One thing that occurs with every author to some extent is the repetition of our favorite words and phrases. This is especially common in first drafts, and when it comes to my blog entries I’m sure there’s a lot of instances of them due to how almost all of my blog posts are first drafts! In any case, when editing a book, it is necessary that you go through and get rid of as many repetitions as possible.
To use me as an example, when doing first drafts I over use the words “realized” and “suddenly.” I know these are words I over use, so when I edit I look for them and kill them off as soon as I find them. The goal is to have as few repetitions in a text as possible to make it easier to read.
Now I should explain that I am not refering to characters names and such; rather, this deals mainly with verbs and adverbs. If you are repeating the same action, you have a problem.
Knowing this made it really ironic as I just finished re-reading Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. (Child was a former book editor, mind you.) This book was their first collaboration, and in general I enjoyed it a great deal, although they have definitely improved through time. One thing stopped me though.
On page 433 we read: “Gingerly, he moved to the pipe and began crawling in the darkness.” We then have three sentences, and the fourth is: “Gingerly, he brought his foot outward and downward.” Two paragraphs later, we read: “One at a time, people emerged and spread out against the wall, feeling their way gingerly, collapsing in exhaustion.” (Mind you, that sentence only begins on page 433, the repetition of the word “gingerly” doesn’t actually occur until page 434.
This is problematic not only because of the repetitions, but also because of the fact that it’s repeated adverbs. (Adverbs are the anti-Christ when it comes to publishing texts.) We can also add to it the fact that “ing” words lack the same emphasis as other verbs. But couldn’t at least one of the “gingerly”’s be replaced with “tentatively”? Perhaps another with “hesitantly”? It’s not that difficult to get alternate words in there….
Needless to say, Child and Preston have made far more money that I have selling books. So the “rules” are about as relevant as the guidelines in Pirates of the Caribean….as long as you’re a former book editor with your foot already in the door!
