Top Ten Beginner’s Mistakes

10. Unprofessional formatting.

9. Lack of punctuation knowledge.

8. Passive writing (overuse of was and were)

7. Dialogue that doesn’t move the story forward or reveal character.

6. One dimensional characters.

5. Misunderstandings and coincidence.

4. Rambling synopses.

3. Lack of conflict between hero and heroine, especially emotional/internal conflict.

2. Too much backstory in the beginning of the story.

1. Rambling stories.

And probably the biggest:

Submitting to the wrong publisher

Do your homework!