by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I recently got my copyedited manuscript back for the first Southern quilting mystery, which is releasing in June.
I was pleased with the lack of mark-ups on the manuscript. It was probably the cleanest doc I’ve ever gotten back.
Except for one major thing.
I had the most echoes I’d ever seen. Actually, it was an embarrassing number of echoes.
Editors (at least mine at Penguin), refer to repeated words as echoes. Echoes haven’t usually been an issue for me. And this manuscript was full of them.
I think it might be due to the number of times I picked up and put down the document while writing it. I had a full schedule at the time and wrote in very small chunks of time. That approach worked well, in terms of getting the book written. But, since I make a point of not reading what I wrote the previous day, this meant that sometimes I reused words that I’d just written (that I guess were fresh in my mind from the day before.)
An example from the first page of my manuscript: I reference a wild looking woman at the protagonist’s front door. Five lines later: I describe the woman’s wildly colored, mismatched clothes.
Some other repeated words: disastrous and disaster (4 lines apart), quickly (4 lines apart), chilled and chill (10 lines apart), honestly (2 lines apart), normally (2 lines apart), running late and run by (in the same line)….yes, the list goes on!
Amazingly, neither my agent nor my senior editor noticed the echoes in a read-though…but they were reading for content in those passes. Which just goes to show that copyeditors are worth their salt—and that we all can miss echoes unless we’re making special passes for them.
On the upside—they’re extremely easy to fix. I’d corrected the entire manuscript and returned it to my editor in just about 30 minutes. But I felt sorry for the poor copyeditor.
I’ve caught my own echoes before—that’s why I’ve never had a book returned to me with so many. These are the ways I’ve found them (and I use the same method to locate other errors):
Read aloud: You can either read your book aloud to yourself or load the manuscript on your e-reader and have the device read aloud to you.
Read in a different font: This drives me nuts after a while, but if I only plan on editing a chapter, I’ll put the one chapter in a different font. It makes the words look different and gives me a little distance from the document.
Use beta readers: Sometimes my betas will find these types of errors.
Make a special pass: This is my plan for my next manuscript. I’m going to make a special pass through the document, looking especially for echoes.
How do you find errors like echoes in your drafts?
I call it phrase abuse. And I am very guilty of echoing. Sometimes I change it and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I just don’t know what to change it to.
I so did that with the last text. It was like I had a writing stutter. Thank you for the good advice.
Elizabeth – Oh, I’ve done echoes, too! For whatever reason, one of my echo problems is the word scoop/ed. Thank heavens for my beta readers who catch that before anyone else does!
I have certain words I overuse. I keep an ongoing list, and before I complete my proofreading of the manuscript, I run a search for each word.
As you say, they are easy to correct or, often, to leave out.
I can be so bad for this. The amount of smiling and nodding I had to cut from my first book was horrifying!
You might want to consider using AutoCrit Editing Wizard at http://www.autocrit.com. I use the free wizard for picking up repeated words. The site limits free users to three analysis a day, but most times I get one or two more. Once my WIP is at the final draft stage, I’ll purchase a membership and start from the beginning. The analysis has caused me to writer a little tighter.
That’s why I print out each scene as I finish it. Those echoes–well, they echo. And I so hear you about writing in chunks. Often I go to fix something and I find a word seems to work … because I’ve been using in in that same scene. Or the next or previous paragraph.
My crit partners are great about catching those…much better than my first editor was.
Terry
Terry’s Place
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
If you are going to echo, echo for effect. But reading your work out loud is good advice. But usually I rewrite so often (100 rewrites for my book “Making Movies”), that they are eliminated by the end. The other thing that happens is that writers fall in love with certain words. They don’t see them on the page. That’s when you need a 2nd reader.
I’ve noticed, especially in first drafts, that I seem to have a ‘word of the day’. I usually catch them on the second read-through.
My beta readers are the best for that – I go through and think I’ve eliminated all the echoes, and then the beta reader sends it back to me with dozens more circled or underlined. I had one story where one particular character “strode” everywhere – one of my betas asked plaintively, “Can’t he just WALK somewhere – or even march – anything but stride?”
Thank goodness for beta readers and copyeditors.
I used to be really bad with echoes. Now I read through, just purposely looking for repeated words, Thesaurus in hand.
I haven’t considered reading in a different font. But I can see how that would be beneficial. Have to try that next time. And good luck with the Southern Quilt Mystery!
comingalive–I reworded a couple of sentences, cut out the offending word a few times, and used synonyms for the others.
