Redundancy through overtelling

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Posted on 22 February 2018
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Look out for sentences which simply repeat information which the reader could have worked out for him or herself.

If you are explaining a process, be careful not to go into too much detail; if you are summing up a situation, the odds are you can remove the summary altogether.

Be careful also not to raise a concern and then immediately address it. Stealing thunder kills the reader’s desire to read on.

Aim not to reveal anything until you absolutely have to – if at all.

YOUR CHALLENGE

Make a note of your current word count on the piece of writing you used in the previous lesson.

Examine one paragraph at a time and check whether you are revealing too much, too soon, and not giving the reader any room for his/her own imagination to swing into action.

Consider rephrasing/pruning so that you are not overtelling your story.

Software tips

  • If you are using Scrivener, use the corkboard to review the synopsis for each scene. Make sure you reveal information
    NB You can list all forms of a verb, but make sure you choose ‘Any’ rather than ‘Exact’ in the search options.
  • If you are using ProWritingAid, run the Overuse report and check whether you have used verbs like ‘to feel’ or ‘to seem’.

Keeping track

  • How many words did you start with?
  • How many words did you end with?
  • How many words did you cut in total?
  • What percentage is that of your original word count? (Number cut / Number at start x 100)
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