You do realize these common author mistakes I’m blogging about are my opinion only and not subject to any known or award winning authors.

I formulated these ten things while on a reading spree this summer. So, take them for what they are worth.

Okay, numero quatro!

He said, She Said. They Came, They Saw, They Went

Leaving the reader suspended in time and space.

This one actually surprised me. But I read several novels recently — one a YA and the other an historical — and I was lost on where I was as the reader. I wasn’t sure how much time had advance. The scene’s stage had little to no description. I couldn’t get a feel for the “space” the characters lived in.

In the YA, the protagonist kept talking about the trip she was taking, where she was going but I had NO idea where she was to start.

You’ve heard it said: Enter late, exit early. Don’t use too much prose to open a scene. Don’t explain. Jump right into the action. All of that is great advice. Except, it can get confusing on just how to set up a scene.

We’ve talked about story world a lot here at My Book Therapy. Part of story world is not only who the protagonist is and what he or she does for a living, his or her life, dreams and goals, friends and family, but time and space. Employing the five senses.

Where are we in the story as the reader? What time is it? What are we doing? What’s the angle of light falling through the window or door? Are their smells in the room? Sound? What does the table feel like when the protagonist smooths her hand over the surface. Are we inside our out? Is it raining? Cold or hot?

We need these elements to anchor us into the story. Give the reader the boundaries of the scene, a view of the protagonist world, draws the reader into the story. Don’t leave them outside looking in.

At the same time, don’t over write. Don’t tell the reader every nuance, the type of lace on the end of the polka dot curtain and that the material was bought at the local fabric store that’s now defunct. Don’t tell us how green the grass is, just that it’s green. You don’t have to reminisce about a snow ball fight when the heroine was young as she looks at the window at big white fluffy flakes.

Ways to anchor time and space:

Open the scene with a time stamp. “It was Wednesday at noon before Rachel looked up from her work. She’d been at the computer since seven and so far, her research delivered nothing new on the case.”

Add a line or two in dialog. “Mandy, are you coming to work?”

“Tuesday is my day off.”

“It’s Wednesday at noon. You were supposed to be here at nine.”

Add a line after dialog. “Rachel, I love you.” He’d been thinking about telling her since Saturday night. Five days later, he blurted his heart’s intent over a Wednesday lunch at the mall. Smooth man, smooth.

Add it as part of the plot plan. “When should we get together?” Rachel looked at her smart phone. Tuesday, 8:01. “Tomorrow?” she said.

Let us see what the characters are doing. Think how you would do it in real life and mold it to your story and tap away at the keyboard.

Rule: Give the reader a sense of time and space. Draw them into the scene.

Workshop It: Take one of your scenes and enhance the time and space.