Read this to learn how
to use repetition effectively in your work without overusing it.
I'm writing this article in the hopes of opening up a discussion, since this is a topic that is rarely covered and extremely subjective. The focus of the article is simple, repetition, in all its forms, as a literary device. I feel compelled to discuss it as I read a lot of new author's work and sometimes notice differing opinions on what works and what doesn't. The views expressed here are very much my own, I don't perceive them to be true, or correct, just the views of someone who enjoys the flow of words on a page.
I'm writing this article in the hopes of opening up a discussion, since this is a topic that is rarely covered and extremely subjective. The focus of the article is simple, repetition, in all its forms, as a literary device. I feel compelled to discuss it as I read a lot of new author's work and sometimes notice differing opinions on what works and what doesn't. The views expressed here are very much my own, I don't perceive them to be true, or correct, just the views of someone who enjoys the flow of words on a page.
A lot of authors feel
that to write well, they must not use the same word more than once in
a sentence. Whilst this is generally a fallacy there are times when
it makes sense.
“The big man walked
up to the big door, his big frame barely fitting through the
doorway.”
This example
instinctively feels repetitive, but how best to alter it so it feels
less so.
One could now play
about with finding the synonyms that best describe the specific
objects. The man might be 'stocky' or 'muscular', the door might be
'foreboding' or 'overbearing'.
“The stocky man
walked towards the overbearing oak door, his bulky frame barely
fitting through.”
We've now removed all
the repetition, and even added a bit of alliteration.
'But what about the use
of repetition for emphasis? Isn't this a legitimate literary
device?' I hear you cry!
Deliberate repetition
for emphasis usually works better in one sentence rather than across
a paragraph. Let's use the word 'dark' and its various forms to
create an dramatic sentence with deliberate emphatic repetition.
“The dark cloaked man
rushed through the equally dark hallway and disappeared, seemingly
into the darkness itself.”
Now this, to me, has
some merit, the repetition adds to the sentence rather than detracts
from it. The reason I say it works well in one sentence as opposed
to multiple is because it feels isolated and deliberate rather than
sporadic and clumsy.
A paragraph with
similar repetition might go something like this.
'The dark cloaked man
stopped and surveyed his surroundings. He headed down the dark
corridor towards the stairs. When he descended we could no longer
see him through the dark.
“Shall we follow
him?” Betty asked.
“I dunno, it's pretty
dark” Tom replied.'
Yeah, we get it, it's
dark! The word dark has lost all meaning for me in this excerpt.
So these are my rules
on repetition, but what are yours? How many times is too many for
you as a reader or author? What is your view on repeating a whole
phrase, verbatim, throughout a novel? Add your comments below to
help other writers hone their skills and find their voice.
Repetition can be a killer. Someone noted that I used the word 'meticulous' way too frequently in my manuscript, so I looked into it. It was used three times in over 70,000 words. Those three uses were all within a few pages of each other. That is the first thing this particular reader had to say about the book. Meanwhile, the same reader made no mention of the intentional repetition of a word in another manuscript, "Brian hated rental cars almost as much as he hated driving after dark. Both of those hatreds paled in comparison to his hatred for driving in the rain."
ReplyDeleteIn the latter case, using synonyms sounds silly to me. "Brain loathed rental cars almost as much as he despised driving after dark. Both of those hatreds paled in comparison to his disgust for driving in the rain." Probably because they are meant in comparison. I think it just goes to show that there is a time and a place for repetition. The key is finding the correct time and place.
Having said that, I have read a number of books in the last month that used 'had had' and 'that that'. Is there ever a case where either of those is correct? The only case I can think of where it might be necessary is when used in conjunction with an idiom like, "Barry had had enough." But even reading that it seems like you should just take the extra two seconds to rewrite it as "Barry couldn't take it anymore." or something similar.
I once wrote a sentence with 'had' three times in a row just to prove a point to a friend. I had had had written three times in a row in fact! I wouldn't recommend it though and you're quite correct, if the tongue stumbles when reading it, it's probably best to find another word.
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