of this great resource.

I see that smile.