What's your personal philosophy on recycling certain phrases/sayings/expressions/metaphors?

[Voyeurkenneth]

What's your personal philosophy on recycling certain phrases/sayings/expressions/metaphors either across your stories, or within one story?

- Don't care?
- Personal limits on usage?
- No recycling!

For example, these can be things one might normally gravitate toward writing on impulse (e.g. "stared daggers," "rolled his eyes," "furrowed brows," etc.) that may come off as repetitive to a reader if used too many times.

 

[StillStunned]

I think it's alright, to a degree at least. I mean, if artists like Bruce Springsteen and Texas can reuse lyrics in songs that they release, and charge money for them, then why can't we do the same in our free stories?

 

[Voyeurkenneth]

I think it's alright, to a degree at least. I mean, if artists like Bruce Springsteen and Texas can reuse lyrics in songs that they release, and charge money for them, then why can't we do the same in our free stories?

I agree, but I’m curious where you and others might draw the line.

 

[TheLobster]

Simple expressions like “she rolled her eyes” are similar to speech tags. You will draw more attention to them if you try to be overly creative in rephrasing them.

Sometimes, repetition can also be a literary device. If you’re writing a petulant teenager, lampshading the fact she rolled her eyes for the fifth time is an easy way to emphasize her character traits.

 

[ElectricBlue]

What's your personal philosophy on recycling certain phrases/sayings/expressions/metaphors either across your stories, or within one story?

- Don't care?
- Personal limits on usage?
- No recycling!

For example, these can be things one might normally gravitate toward writing on impulse (e.g. "stared daggers," "rolled his eyes," "furrowed brows," etc.) that may come off as repetitive to a reader if used too many times.

Across stories, who cares? It's like a signature.

Within a story, in moderation, with repetition used deliberately, not accidentally. When I repeat something accidentally I hope no-one notices - but if they do, they've never commented, so I don't worry too much about it.

 

[Sammael Bard]

I recently read a story where the author was writing "Heh heh heh" at the beginning of almost every conversation. Words like chuckled, laughed etc were apparently not in the author's vocabulary.

It got annoying very quickly.

 

[StillStunned]

I agree, but I’m curious where you and others might draw the line.

Any expression that's commonly understood in English (including the examples you gave: "stared daggers," "rolled his eyes," "furrowed brows,") is fair game, although I'd limit it to once per several thousand words, or even once per story/chapter. Unless we're talking D&D, and "Staring Daggers" is a combat spell that the wizard uses.

Full clauses or sentences, or the writer's own similes and metaphors? Things that grab the readers attention so much that you normally wouldn't use more than once per story anyway? I guess you can reuse them in different stories, but very conservatively. I probably wouldn't do it more than once, and not in the same series. Preferably several years apart too.

If your readers see it happening too often and too easily, they'll think you're a lazy writer. If you can't be bothered to do your best to create a new story, why should they bother reading?

 

[Bazzle]

If you characters are doing the same thing over and over again...it will be very difficult to come up with imaginative different phrases, without someone commenting that you have eaten a Thesaurus before writing it.

 

[EmilyMiller]

What's your personal philosophy on recycling certain phrases/sayings/expressions/metaphors either across your stories, or within one story?

Within a story? Unless for intentional emphasis, I try to avoid this.

Across stories? It’s close to impossible to avoid this IMO. And probably not worth trying to do.

 

[ChuckWolf]

One thing I've done in NC/reluctance stories and will repeat in the future, is mention that whatever sexual ordeal is happening to the main character, he/she will wind up masturbating to it in the future, taking the lead in their spank bank.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

How long is the story?
How unusual is the expression/phrase/metaphor?
Is it used in character dialogue?

In a short story, or if it's an unusual turn of the phrase once is probably enough.
If people are "staring daggers" multiple times in a short story that would likely draw my attention in a negative way and detract from the story.

If we are talking about dialogue, if it's restricted to the same character and is just one of her mannerisms then it's fine.
If ALL your characters are repeatedly using it, then there should be a reason consistent with the story. It's hip new slang all the kids are using or something.

 

[big_cane_sugar]

My philosophy is if I use a cliche or repeat an unusual phrase within a story, it had better be with purpose. However, I regard every story as its own universe so I don't mind reusing my good lines. I doubt anyone has read more than 3-4 of my stories anyway. If anyone has, I apologize.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

What's your personal philosophy on recycling certain phrases/sayings/expressions/metaphors either across your stories, or within one story?

