I’m a book editor of fiction and memoir, and after editing more than 500 novels and memoirs over the past 14 years, I’ve noticed patterns in almost every unpublished novel. (And no, it’s not better grammar, fancier vocabulary, or “more showing, less telling.”) It’s a mixture of story timing, character motivations, and the author being willing to make hard changes.
These same storytelling issues appear again and again, regardless of genre or the author’s experience.
Whether I’m working as a book editor, whether on a fantasy novel or as a memoir editor helping someone tell their life story, these are the problems that most often keep an otherwise promising manuscript from reaching its full potential.
1. The Story Starts Too Early
Authors often spend several chapters introducing the protagonist’s ordinary life before the real conflict begins. While all of that background may be important for the author to understand, readers are looking for momentum.
Instead of asking, “Where does my story begin?” ask yourself, “Where does my story become interesting?” Starting closer to the inciting incident creates immediate curiosity and encourages readers to keep turning pages. My first chapter critique service is an excellent way to pay special attention to your book’s critical opening pages.
2. The Main Character Doesn’t Want Anything
Readers don’t fall in love with characters because they’re interesting. They fall in love with characters who are pursuing something. Every protagonist should have a goal.
Without a clear objective, scenes begin to feel disconnected because the reader doesn’t understand what success or failure looks like. Whether you’re writing fiction or memoir, your protagonist should constantly be moving toward (or away from) something.
3. Every Scene Feels the Same
Great scenes create change in your book, whether a novel or a memoir. By the end of every scene, something should be different than it was at the beginning: someone learns new information, a relationship changes, a plan fails, the stakes increase.
If nothing changes, readers subconsciously feel like the story is standing still. Every scene should impact your book in some way.
4. The Dialogue Explains Instead of Creates Conflict
Many conversations exist solely to deliver information, but real dialogue should do much more than that. It should reveal personality, create tension, expose secrets. Bottom line: Dialogue should move the story forward. When it comes to dialogue, one of my favorite questions to ask while editing is:
If I removed this conversation entirely, what would the reader lose?
If the answer is “nothing,” the dialogue probably needs another pass.
5. The Stakes Stay the Same
The best story conflicts grow throughout the book. Too often, authors introduce an interesting problem in Chapter 1 but never make that problem more difficult.
Every major turning point should raise the cost of failure. Readers should constantly feel like the protagonist has more to lose than they did one chapter ago.
6. The Characters Solve Problems Too Easily
It’s the truth: In the best, most compelling books, characters struggle.
When solutions come quickly—or when another character swoops in to fix everything—the emotional payoff disappears. The harder your protagonist has to work for success, the more satisfying the story climax becomes.
7. Every Character Sounds the Same
Dialogue should reveal who’s speaking without relying on dialogue tags. Different characters should have different vocabularies, sentence lengths, emotional reactions, and ways of approaching problems.
In other words, if every character sounds like the author, readers begin to lose track of who’s talking. Creating distinct voices is one of the quickest ways to make a novel feel more immersive.
8. The Ending Solves the Plot but Not the Character Arc
It’s possible for the external conflict to end while the emotional journey feels unfinished.
The best books provide more than answers—they provide character transformation. Ask yourself: How has the protagonist changed because of the events of the story?
If the character finishes the novel exactly as they began it, readers often walk away feeling that something is missing—even if they can’t explain what.
9. The Author Is Afraid to Cut Scenes
Every writer has favorite scenes. But those scenes don’t always serve the story. One of the hardest parts of revision is separating what we enjoyed writing from what readers actually need. (As Stephen King said, “Kill your darlings.”)
As an editor of fiction and memoir, I say this with authority: The strongest novels are usually the result of subtraction, not addition.
10. The Manuscript Is Edited Before It’s Ready
This is probably the biggest mistake of all: Many writers hire an editor too early. They’ve finished their first draft, revised it once, and assume it’s time for professional feedback. But the more work you do before hiring an editor, the more valuable that editor’s feedback becomes.
Read your manuscript aloud. Get feedback from trusted beta readers. Revise multiple times. Then bring in a professional editor.
You’ll get much more from the editing process—and you’ll spend less time paying someone to point out problems you could have caught yourself.
What a Fiction Book Editor Actually Looks For
When I edit novels, I’m rarely focused on grammar during my first read-through. Instead, I’m asking questions like:
- Does every scene move the story forward?
- Does the protagonist make meaningful choices?
- Is the pacing consistent?
- Are the stakes increasing?
- Are readers likely to keep turning pages?
Grammar can be fixed later. Storytelling has to work first. This is why I generally recommend authors start with book doctoring, developmental editing, or a manuscript critique first.
How Editing a Memoir Is Different
Although memoirs share many storytelling techniques with novels, they’re solving a different problem. A memoir editor isn’t just helping an author organize memories. They’re helping shape a meaningful narrative. That means asking questions like:
- What emotional journey ties these events together?
- Which stories belong—and which don’t?
- Where does the reader’s curiosity naturally build?
- How can personal experiences become universally relatable?
The strongest memoirs aren’t simply chronological accounts of someone’s life. They’re carefully crafted stories with clear themes, emotional progression, and a satisfying sense of transformation.
Every Great Book Starts with Honest Feedback
No manuscript is perfect. (Not the first, not even the tenth. Something can always be improved.) The authors whose books stand out aren’t necessarily the most talented. They’re the ones who are willing to revise, ask difficult questions, and improve their craft. And those are the authors I’m looking for in my client list.
That’s exactly what a professional fiction book editor or memoir editor should help you do. A good editor doesn’t just point out what’s wrong with your manuscript. They explain why something isn’t working, offer practical solutions, and help you become a stronger writer so your next book is even better than your last.
If you’re wondering whether your manuscript is ready for professional editing, I’d be happy to help. Whether you need a first chapter critique, a manuscript critique, or a full developmental edit, my goal is always the same: to help you tell the strongest story possible while preserving your unique voice. Reach out to see how I can help improve your manuscript.
Book editor Kristen Hamilton is the owner and sole employee of Kristen Corrects, Inc., where she provides manuscript editing services for self-publishing and traditionally publishing authors. Several authors whose books she has edited have won awards and have topped Amazon’s best sellers lists.
Reading is Kristen’s passion, so when the workday is over, she can usually be found curled up with a good book alongside her three cats. In her free time she enjoys playing video games, dancing adult ballet, speaking French, watching scary movies, tending to her courtyard, and traveling to tropical destinations. She lives with her husband and sons outside of Boise, Idaho.