Never is it truer that the human mind works in strange ways than when an author finds his or her draft littered with the same words or phrases. What makes this particularly galling is that proficient writers strive not to do this, yet quite often are unable to prevent syntax which is redundant--or reads as repetitive--from appearing on a page.
Words That Stand Out--Unfortunately
Conflagration
Oddly, it's the words that are most ordinary which can often cause the most grief. Words such as "because" or "become," should they be placed in consecutive sentences or paragraphs (even lengthy ones), can stick in the reader's mind as redundant. Along this line of commonality, too many "was's" can gum up an otherwise good run of narrative. Word repetition can be as hard on the reader as the excessive use of specialty punctuation such as the semi-colon or the exclamation point.
Some More of The Usual Suspects
Another chronic problem is the word "would," since the options for a suitable substitute generally are limited to "should" and "could," at best. Perhaps the greatest difficulty of all is what to use after the first "but." "However," "yet," and even "except," can often serve in a pinch, but--well, you see the problem.
The Fix for Overuse of the Conjunction "But"
The best way to remedy repeating the conjunction "but" is to begin a new sentence as if it were an extended thought and not a contrary view. Example: John saw Mary in the park, but didn't like the guy she was with, so he kept walking. Rewrite as: John saw Mary in the park. He didn't like the guy she was with, so he kept walking.
Select Alternates for Prepositions
"Afterwards" can become "later," just as "under" can often be modified to read "below" and not deprecate the writer's intent. And while we are trained to use one word to take the place of many, it's sometimes prudent to write "at this time" instead of a redundant "now." Even a "presently" might need to be inserted instead of "now" to prevent duplication.
Homonyms are Just as Bad as Repeating Words
I recently read a draft with the following phrase: The weather was going to determine whether or not they would be going out. This is an easy sentence to repair by substituting "if" for "whether," and dropping the "or not." But it's not always simple to spot a problem. In this following sentence, the syntax might be ignored: Every fall, John would haul wood in his wheelbarrow. And even something more blatant might be missed, such as: It was too much to bear, and I barely got the words out.
Both Complicated or Sophisticated Words Must be Watched
When a writer uses words such as "conflagration" or "beatification," these can only be placed in a novel once. And I don't even like to see them in multiple novels by the same author. The latter comment might seem a stretch, but when an author develops an unintended tic, this isn't good, since it makes the writing stale in the eyes of the loyal reader.
Phrases, Especially Clever One's, Cannot be Used Again
A slick phrase will stay with the reader, and the ability to craft this sort of rhetoric is often why people lean toward certain authors. But it's important to keep in mind that the inherent nature of a unique rift of narrative is what will be remembered. A phrase like the following, including the adjective predicate by itself, can only be written one time: His face contorted, as if the result of an unpleasant musical note of his own making. One contorted face per book, please, regardless of how it got that way,
But What if there are Only so Many Ways Something can be Written?
When I'm writing a police thriller, I often run into a problem with the word "policeman." After perhaps following it with "cop," and later "officer," then "patrolman" (if it fits), I'm forced to return to the first noun. There are indeed times when there are only so many options to identify a person by name or profession and still be accurate. In the "policeman" example, if the person's last name is Jones, creating Patrolman Jones, Officer Jones, or offering just plain Jones to the mix in a long scene may still not be enough, and there will be no choice but to repeat a handle.
Yet when it's deemed necessary to restate a name in the same sentence, this should be an extremely rare occurrence and every attempt should be made to write around this sort of thing. And it's important to keep in mind that no matter how problematic the text might read when certain words continue to reappear, redundant phrases can leave a much more negative impression of the narrative.
On Writing Well - The Importance of Avoiding Redundant Words and Phrases
