Any post is better than no post?

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That’s probably not true, but gotta write something.

The next piece of writing advice in the Writer’s Digest article titled 25 Ways to Improve Your Writing in 30 Minutes a Day is unity.  Here it is:

7. Unity
One method for creating a sense of unity in a piece of writing is the use of selective repetition. A detail or remark or even just a unique word mentioned early in your piece can be echoed later, creating a sense of wholeness through the reader’s recognition of the previous mention. That recognition also imbues the repeated element with a resonance, not unlike a coda in a musical composition. The reader enjoys a satisfying sense of progression, of having moved from one literary moment to another.

Reread a piece you’re working on with an eye toward finding that element you could repeat in a subtle way, and then look for a place later in the piece where you could drop it in. If you’re unsure which one would be most affective, experiment by trying several. Ask yourself: If you had to cut all the details or images and retain only one, which one would you keep? That’s the one you want.
—Heffron

When I read this last week, and thought about it for a moment, I realized this is one literary technique that I do not have a problem with.  I do it automatically.    Tying in larger themes and hooking scenes together with an object or phrase is something I do instinctively.  I’m sure some readers may find it a bit heavy-handed and, thus, annoying, but I haven’t had any Critters mention it.  Then again, I hadn’t asked for that specific feedback.  I’ll be sure to include that in my author notes/questions when my novel comes up on Critters.

Yep, folks.  I think my novel is ready for prime time.  Well, not THE prime time, but ready for the wild world of Critters.

Now, you may be a member of Critters, and you may be a dear writer-friend whom I have entrusted to read the first, dog-awful thing I called a first draft (THANK YOU FOR READING), but you are not a random writer with a hot, red pen ready to tear up someone’s manuscript.

I hope to find complete strangers on Critters that will tell me like it is.  No sugar-coating (well, maybe a little).

Anyway, I’m placing my manuscript in the queue later this week.  It should come up in about a month. (shudder)

Wish me luck.

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