Recurring draft issues can be easier to spot with a fresh reader. Here are examples to check in your own manuscript.

1. Starting Too Early

The Problem: Many manuscripts start with the protagonist waking up, describing their normal day, or providing extensive backstory before anything happens.

The Fix: Start with action, conflict, or change. You can weave in backstory later. Consider cutting the first chapter entirely—often the real story starts in chapter two.

Ask yourself: What's the inciting incident? Can you start closer to it?

2. Telling Instead of Showing

The Problem:

"Sarah was angry" instead of showing her slamming doors and snapping at people.

The Fix:

  • Use action and dialogue to convey emotion
  • Let readers draw conclusions
  • Trust your readers to understand subtext

    • Exercise: Go through your manuscript and highlight every instance of "felt," "was," "thought." Can you show these instead?

    3. Info Dumping

    The Problem: Paragraphs of worldbuilding, backstory, or explanation that stop the story dead.

    The Fix:

  • Spread information throughout the story
  • Reveal things as they become relevant
  • Let characters discover information alongside readers

    • Rule of thumb: If you can delete a paragraph without affecting the current scene, it's probably an info dump.

    4. Weak Stakes

    The Problem: Readers don't understand or care what's at risk.

    The Fix:

  • Make sure we care about the character first
  • Be specific about what they'll lose
  • Raise the stakes as the story progresses
  • Connect external stakes to internal growth

    • Test: Can you clearly state what happens if your protagonist fails?

    5. Passive Protagonist

    The Problem: Things happen TO the protagonist instead of the protagonist making things happen.

    The Fix:

  • Give your protagonist agency
  • Let them make difficult choices
  • Make them face consequences
  • Ensure they're active in their own story

    • Warning sign: Is your protagonist mostly reacting, waiting, or being rescued?

    6. Unrealistic Dialogue

    The Problem:

  • Everyone sounds the same
  • Too formal or stilted
  • On-the-nose (characters say exactly what they mean)
  • "As you know, Bob" exposition

    • The Fix:

  • Read dialogue aloud
  • Give each character distinct speech patterns
  • Use subtext—people rarely say exactly what they mean
  • Cut greetings and small talk
  • Remember that people interrupt, trail off, and speak imperfectly

    • 7. Pacing Issues

    The Problem:

  • Middle drags
  • Rushing through important moments
  • Too much happening too fast

    • The Fix:

  • Vary scene length and intensity
  • Slow down for important moments
  • Speed up for transitions
  • Create a scene-by-scene outline to see pacing visually
  • Cut scenes that don't advance plot or character

    • 8. Inconsistent POV

    The Problem:

  • Head-hopping within scenes
  • POV character knowing things they shouldn't
  • Telling other characters' thoughts in close POV

    • The Fix:

  • Choose your POV for each scene and stick with it
  • If you switch, make it clear (scene break, chapter break)
  • Stay in your POV character's head and knowledge

    • Check: Read each scene. Could you film it from one camera position?

    9. Weak Endings

    The Problem:

  • Deus ex machina (convenient solution appears)
  • All tied up too neatly
  • Or nothing resolved at all
  • Doesn't deliver on the story's promises

    • The Fix:

  • Ensure the protagonist solves their own problem
  • Use skills/knowledge established earlier
  • Resolve the main conflict
  • Leave some threads for reader imagination
  • Make sure the ending is earned

    • 10. Not Enough Revision

    The Problem: Submitting first drafts or stopping after one revision.

    The Fix:

  • First draft is for you; revision is for readers
  • Do multiple passes, each with a different focus
  • Get beta reader feedback
  • Let it sit between revisions
  • Be willing to make major changes

    • The Beta Reading Solution

    The best way to catch these issues? Fresh eyes. Beta readers will spot problems you can't see because you're too close to your work.

    We’re building Manuscript Match to help writers find beta readers for thoughtful, constructive feedback before querying agents. Join the waitlist for updates.

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