V. Furnas–It *is* a sort of stutter, isn’t it?
Paul–My characters are bobble-heads, too. :)
Margot–I know yours do a fantastic job for you!
Louise–Ha! I know what you mean. It’s funny how we get words stuck in our head.
Diane–I have a feeling that might be the best way to find them.
Stephen–Hope it’ll work. And thanks!
My best tool is reading aloud. But I have to do large chunks at a time to keep continuity, so I can see how you might have missed these things doing it in short bursts.
Karen
I’m bad with echoes. I should stop using the word “probably” so much. But do I need that element of uncertainty?
Adding to Weekly Round-up.
Hi, Elizabeth! I catch echoes when I read aloud. Using different fonts is interesting. I might try that.
Hope you have a great week!
Wonderful tips for an all-too common problem, Elizabeth! I’m glad you mentioned reading your manuscript in an e-reader. I’ve done that many times, and really find that it tricks my brain into reading with fresh eyes. Thanks!
I have some words I always overuse so I go through using ‘Find’ to pick up on these (yes, ‘probably’ is one of these – my head of department at my day job hates that – ‘why are you so uncertain about everything?’).
I read it on different computers, I print it out, I get a printed and bound copy using Lulu… the only thing I haven’t tried is reading it out loud.
(By the way, I’m really looking forward to the quilting mystery, Elizabeth!)
I tend to use a lot of echoes in first drafts. And I’m not great at catching them yet. Thankfully one of my crit buddies is! :)
I had never heard it called Echoes. What a great phrase. I can’t see when I’m using same word too much.
I like your font idea. Will use it.
Joe–The ones I usually use are “just” and “nodded”. That’s what stumped me so much with this edit! I must have lost my mind..repeatedly and throughout the entire book! At least they’re easy to fix.
Ian–Very interesting! I hadn’t heard of that site. Okay, I’ll check it out–thanks!
Terry–Ha! Yes, so when it works *once*, we get addicted to the word or phrase. I think you’re right.
David–I really *love* planned repetition–in humor, in subplots, etc. That’s the best kind of echo!
C0–I like having probablys in the first draft, then I cut them later on. Might be our way of trying to just work through the problems on the page.
Elspeth–Ha! I like that….word of the day. I think I do, too….
Laura–Good luck with it!
Sheila–I like “seems and seemed”. :) It’s a similar malady to your “probably.”
Oh, printing it out–that’s one I forgot! Yes, I do that, too. Thanks for looking forward to the book!
Karen–Large chunks of time would probably eliminate these mistakes altogether, I’d bet. I’m going to be reading aloud soon, too.
Echoing can become part of a voice or style, used right — but it starts with being aware of your word choices, and how they come off.
A great example of style is the first comment “Sometimes I change it and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I just don’t know what to change.” That’s a beautiful use of repetition.
The voice thing is trickier. After writing a book with several different point of view characters (each with a different voice) I’m returning to a series with a narrator I love.
I’m finding myself having to “unedit” him constantly. He uses a very simple base vocabulary and only uses fancier words for emphasis. So yes, there are a lot of echoes, but I have to restrain myself and leave them be most of the time.
I think he gets a lot of mileage out of a word like “look” because he seldom uses any other way to describe a person’s reaction. He says things like “I looked at her and she looked at me, and I could see she was mad so I stopped looking at her. I looked at Joe instead. He didn’t look at anybody.”
In the end, it all goes back to being aware of what you’re doing, I suppose.
Suzannah: Funny how that ereader trick works! Thanks for coming by. :)
Reading aloud works well for me. It helps me to catch repeated sounds as well as words.
Word’s Find feature is another useful tool if I know there’s a word or phrase I tend to overuse.
I have that same problem when I write. I also have a problem with repeating the same thing two different ways. It can be frustrating.
These are good tips, thank you. Whenever I catch an echo on yet another pass through, I wonder how I missed it in the first place!
I’m in the process of reading my manuscript out loud as I edit. Not only does this help me find echoes, but I catch other items that need to be cleaned up too.
I echo a bit, too. Just found a couple in a short story the other day. Good post, good reminder.
Printing off a few chapters at a time and sitting down with a pen helps me to catch my echoes. I use the pen to slow myself down as I read – I drag it across the page, focusing on each word, each sentence, and then each paragraph.
