By Sharla Rae
One of the things we’ve discussed in our critique meetings is the tendency all writers have to repeat certain words and phrases. “Echoes” is a term I’ve heard applied to frequently repeated words.
Read your chapter out loud, and that’s exactly what they sound like.
Common Causes of Echoes:
- Using lame and boring “to be” verbs. When used, they often produce not only echoes but also wordy constructions.
- Many echoes are subject oriented. For example, let’s say that in one chapter a wagon plays a big part in the action. Echoing “wagon” may be your repeated offense. Subject oriented words are sneaky. At first, they seem absolutely necessary. A closer inspection proves otherwise.
Helpful Echo-Zapping Sites
Laura Drake found a website that counts repeated words: www.wordcounter.com/
The writer simply copies his/her chapter then pastes it into the provided box. The program allows a list of 25 to…
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