The goal of ALL writing is to create something you're proud of.
E.C. Henry LOVES cardinals ! Such a magestic bird, and now that I'm living in Tennessee I see them all the time. :) The last post in this series came wayyy back in February of 2018... Well, guess what--I'm cranking it up again!
Redundancies in writing is one of the biggest challenges writer's face in the editorial process of improving their prose. I think redundancies exist in two different forms. First is using the same word over and over again. That can be fixed by using a thesaurus, and pronouns. Listening to your prose really helps find this kind of redundancy.
This type of duplication is usually a product of first draft writing.
Typos and word flow matter may appear as big hurdles to cross, but there is another form of redundancy to consider when editing a novel, and that comes in the form of conceptual redundancy. This kind of duplication is when you describe the same thing several times to detriment of the reader. A lot of this comes from disjointed writing sessions. Sometimes you forget how you previously described something. The more complex and long your story is, the more you need to be on the look-out for conceptual redundancy.
Consistency matters. You don't want to add "tweaks" to previously described things that breaks the rules you established. One way to safeguard against this is to use separate documents to help keep key facts straight. I think I have like 200+ characters in The Legend of Thars series. Even my main characters have attributes and key articles of clothing that I need to keep straight. To "help" keep consistence I use a master character roster that briefly describes each character, and I have several other files chronicling characters action and change as the series progresses. Character bio pages will also help you create good arcs for characters. Character arcs are the changes characters go through and life lessons learned as result of them being in the story. Character arcs are important for great meaning being expressed.
Writing Will Always Humble You.
For me a lot of repeated thing are a product of disjointed writing sessions. One the harsh realities I face on a daily basis is the fact that I have to work for a living, and can't fully give myself to this art 24/7.
God gave us erasers for good reason!
Repeating saying the same thing over and over again is annoying. Trust me, I get it. No writer sets out to bore their reader. Hopefully when you edit your material you see the repetition and can eliminate it. If not, let readers who have a fresh perspective find that for you. That's the whole purpose of Beta readers is to find the lulls and repetition that you can't see anymore.
Never said writing was easy. Writing a "good yarn" takes practice--and dedication!
So, last week I got my paid editorial review back of the first novel in The Legend of Thars series. I was shocked at how few changes the lady I paid suggested. So my confidence is riding relatively high right now. No, I'm not claiming to have arrived. But I feel good about where I am right now.
Right now I'm at about page 80 of the 2nd novel in the series. I've got some mid-level logic issues to iron out which are slowing the edits down considerably. Right now I'm editing a key chase scene with lots of stuff happening in two separate locations.
I'm also gearing up to work with a cover artist from England! THAT is going to be fun. The guy I've hired already has two sections of text from the first novel that I KNOW will made for a cool eye-catcher. How can a dragon fight NOT be interesting. I guess in the wrong hands anything can be botched. But when it comes to imagery, I'm like State Farm; and you're in good hands!
I think this fella is auditioning to be in Thars!
Until you get published realized--
It's Always a Draft.
In writing novels I've stumbled on a band new, E.C. Henry writing mantra. It's always a draft means that whatever draft your on, it can always be improved upon. Writing is not like working with clay in pottery. Until the day the final product is in book form it can be improved upon. Even once published, on the next publishing cycle an improved draft can make the end product even better!
Still, you can't work on the same thing for too long. So I take solace in the fact that writing is an experiment art. And, now were up to another E.C. Henry writing mantra:
Writing is an Experiment Art.
Two quick and easy to digest axioms. Doesn't mean that adopting these will make writing something great easier. But it does help form a greater perspective on the creative life and writing in general.
So when it comes to writing redundancies, be aware of the two forms they exist in, and reread your work keying of trying to eliminate this ugly fat from your story. My antennas are always up when it comes to redundancy in writing. In a complex story it's easy to repeat yourself. Cues to remind the reader are good, but need to be limited in time spent in scope. One of the ways you can self-edit and take these annoyances out is by re-reading your prose in chunks. After a little training a lot of poor sentence flow and repetition stands out, and can be corrected.