The slushpiles in publishers' offices are higher than ever before, worse than that, they are getting taller by the day, and if you hope to avoid them, you have to grab the publisher's or agent's attention, with the sheer force of your talent. Here are some ways to help you improve your writing, which in turn might intrigue them. They won't guarantee you getting published, nothing will, but they might help.

Know you subject.

With the advent of the Internet you can obtain detailed technical information on any subject you can think of. There is no excuse for inaccurate or wishy-washy descriptive writing. If the publisher guesses you don't really know what you are talking about, guess where your work will end up. I recently read an otherwise excellent book that went on to describe the cicadas chirping in the grounds of Salisbury Cathedral. I don't think so. Cicadas in England? Global warming may be, but it hasn't happened yet. Or another book published by a well-known thriller writer, later turned into a successful movie, describing scenes of cruising through the locks on the Norfolk Broads. The only problem with that, there are no locks on the Norfolk Broads. I doubt if he would have got away with that today.

Spend sufficient time and effort settling on your characters' names.

Ideally they shouldn't be too ordinary, or too extreme. They should be interesting and memorable, and not already famous in another work. Remember, you're going to be stuck with these characters all through the book, all through your life come to that, at least with some of them, and you don't want those names grating by the time you reach page twenty.

Avoid using too many adjectives.

Especially those ending in "ly". They do make sentences wordy, and often deaden and weaken meaning. If you have to use them, try and do so at the beginning or the end of the sentence. "Obviously", seems to be the most overused word on the planet. Some people begin every sentence with "obviously". Some writers do too. Why? One editor I know strikes out every adjective and adverb ending in "ly", a strict regime you may think, but it usually works. I have just picked up the latest Lee Child blockbuster and at a quick glance I am hard pressed to find any such words. Lee Child is known for his tight writing and fast paced plots. Perhaps this is one reason why.

Try this as an exercise.

Write a 250 word descriptive piece, without using a single adjective. You won't find it easy, but you will notice how tight the writing sounds afterwards. Once you've finished, reward yourself by allowing the addition of one adjective only. When you have just the one to play with, you value it more highly, are more selective, and guess what? It reads better.

Decide on whose story it is, and thus who your central character is, and stick with it.

You will confuse the reader if your central character changes from one moment to another. Lee Child's writing is an excellent example of a strong central character. Almost all of Mister Child's work is centred on the very strong (in more ways than one!) main character of Jack Reacher. If you haven't read a Lee Child book, then do so, and you will see what I mean. Lee Child has built a hugely successful career on the back of his portrayal of the adventures of Jack Reacher, and clear lessons can be learned from his creation of this one outstanding character.

For more ideas and suggestions on improving your writing and thus your chances of becoming published, see my follow up article entitled: "Tight Writing is the Way To A Publisher's Heart."