Examples from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
1. Use of the first person… DON’T DO IT!!!
I think Chris is overwhelmed by new places.
2. Writing in the past tense and shifting tenses… USE THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE!
Chris was is not scared when he finds the dog Wellington dead.
3. Orienting your reader with statements like, “Early in the book, Chris discovers Wellington dead and is not scared.” ...USE A PLOT REFERENCE TO ORIENT YOUR READER!
When Chris discovers Wellington dead, he is not scared.
4. “Blank” or overly general statements, “Chris’s journey to London is very positive. He is scared, but he learns a lot.” ....AVOID THEM LIKE THE PLAGUE.
Despite being scared, Chris learns a number of difficult lessons during his journey to London.
5. Not having a title…IT'S PLAIN WRONG TO TITLE A PAPER, “Curious Incident Essay.”
6. NOT USING quotations to demonstrate claims AND as "springboards" for commentary.
7. NOT WEAVING your quotations into you writing. If you don't use introductory phrases and clauses, your writing will seem clunky.
Christopher shares one of his many insights when he says, “[a]nd also, a thing is interesting because of thinking about it and not because of being new” (178). A creative thinker who is often overwhelmed by new experiences, Chris has both his vast abilities and limitations.
8. Sloppy grammatical errors. Read your essays aloud to hear them.
9. CONFUSING then/than, there/their/they’re, its/it’s. These mistakes jump out at readers.
10. USING Too many adverbs (I CALL THIS ADVERBITIS)
Ed Boone glares menacingly at his son, and accordingly Chris responds awkwardly. UGH!!!
11. Overusing the verb “to be” with an adjective after it, such as, “Chris is happy to get a new dog. He thinks he is ready for the responsibility.”
Getting a new dog excites Chris and helps him gain a new sense of responsibility. BETTER?
12. Unnecessary repetition of words, phrases and ideas. Don’t dilute your good ideas by repeating them over and over and over.
13. A few things you should know and do: