Say That Again.
Say That Again.
No, I’m not offering you out for a fight behind the pub because of a perceived slight. Rather, today’s #TuesdayTip is a musing about the power of repetition.
As beginning writers, we are advised to avoid repetition. We should try not to use the same word or phrase more than once in close proximity. When editing, I’ve even spotted the use of short sentence such as way of describing a character, or a turn of phrase, more than once in different parts of a manuscript and changed at least one of those instances. At school, we are encouraged to use synonyms for adjectives or verbs, rather than using the same one repeatedly, so that our prose is more engaging and interesting to read.
My beta readers are especially good at spotting repetition, and I am grateful for their eagle-eyed attention.
But it occurs to me that repetition, when used correctly, can also be a very powerful stylistic tool. It can often add cadence and rhythm. Good orators use repetition as a way of emphasising a point.
It seems that to use a word or phrase twice looks weak, but three times or more is a conscious choice.
Take the following examples:She looked him in the eye. She could tell he wasn’t telling the truth.
“Why don’t you be honest?” she asked.
The silence stretched, as she waited for him to tell the truth.
Here we see the word truth, or even a variation on the phrase ‘telling the truth’ used twice, very close together. I really found this hard to write, because I have been conditioned to view that type of repetition as sloppy and careless. My instinct is to change that last sentence to something like ‘she waited for him to come clean’.
Now look at this short paragraph.
“You are scared of admitting the truth. Because you are afraid that to admit the truth will be a sign of weakness. But you’re wrong, telling the truth is a sign of strength. The truth shows that you are moving on. The truth will set you free.”
The word truth is used FIVE times. Yet, instead of feeling flat and repetitious, it adds emphasis and rhythm to the speech. As you read it, you subconsciously imagine the speaker’s voice rising in volume.
Other than the rather trite phrase ‘twice is careless, three times is a choice‘, there are no hard and fast rules. It’s difficult to codify when it feels wrong and when it feels right. All I can suggest is that where possible, try to use synonyms if a word or phrase crops up twice within a few paragraphs, or perhaps in the same circumstances (describing characters the same way more than once in different parts of a book), without tying yourself in knots and using unrealistically complicated vocabulary. However, if you decide to use a word or phrase three times or more as a stylistic choice, read the paragraph out loud (or get your computer to read it to you). The human ear is very good at picking up when something sounds ‘wrong’.
What are your thoughts on the repetition as a tool? As always, feel free to share your thoughts here or on social media.
Until next time,
Paul
If you are a writer with a tip to share, or fancy writing a fictional interview between you and one of your characters, please feel free to email me.
