Archive for August 5, 2013
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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