I wrote my first full-length novel my sophomore year of high school. While my family was gracious and kind in their critique of it (because, let’s be honest, it was a very weak story), they couldn’t help but tease me about the number of times my characters bite their lips. I used the “find and replace” function to look up how many times I’d used the phrase, and it was well over a hundred–definitely an overused action.

After that, I was nearly allergic to using the phrase in my writing for years. By now, I’ve reached the point where I can have a character bite their lip in hesitation, but it happens rarely.

The moral of the story? Learn your writing weaknesses. We all have them. They can be a part of the manuscript, such as overused actions, em dashes, words (“just” anyone?), or italics. Sometimes it’s plot points we struggle with. Lots of people find writing the middle of the book the hardest, but for me it’s the climax. Environmental factors can also be writing weaknesses. Does your phone need to be in the other room or website blocker to keep you from being distracted?

The more you pay attention to and study yourself as a writer, the better of a writer you’ll become. You’ll know what weak points in your manuscript to pay attention to, which is crucial when it comes around to editing.

Now, it’s not always easy to pinpoint our struggles. Often you need an outside eye. But start paying attention, and use the resources you have available. Consider hiring a freelance editor for your work-in-progress, or submit short stories for publication. Both get outside feedback on your work that can point out the weaknesses. I personally love using WordCounter for finding overused words.

What’s one of your writing weaknesses?