3 targets for mitigating repetition

Here’s an easy way to trim your text: Cut the repetition.

Some writers repeat things over and over, again and again, ad nauseam, and then they go back to reinforce and reiterate the initial point they originally made in the first place.

Annoying, no? Yet many business blog posts are crammed with such transgressions. Once you see the problem, it’s simple to fix.

Let’s focus on a few areas where repetitions sprout like mushrooms:

Quote lead-ins

Frequently a setup for quoted matter will use the language offered in the quote itself:

Company CEO J. Maunderton Blathersnoot predicted the new product line would make waves throughout the industry.

“This new product line will make waves throughout the industry,” Blathersnoot predicted.

How can we avoid this? Lay the foundation for the quote:

The sector could be headed for a seismic shift.

“This new product line will make waves throughout the industry,” company CEO J. Maunderton Blathersnoot predicted.

Rhetorical questions, used in moderation, work well, too:

Is the sector headed for a seismic shift?

“This new product line will make waves throughout the industry,” company CEO J. Maunderton Blathersnoot predicted.