A writing tip I discovered on my own

[BWFoster78]

Not sure if this is the best place to put this topic, but I didn't see a place dedicated to tips. Might be a good suggestion...

Most of the tips that I use, I've found in writing books or whatever. There are a couple of things I've discovered on my own.

My Tip Of The Day (a misnomer; I have no plans to do one of these a day.):

Edit other people's writing.

I've been making a lot of comments on the Showcase Forum, and I've discovered two benefits.

First, it's easier to spot things that bug me in other people's writing. I'm a lot closer to my own, and my phrasing seems more natural to me. When I spot something in another place, it makes me look for it in my own writing.

Second, when I see something that I commented on negatively in another's writing in my own, it makes it easier for me to actually eliminate it from mine. My first thought is usually: "I know I hated it in that other guy's piece, but it sound great in mine." It doesn't take long, however, for me to convince myself that it has to go.

My Rule of the Day (also a misnomer):

Don't use the same word twice in the same sentence or three times in half a page.

"The" doesn't count, and, like any rule, it can be broken if you really feel the need to. I feel, however, that it's a good general guideline. (Yes, I realize I used "same" twice. I was trying to be funny. I probably didn't succeed. )

 

[Telcontar]

I certainly agree with learning to edit other work being a helpful way to develop your self-editing skills. I became a member of a writer's critique group about ten years ago, and I noticed a rapid improvement in my ability to step away from my own work and look at it a little more objectively. I still need other eyes to help me edit, but I can get a bit further along.

Also ditto on the word repetition thing. Very common stylistic stumble in newer writers.

 

[BWFoster78]

This is a tip I heard the other day that I'm not quite convinced of yet:

Don't start sentences in a paragraph, or the first sentence of consecutive paragraphs, with the same word.

I get that you shouldn't use the same word or sentence structure a lot, but I'm not sure how big a deal this is. If you start 8 out of 10 sentences with "he," it's going to annoy the reader. I'm not sure that twice in one paragraph is a big deal, though.

Thoughts?

 

[soulless]

If it happens fairly often it could be annoying. However, twice in one paragraph, as long as that doesn't occur too often through the story, I can't see being an issue

 

[BWFoster78]

If it happens fairly often it could be annoying. However, twice in one paragraph, as long as that doesn't occur too often through the story, I can't see being an issue

I've been looking for it in my own writing, and it just doesn't seem to bug me at all. Then again, I seem to be a little blind to this particular issue.

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

I've been looking for it in my own writing, and it just doesn't seem to bug me at all. Then again, I seem to be a little blind to this particular issue.

I can't speak for everyone, but I personally find it distracting when a particularly distinct or noticable word is used multiple times in rapid succession. Articles, conjunctions, etc. don't count; it's especially verbs and adjectives that I perceive this for. I think most people feel the same way, but I can't say for sure.