All writers, whether new or seasoned, feel a sense of exhilaration when their novel is finally done. After celebrating, they turn their attention to the next step in the process-revision. It's natural for novelists to focus their revision efforts on further character development, detail and clarifying plot elements.
It is easy to overlook the fundamental error of internal repetition that occurs in almost every first draft. Finding these areas requires careful scrutiny of the manuscript.
Repetition in Word Choice
There are three main areas where internal repetition occurs, and it is usually unintentional. The most obvious area, and the easiest to correct, is word choice. Anytime a word is used several times in the same sentence, paragraph or scene, an alternative word should be substituted.
For example, a character may be described as having a chiseled jaw. Two sentences later he flexes his chiseled jaw in a show of anger. In the next paragraph, he rubs his chiseled jaw in perplexity. The reader may want to break this guy's chiseled jaw if something doesn't change soon.
It usually just takes an awareness of the problem to recognize it when it occurs. For instance, "The sight of the crater sobered John's mood. He looked around soberly, seeing nothing but devastion." This type of sentence is easy to write, and easy to fix.
Repetition in Character Behavior
Not only can the writer use the same words over and over, but he can also unintentionally make his characters repeat their actions or reactions. A woman may run her fingers through her hair. A man may take a deep breath before speaking. This happens, but not before every sentence they say, or it becomes irritating.
This error is very common in romance novels. Fiery sparks fly from the damsel's eyes every time the knight appears. Bosoms heave precariously in a tight bodice. Not only are these phrases cliche, but they can and do occur during almost every scene. Try to think of an original way to show these things happening.
Repetition in Scenes
The hardest areas to recognize, especially for a new writer, are areas in the novel where scenes and action have been repeated.
For instance, the first scene may be a fight between a husband and wife. They are standing in the kitchen and the kids are listening at the door. The scene escalates to harsh words and tears, and ends with the husband telling the wife he wants a divorce.
The reader now knows that a divorce is imminent and the children know. The next chapter takes place the next evening. The kids are huddled in their beds, another fight is started, and the husband states again that he wants a divorce.
The writer hasn't written a new scene. He's written the same scene, merely changed the setting slightly. Except for a few minor changes, the action is the same and hasn't done a thing to advance the plot.
A serial killer may think the exact same thoughts every time he kills. A woman may helplessly weep over the same death ten times before she finally takes some type of action. A man might be in several scenes showing how seductive he is to women, when the reader may not need that much reinforcement of his character.
Revising for Errors
Novice writers often get very attached to their stories and hesitate to delete a scene that took four hours to write. But, if the scene doesn't advance the story and merely repeats what has already been told, it should be deleted.
Writing is a process that doesn't stop when the last word is written. That's when the stage of revision begins.
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