Repetition When You Write

 

When proofreading, search for repetition of words and also of ideas. When I'm writing, I don't always catch those repetitive areas, but when I'm reading someone else's work while doing a critique, they stand out like a lighthouse beam in the fog. 

It's a common problem, especially for newer writers, but even the old pros commit this error. Especially in a first draft. That's why proofreading is so important in that initial effort. You have time to fix those small errors. Did you notice that I used the word 'first' in this paragraph, and I could easily have used it again in the next sentence. Instead, I chose to use 'initial' which means the same thing. 

Never underestimate your readers. They notice muffs like repetition of words or repeating the same idea one paragraph later. When you duplicate an idea close to the first time you wrote it, you're probably doing one of two things:  not giving your readers credit for 'getting it' the first time OR not knowing what to say next, so you repeat the gist of what you have already said, not word for word but it's the same thought. (Note: I do some of that in my posts to make a point quite clear, but in a fiction piece, or an essay, you should watch carefully for this problem.)

What you can do to remedy the problem:

A. Vary sentence structure. Using the same way to begin a sentence over and over becomes boring for your reader. If you say 'She was going to the store.' then follow with 'She was looking for ingredients for a new recipe.' and next say 'She was moving quickly to the produce section.' Every one of those sentences in the same paragraph begins with 'She was...' How blah is that?

B.  Use a thesaurus to help you find synonyms so that you don't change the meaning, but you also do not replicate the same word two or three times in one paragraph. 

C.  Vary a name with a pronoun. If my character's name is Henrietta, and I use her name in every sentence in one paragraph, it becomes slightly overwhelming. Instead, use the pronoun 'she' or 'her' in some sentences to give the reader a break.

D.  Don't use a lot of words when one or a few will convey the same message. Those 'unnecessary' words can end up being repetitious, too. If you say, "Jordy really liked his English teacher, but he really wasn't into reading Shakespeare, and he really struggled writing the essay assigned." You can remove every one of those 'really' words and not lose the meaning of the sentence, plus not annoy your reader. 

E.  Make your point once and move on. If you proofread and discover that you've repeated an idea, rewrite the paragraph or more if you have said the same thing more than once. Put that thought into one or two sentences and then move on. 

The benefits of ridding your first draft, or the final one, of repetition, is that you will have a stronger piece of writing and will also please your readers. You can't eliminate 100% of repeating words, but you can definitely remedy a lot. 

Write Straight and Strong

 

Do you write overly long sentences? Do you tend to start describing something and find you go on and on, never seeming to find a stopping point? Do you add details that are unnecessary? Do you repeat information? Do you add unnecessary words?

If you do any and all of the above, you are driving on curves that you don't need. When writing a story, essay, or article, your job is to get straight to the point. No bends in the road. Let's take a look at each of the no-no points above.

Overly long sentences: Sentences that have an overabundance of words and turn into many parts connected by 'and, but, or' words can overwhelm your reader. By the time they reach the end of the sentence, they've possibly lost the beginning. If a person is reading aloud, those lengthy sentences are difficult to read as the reader must stop to take a breath one, two, or even three times. Sentences with those 'and, but, or' connectors can easily be broken into two shorter, more manageable sentences. 

Overly long descriptions:  Description is a real plus when writing a story, but some writers have a tendency to go on at great length to the point that the reader loses the train of thought that came prior to that description. The 'less is more' principle seems to fit this problem. 

Unnecessary details:  The classic example for this one is a person in a story, sitting at a kitchen table who makes a sandwich. All you need to tell your readers is that Jim made himself a ham sandwich. The overly-detail-oriented writer would write something like this: Jim slid his chair back, rose, and walked to the refrigerator. He opened the door and looked inside. He picked up the ham, the mayo, then the lettuce, and finally, the mustard. He closed the fridge door and walked to the counter. He removed the loaf of bread from the breadbox and opened the end. He removed two slices of .....You get the idea. All those tiny details have nothing to do with the actual story. All you need to say is that Jim made a ham sandwich. Your reader has probably made any of them, so they know the drill. Writers who put in myriad tiny details end up boring their readers. 