- Don't care?
- Personal limits on usage?
- No recycling!

For example, these can be things one might normally gravitate toward writing on impulse (e.g. "stared daggers," "rolled his eyes," "furrowed brows," etc.) that may come off as repetitive to a reader if used too many times.

It’s all about context and proximity. Probably best not to do it in the same paragraph. But across a story, there may be lots of reasons to ‘stare daggers.’

 

[yowser]

It's only when I read 'stair daggers' more than once that I grow worried.

 

[AwkwardMD]

This is a real struggle for me, especially as I get older. I worry that all my characters sound the same. Hard to tell if its real or just fear nipping at my heels

 

[crookedletter]

I find myself doing this from time to time, and my philosophy on it depends on the specificity of the phrase and how often I find myself using it. Staring daggers and rolling eyes and furrowing brows can be returned to and recycled, as long as characters aren't doing them constantly. A good read-aloud process can help you find excess repetition of such things, I think.

Something like "her eyes were as blue as the Mediterranean on a clear summer day" might be a one-off kind of thing.

 

[Voyeurkenneth]

I'll give a different type of example.

Across stories, I think I've described the feeling of love in slightly different ways (as a warm blanket, a warm fireplace, a cozy sleeping bag). My instinct is not to recycle any of those in another story. In theory, sounds easy enough (i.e., find a way to describe or frame it differently, that's the fun challenge of writing, blah blah). But some days, it just feels like an impossible challenge, like I've exhausted my personal limits of creativity.

 

[StillStunned]

If you characters are doing the same thing over and over again...it will be very difficult to come up with imaginative different phrases, without someone commenting that you have eaten a Thesaurus before writing it.

Orgasms become particularly repetitive, I find.

 

[WittyUserName]

What's your personal philosophy on recycling certain phrases/sayings/expressions/metaphors either across your stories, or within one story?

- Don't care?
- Personal limits on usage?
- No recycling!

For example, these can be things one might normally gravitate toward writing on impulse (e.g. "stared daggers," "rolled his eyes," "furrowed brows," etc.) that may come off as repetitive to a reader if used too many times.

Anything can be repetitive if used too often. Something I do struggle with. I use the eye roll one a bit too much. For my philosophy on it? I try to make sure the expression is something that would make sense to someone who had never heard it before. That's about it.

 

[ChuckWolf]

It's only when I read 'stair daggers' more than once that I grow worried.

Stair Daggers are a D&D creature from The Monster Manual.

 

[crookedletter]

I'll give a different type of example.

Across stories, I think I've described the feeling of love in slightly different ways (as a warm blanket, a warm fireplace, a cozy sleeping bag). My instinct is not to recycle any of those in another story. In theory, sounds easy enough (i.e., find a way to describe or frame it differently, that's the fun challenge of writing, blah blah). But some days, it just feels like an impossible challenge, like I've exhausted my personal limits of creativity.

I've definitely caught myself using similar language/similes/etc. across stories, which I will allow myself from time to time. Sometimes a phrase is just too apt not to reuse -- sometimes I even regret having used it before because it works better in its latest context.

But if I find myself going back to the same well again and again I'll usually try to rethink it. Not so much because a reader might notice and call me on it -- for many such things I imagine you're the only one who's aware of that -- but because I think it's just a good writing practice to find new and creative ways to convey what you're trying to convey.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Orgasms become particularly repetitive, I find.

Aren't repetitive orgasms the best ones?

 

[GuiltyCowboy]

Orgasms become particularly repetitive, I find.

I've yet to get bored of having an orgasm.

Mais serieux...I was at first concerned that, across stories, I came back to certain phrases. But then I realised that, for me, certain phrases were in themselves incredibly arousing.

And that obviously mimics one's real life sexuality: to a large degree, the same things keep turning one on. So it seems fair game to me.

 

[Rob_Royale]

I do it all the time. My favorite, is a description of the enthusiastic nodding someone might do if a sexy lady were to ask, "Do you like what you see?"

"John nodded like his head was on a loose hinge."

It paints an amusing picture for me and I use it very frequently.

 

[NoTalentHack]

Mostly annoyance in retrospect, i.e. I don’t realize I’ve done it until i go back through and read an older story, then I kick myself for it and try to remember to not use the same phrase again.