We all have our so-called “crutch phrases” we rely on when to describe certain events, incidents, actions, reactions, fight scenes, and so on. While some of these phrases may be familiar to you, others might come as a surprise.

Above, Marlowe has listed the most frequently used phrases in your novel. Many are likely to be innocuous, but there may be some you’ll want to reword to give your prose more spark and variety. Any expression employed too frequently has the effect of reducing interest for the reader.

• Examine the phrases that appear most frequently. Some can be removed altogether (“needless to say”) or trimmed down to make them less clunky (e.g., “in order to” becomes simply “to”). 

• Explore alternative ways to express the same thing. For example, if you often describe brief passages of time as “a few moments later,” there are lots of ways to show that some seconds have passed. If inspiration doesn’t immediately strike you, try looking up some synonyms.

• Watch for the use of repetitive phrases in dialogue, because different characters will not realistically have the same words and phrases. This is a dead giveaway that you are writing in your voice rather than in the voice of your characters. 

• Vary your chapter openings and sentence openings. If you notice that you tend to start sentences the same way over and over, think of a way to rephrase the sentence, which might help you eliminate the repetitive phrase. Readers prefer the new and unexpected when it’s done well. 

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It’s important to remember that repetitive words or phrases aren’t intrinsically problematic. They can add personality to your writing. But they should be managed. It’s a good idea to keep a list of these words and phrases as you identify them to help you avoid overusing them.