5 STEPS TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING – FOCUSING ON REPETITION

The art of writing isn’t just about art. It’s also about skill. Sure, perhaps you have been inspired to share your stories and get a novel published, but there is a big difference between jotting down a few journal entries and being sufficiently accomplished and persistent enough to get published.  

Published authors have worked incredibly hard to hone their craft. Acquiring the competences needed to draft a novel that readers can’t put down, sparking imaginations and poking dusty hearts, is much more than an overnight trick.

Since I began writing my first manuscript, I’ve been self-enrolled in the school of trial and error, hard knocks, and query trench lessons. Let’s call this fictional school, ‘Publishing University’, where in addition to creative abilities, the ingredients to success include sheer grit, passion and tenacity. The last fifteen years have been invested in courses, conferences, endless hours of homework, early morning writing sessions, deadlines, and meetings. When my first novel hits the bookshelves, it will be like standing on the stage to accept another degree from the dean.

Through ‘Publishing University’, I’ve noticed a curious trend–I keep learning the same lessons, again and again, in different ways. Perhaps it is through repetition, like endless practice math equations, that we learn best. I’ve been fortunate to have my repetitions highlighted to me by my editor, with her precise word-scalpel skills, my insightful beta readers, and brilliant critique partners. Through their teachings, my manuscripts have been elevated by focusing on these common repetition patterns.

 

1.  DON’T SHOW AND TELL TOGETHER

By showing and telling at the same time, you underestimate your reader and bloat your manuscript. In ‘Publishing University’ educators stress the importance of showing over telling. Well, what if you’re doing both? To improve your manuscript, search your work for the moments when you have written both and cut the telling.

Here’s an example:

She slammed down the stapler. She was so angry. “How dare you?”  

Through her actions and words, she’s showing us she’s angry. So cut the telling. A more powerful, shorter version, with less repetition and more impact is:

She slammed down the stapler. “How dare you?”

 

2. LOOK FOR REPEATING CONCEPTS

To build character motivations, I’m often guilty of repeating the same idea in exposition. With the hope of pulling the reader in and creating connection with our characters, we over explain reasons, thoughts and goals. Granted, at times this is a first draft mistake while we meander about trying to feel out our characters motivations ourselves. With time and distance and a fresh read, search out opportunities to trim the same concept explained twice. 

For example, you may have noticed this sentence above, or it might have slipped by. It’s easy to miss, especially in your owner writing.

A more powerful, shorter version, with less repetition and more impact is:

The ideas of powerful and more impact are essentially making the same point.

Here’s the edited sentence:

A shorter version with less repetition and more impact is:

 

3. CUT OVER-DESCRIPTION

To lift stories off the page, I’ve been guilty of listing too many adjectives. Instead, we should be working to ramp up the impact of our writing with pointed, precise, and vivid descriptions to engage the reader’s senses and emotions.

Her brown, shiny, pouty, eyes peered over the pile of soaked, muddy, discarded towels and bathing suits.

Cut words and use more powerful adjectives to do the work.

Her endearing eyes peered over the discarded pile of late-night skinny-dipping spoils.

 

4. SET LIST LIMITATIONS

When giving examples, listing too many is distracting. You should try to keep lists to a minimum of three items. When exploring your first draft, give as many examples as you like, but then you need to put on your editor hat to ‘pick your best and cut the rest’.

Once again, here’s one of my sentences from earlier:

The last fifteen years have been invested in courses, conferences, endless hours of homework, early morning writing sessions, deadlines, and meetings.

Courses and conferences are similar. Homework and early morning writing sessions can also be combined. On further reflection, I’ve edited to the following:

The last fifteen years have been invested in formal courses, blocks of writing time, and writerly meetings.

 

5.  THEN BREAK ALL THE RULES

Of course, you should comb your manuscript to cut the obvious repetitions. Like those moments where you elected to go on, and on, and on. Like I just did. These are easy to find and removing them will help cut words. Ask yourself if your repetition is needed. Most of the time a different word will have the same impact.

As the creator, you can decide when to be repetitive. Maybe for impact a character will sleep in the same, but slightly different positions, like Hunter above, or repeat something another character just said.

You can decide to break all the rules, but make it your decision, not an oversight.

You may not have noticed I used this device earlier:

I keep learning the same lessons, again and again, in different ways.

I chose to keep ‘again and again’ deliberately, although, I could have just as easily cut it.

In the end, you are the author and it’s your choice. Happy Writing!