Writers Should Pay Attention To Little Things

This photo has nothing to do with today's topic. I used it because I liked it and I could not find one that was appropriate for today's post. So enjoy the image above and read on. 

Many of you know that I belong to an online writing group. We submit our writing and critique the writing of other members. When reading another writer's work, the little errors jump out. If we are editing our own writing, we tend to skip right over small mechanical things. 

One of the problems I note in so many of the pieces I critique is the repetition of words. A big deal? No. It's a small matter but fixing the problem will make the piece read more smoothly and will subconsciously please the reader. If a writer repeats words too often, the reader can become annoyed. Sounds ridiculous but I find myself irritated by reading the same words over again, especially if they are in the same sentence or same paragraph. My mind clicks into You already used that word,; find another. 

Writers don't set out to see how often they can use a word in a 1200 word essay. Most aren't even aware they've done it until a critiquer points it out. Yes, we who critique are probably more conscious of it. I'd like to see all writers make themselves aware and search for repetition of words in their own writing. 

Example:  

Problem: Jerry liked some fruits but not all of them. He liked some vegetables. He liked some meat but not every one. 

Better:Jerry liked some fruits but not all of them. He enjoyed a few vegetables. He savored several meats but not every one.

One of the reasons we write using repetitive words is laziness. We need to think a little harder to come up with alternatives. We also consider words like the two samples not important to the point we are trying to make, so we gloss over them. 

What can you do to find and correct this type of mechanical error? 

1. Read your work out loud.  Some writers think this is rather stupid. Trust me, it is not. If you read your work out loud on a regular basis, the mistakes that pop out will surprise you. 
2. Train yourself to look for repeated words. The more you look for the problem, the easier it will be to note when it occurs. Because I've critiqued other writers' work for a long time, seeing this error comes more easily to me now than it did years ago.
3. Let your work sit before you edit. If you try to read and find errors soon after you finish the story or essay, you slide right by many little problems. Let your work simmer a few days at least, then read it. Most writers will be surprised by what they find then.
4. Try to cut the use of filler words. If you add words like usually, actually, really, just to your work, it tends to become a habit and those words fill too many spots in your writing. Some writers use them to make a point or to emphasize. It's alright to utilize these words but do so sparingly. Don't rely on them time and again.
5. When using a name, alternate with pronouns. When writing about a person, say Mr. Ames, you don't want to constantly repeat his name. Use it once, then use he or his. A paragraph or two later, use his name again merely as a reminder to the reader who this is that you're talking about. 
6. Make use of your thesaurus: If it's difficult to come up with an alternative for an over-used word, pull out your trusty friend, the thesaurus.
7. Be careful when using very long sentences. When we write lengthy sentences, we tend to repeat words. There is another reason not to use extremely long sentences. They easily become rife with mechanical errors.