It's amazing what you learn about yourself while swimming through the editing process. In the last email from my editor, she told me to go through my manuscript and delete all the redundant sentences, that there were quite a few all the way through and that those kinds of sentences are unnecessary. What? I don't do that!
At first, I rebelled but then quickly realized she knew what she was talking about. I had a tendency to say the same thing, but in different ways, two or three times in a paragraph! How annoying!
Then, to make matters more personal, I was telling my husband about this and he tactfully informed me that I talk that way in everyday life too! It's almost laughable! So I set out to really be aware and you know what? HE IS RIGHT! (insert expletive here)
Tonight we went out to dinner and with a big smile, the hubby announced, "You haven't repeated one thing today!" Big wow. LOL That's because now I'm hyper aware of that super annoying bad habit! Also, I always notice when other people do it and you know what? A LOT OF PEOPLE DO! We must all think everyone else is monumentally slow. Why else the need to say the same thing over and over? Maybe it's just a human tendency. I don't know, but I do know this. As of now, there is one less person of redundance in the world!
6 comments:
I have the same bad habit. I hate it when I do that. You've inspired me. It's easy to take it out in the writing but when speaking too bad the damage is done as we have bored everyone with out repetitiveness. I'm going to try it too! Starting right now!
What a coincidence! I'm a perfect writer, too! I don't have any writing weakness. If you think I don't know much about structuring novels and that my pacing is way too fast, you must be imagining it.
Oh gosh - I tend to repeat myself over again - but for me I put it down to er.. "age"!!! I'll remember half way through my narrative that I've already said it to this particular person but have to finish because I'm already half way there! It's an annoying habit but glad I'm not the only one who does it! LOL!
take care
x
Here's why I think you're a good writer, Mel: the redundancy in your first paragraph here. That's FUNNY!!! Pretty sophisticated humor, I think. I love linguistic jokes though, so I'm your prime audience.
I know that it's hard to open our eyes to our bad habits, but all the better when we can recognize and change and grow from it. Great job, girl!
It's very difficult to see our writing, and ourselves, objectively. It does feel good, as you've pointed out, when we're willing to accept constructive criticism and overcome our weaknesses. A sense of humor helps, too, which you have! Good job, as my daughter would say.
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