Repeating information:  Writers who do this don't give their readers enough credit. They fear that the reader might have missed the information the first time (or even the second) so they toss it in again. A very well-known writer, who shall remain nameless. does this to the point that it drives me crazy on the few occasions I read her books. There is no need to keep reminding the reader over and over again.

Unnecessary words:  This is a very common error. We toss in words like really, very, just, certainly, usually, and many others. Google for a list of unnecessary words in writing. Many of us use these words in our everyday conversation, but they only clutter up your writing. Some writers use these added words for emphasis, but all they do is add to your word count. When you edit and try to cut words, words like the ones I mentioned here are the first you should cut. 

When you write, the idea is to get straight to the point. Don't slow yourself down going around the many curves I pinpointed here. Your writing will also be stronger.

 

Repetion In Writng Can Be A Problem

Repetition in a photo like the one above is fine, but it doesn't work very well in our writing. There are two kinds of repetition to watch for. We do one unconsciously and the other for another reason.

1.  Repeating Words:  It is so easy to use the same words numerous times in a paragraph or on one page of a story. We do it unconsciously, and we often don't catch it when we edit our work. I sent a new children's story to my online writing group recently. The first critique that came back had one word highlighted. The word 'bridge' was highlighted in glaring yellow. I did a doubletake when I saw the many splashes of color. A bridge is an important part of the story, but seeing all those splotches made me realize I needed to do some serious revision. What's wrong with repeating a word many times? It becomes boring for the reader. A bored reader loses interest and stops reading.

I've noted many times when I'm critiquing for others that a writer will use the same pronoun multiple times in one paragraph. How many times do you want to read she or he? What about it or they? All you have to do is use a name for some of those pronouns, or say something like 'the girl' or 'the murderer.' It's not possible to eliminate all those repeated pronouns, but you can certainly change some of them. Someone once said that is a beginner's problem. Yes, it is, but seasoned writers do it, too. We're especially guilty of committing this no-no in first drafts. We need to train ourselves to catch the problem when we edit. 

There are times when it is difficult to find substitutes for those repeated words. If you're writing about fishing for trout, the words fishing and trout are bound to show up a lot. It's alright to have some repetition, but work at finding ways to eliminate some of the same words. Check your thesaurus for help on words to substitute. Sometimes, rewording a sentence completely works.

Those passive verbs from the 'to be' family are pesky repeaters. A good way to get rid of some of them is to use active verbs instead in some instances. That gets rid of a lot of was, are, is words and becomes a more interesting read. 

2  Repeating Information:  The other kind of repetition is when we repeat something we've already told our readers in preceding paragraphs. Part of that comes from the fact that the writer doesn't give the reader credit for 'getting it,' so he/she says it again but maybe in different words. The other reason it happens is that we get lazy. Can't think of something new, then go ahead and repeat part of what you wrote in the preceding paragraphs. 

I've seen many critiques that pinpoint this problem. The critiquing person will say something like Not necessary. You already told us this. Or We know this; you don't have to say it again. 

When we realize that we're giving the same information multiple times, we need to start cutting. If writers send a sub with the plea to help cut some words, that they are over the limit, it becomes easy to get to the wanted word count when you eliminate those areas that have been said before, even if they were given to the reader in different words.

If you write in a Word document, there are ways to help you edit. One place allows the writer to put in a word, and it will then be highlighted in the entire document. You'll know immediately where you need to revise. You can google how and where to do this on a Word document or on whatever program you use for your writing. Your own eye will catch many if you take the time to look for the repetitious areas. 

Now, I'm sure some of my readers today will start looking through my post to see how many times I used a word. You'll find some because it's pretty impossible to write without a little repeating. Your aim is to reduce it as much as possible. Using the same word three paragraphs apart is not a problem. When you do it 6 times in one paragraph, it's trouble. Just use some common sense.