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“One suggestion with a spark of truth is worth a hundred repetitions of sound platitudes.” - Liu BinvanA good editor will likely find patterns in your writing that you may not have been aware of. However once you discover the issue you are likely to self-correct many of those mistakes.Many writers will choose a pet word or phrase and use it repeatedly in their work. Sometimes a writer will use a newly discovered word and they find the meaning of the word so perfect they overuse it.There are, in fact, instances where repetition can provide the emphasis you are looking for, but too often writers subconsciously grasp a familiar word or phrase and bludgeon their readers with them.“Like warmed-up cabbage served at each repast, The repetition kills the wretch at last.” - JuvenalWhen a writer misses the repetition when self-editing they also miss the opportunity to dig a little deeper into the storyline. If you spend your time reemphasizing a particular thought the story can only move along at pace that is often reigned in and rarely set free.This can apply to the repetition of words or details. For instance if one character in your story related certain facts it is no longer necessary for a second character to relate the same facts unless they have some extra knowledge about the incident. Even if this is the scenario there may be a better way of constructing the story so repetition is minimized.“The reason lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place is that the same place isn't there the second time.” - Willie TylerOne of the more unusual aspects of repetition is your reader will catch the repetition before you or your editor might. You see, an editor will review the work from a technical (almost clinical) standpoint and may miss the areas that bear an uncanny resemblance to other passages in your work. A reader, on the other hand, will catch the repetition and find its use irritating. Sometimes a reader will lay the book down before completing it simply because they are tired of struggling through a feeling of deja vu.“The ear tends to be lazy, craves the familiar and is shocked by the unexpected; the eye, on the other hand, tends to be impatient, craves the novel and is bored by repetition.” - W. H. Auden
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Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of FaithWriters (www.faithwriters.com) and many other web projects. FaithWriters has grown to become one of the largest online destinations for Christian writers. Members include writers from all around the world. Please visit the website at: www.faithwriters.com
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