Tag Archives: redundancy in writing

Today’s Writing Tip

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Use your POV character’s name sparingly. Some authors seem to think they need to use it repeatedly, even when it’s clear (or should be, if written properly) who’s doing what. Same goes for the other characters as well.

It drives me crazy when authors do this. Unfortunately, the editor in me kicks in when I read something that’s not well-written. Then I start rewording sentences in my head and rolling my eyes rather than staying connected with the story. I’m reading a book right now that has an interesting plot and quite a few good qualities except the author repeatedly makes the same mistakes, such as this one.  He also uses far too many prepositional phrases, which often introduce redundancy as well.

When you’re editing your work, pay attention when you use the POV character’s name more than once in a paragraph, or even too many times on a page. If it’s clear who’s involved in the action or speaking, you don’t need to repeat the name. This is why we have pronouns! Use them!

Today’s Writing Tip

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Economy of words makes your message stronger. Using too many that are extraneous distract and dilute it. This is why adverbs, adjectives, and prepositional phrases often add extra bulk that should be trimmed, just like the fat on a brisket.

Flowery writing or over-writing simply doesn’t work. Do you want your reader to get your message or get lost in a tangle of words? [Please note this is not to be confused with saying something so beautifully that your reader (most likely another writer) pauses to admire how well you expressed a thought or rendered a description.]

Being redundant is ever worse, and a special case of over-writing. As a reader, I feel somewhat insulted, like the author thought I wasn’t smart enough to catch it the first time. Doing so within the same sentence or paragraph is even worse. If this is part of your natural style, don’t let it hamper your creativity; worry about it when you start to edit.