Editing/critiquing other people’s works helps me catch my echoes, too.
Thanks for the tips!
Elizabeth, Just a brief response. I’m into “just” too.
I have a lot of problems with that. Eliminating them are a pain.
Jemi–You’re fortunate to have a great crit partner!
LD Masterson–Repeated *sounds*…gosh, I probably have lots of those, too!
Journaling Woman–I know my favorite words to repeat, but these were not favorites, for sure! Just me messing up.
Marjorie–I think that’s our way of stalling while we figure out what we’re going to say next (the “ummmm…” of writing. :) ) Easy to edit out in the final draft.
The Daring Novelist–Ha! Yes, when I was glancing over the post, I thought maybe I should take those out–considering the topic. :)
I did have my copyeditor a couple of times ask me “echoed on purpose?” and I did use STET. Sometimes echoes are planned. (Although, sadly, not too many of the ones in that manuscript!)
So you’re showing a little about a character through his repetitive speech…I think that’s smart use of echoes.
Karen–It’s just so easy to do.
This is one of those things I try to keep an eye out for in edits. It’s definitely a function of how disjointed my writing time is, too.
Been a while, hasn’t it, good lady? Hope you’re doing well. Cheers!
Simon–Well, we have to force that writing time into nooks and crannies sometimes. :)
Yes, it’s been a while..on my end, anyway! I’m sorry about that. I haven’t been getting around as much as I used to. Hope you’re well and I’ll check in with your Constant Revision blog and see what you’ve been up to. :)
I didn´t know the term ´echo´, but of course I do it often, and as you say, especially when I write in short spurts (i.e. nearly always). Usually I spot them myself, but if not, I have the most wonderful beta readers :)
And as you say, this error is easier to fix than so many others.
NB: I think I have mentioned it before, but when I think my WIP is almost there, I convert it and read it in my Kindle. That creates the needed distance for me.
Don’t do that, Elizabeth. The echoes, I mean >;)
Good luck with your upcoming book
Cold As Heaven
I use word cloud applications – Wordle is my favorite – http://www.wordle.net/ just take three or four chapters and throw them in the program. The most used words get the biggest fonts. I just keep doing that and also it quicklys shows me what I’m up to, especially with invisible words like ‘so’ and ‘because’ or ‘initially’. I am a big preponent of reading aloud.
Good job at getting clean copy, Elizabeth!!!
Tracy–Isn’t that the truth? I couldn’t believe the number that I had. Really embarrassing, actually.
Heather–I think you take more time reading through your manuscript than I did with this last one! Ack.
Joe–Isn’t that funny? I don’t think I use “just” when I’m talking, *just* when writing. :)
ralfast–I think *finding* them can be a pain. Of course, I had the poor copyeditor find them. Sigh.
Dorte–Yes, those short spurts are killing us!
Putting it on the Kindle is really helpful!
Cold As Heaven–I was the Echo Queen! :)
Jan–I haven’t used Wordle for a while…thanks for the reminder! I remember that it was helpful pegging what my favorite words for the manuscript were.
And thanks, Jan!
It’s too easy to have echos. I even notice it in NY Times Best-seller’s books actually. I think “oh so you wrote this section, or these 2, in the same day”. LOL
It’s really easy, isn’t it? And I think it’s exactly for the reasons you describe! Now that I had so many echoes in that last ms, I’m going to be very vigilant for the next one.
ah the echo!
i write, then reread it hours later, sometimes the next day…
usually makes it easier to catch, at least for me..
great post!
nilla
i’m visiting from Kristen Lamb’s blog…
Thanks so much for coming by, Nilla! And you’re right about the re-read…I have a feeling it’s easy to catch right after you write the echo. I write my 1st draft straight through, which probably explains why I had so many!
Good points. I like reading aloud. I often find phrases don’t run together very well in the same way. The Mac has a facility to read a document aloud, which is good, but not as good as doing it myself.
Cheers
Nigel
I get hoarse after a while, so having a computer or the Kindle read to me is better. :)
Haven’t tried the different font trick! I usually catch them when I read aloud, but my crit partners are best. But sometimes I do them intentionally for effect…
I love that parallel structure, when they’re deliberately used…unfortunately, with mine–they were just errors!
Never considered my ereader reading to me, lol. Thanks for a great article!
Great advice. I’ll be sure to try those on the MS I’m editing now. Thanks.