SHOW NOTES: Writers, particularly early in their careers, make mistakes. Often the same ones over and over. Here are a few pitfalls to avoid.  OVERWRITING: Too many words  Too cute by far  Strained Metaphors  Purple prose  DIALOG: Tag alert  Characters all sound the same  Inane conversations  “As you know” chatting  SHOW VS TELL: DESCRIPTION: Not too much  Not too little  Just enough—the telling details  SCENES: In and Out quickly—in medias res  Leave question/tension at end  POV: Stay in one at a time  Except Omniscient—hard to do  PACING:  Fast but not too fast  Vary pace  BACKSTORY: How much?  When?  ENTERTAIN:  The one cardinal rule