Bloggaday: Bloggaday 177 – Repeated terms in writing

Bloggaday 177 – Repeated terms in writing

I recently used “cursory glance” twice in a Bloggaday, and I actually annotated it and pointed it out. I don’t know if it’s necessarily a bad term to use twice in an essay, but it’s kind of cringe-worthy to me.

It kind of extends form my attempts at writing fiction. I remember reading an author* say something along the lines of, “I shouldn’t use the same word twice in a paragraph, and if I can’t make that happen, then I shouldn’t be writing.”** That’s a sentiment that I’ve taken to my own writing.

In a venue such as the Bloggaday, I’ve had to extrapolate it somewhat. I try not to use very bold terms or memorable phrases multiple times in an essay because I should be able to express the idea without having to use the same exact words. Plus, for me, it’s just kind of jarring.

Back to fiction, I used “wet snap” twice in my The Supernatural Handicap Battle Royal of the Century Christmas Party Spectacular and it killed me. Again, it might not be as bad as I’m making it out as, but it just doesn’t seem like it should have happened. It’s a unique enough word combo that I shouldn’t use it twice in a short story.

Again, I could be working all of this up into more of an issue than it really is. Then again, it might be as much of a faux pas as I am thinking it is.

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