Interesting stuff.
Case in point. In my critique group, we have a person who
has an English major background. She takes her red pen and underlines places
where I’ve reused a word in a paragraph or (heaven forbid!) the same sentence.
So, I’ve been diligently removing repetitive words from my manuscripts for
years now. Except in places where I’ve meant to do it. That’s when I put my
foot down. (Speaking of putting your foot down, that’s a cliché to avoid, but
that’s a topic for another post.)
Turns out, putting my foot down when I intentionally reused
a word or phrase was the correct response. Repetition can be a powerful tool in
writing. It creates cadence and flow. And, if you were just zooming along
through the story, using the same phrase over and over will draw your attention
to the sentence and make you aware that something is about to happen. Something
that involves those particular words. It’s a common enough device, used by
poets, orators, songwriters and, lo and behold, great writers. Here’s an
example: "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang
separately." (Benjamin Franklin)
My English major red-pen toting friend is still correct in
pointing out my overuse of some words. The repetition of words and phrases
loses its power if sloppily applied. But when you want to highlight or ratchet
up the tension, it’s definitely a tool to pull from your arsenal of writing
techniques.
I’d say the cost of the workshop was money well spent.
