# Echos: What they are, when they're good, and when they're bad



## kitreshawn (Aug 17, 2011)

Ok, so you've just finished writing a rough draft and have gone back to edit it when you suddenly notice you've used the word 'intense' twice in the same paragraph (maybe even the same sentence).  When you realize this you also immediately notice that it makes everything nearby sound rather flat.  While the grammar and mechanics may be technically correct it is clear that SOMETHING is very wrong.  One of those 'intense' uses needs to go, or maybe you need to rewrite things from scratch a little bit.  In any case something must be done.

Congratulations, you've found an echo.  In fact you've found probably the most common types, and one of the major culprits of making an earlier draft sound not quite as good as it should.  Most aspiring writers notice and innately correct these obvious flaws all on their own.  They notice something is wrong, they know it has to do with the word being used twice (or two very similar words being used to close together, such as different forms of the same verb), so they find a way to correct the issue.

Pretty easy right?  Actually no.

To really get to the root of echos you need to understand why and what they are.  I kind of like to imagine words as a sort of battery.  Every word carries its own charge.  A lot of words, in fact most of the ones you write, are pretty weak and carry a minimal charge.  Their job is to cooperate, each providing just enough of a spark to keep things moving and ordered but collectively providing the energy that makes the story interesting.  Then you have words like 'agony' which function very differently.

These words are much more powerful.  They carry a certain weight to them.  Oddly they aren't necessary to the story at all, you can write a perfectly good one without using them (go ahead and try it, it is a good exercise), but properly placed they can almost punch the reader in the gut if necessary.  And like the less powerful words their force is amplified when properly working together.  Just compare the difference between 'agony' and 'delicious agony.'

It is this very force that is also their weakness.  Yes they carry a lot of charge, but that also means they need to rest for longer to get back to full strength.  And it isn't like they slowly regain their charge.  Words are pretty much all or nothing when they fire.  Either they carry their full force, or they fall flat.  And when they fall flat they tend to take a lot with them in the process as they ground the story.


*When they are bad:*

MOST echos are bad.  Most of them are also pretty easy to notice and fix.  That is the good news.  The bad news is that ones that are more difficult to notice may leave you looking at a story, feeling that 'something' is wrong with page 6, but leave you with no clue what.  It is very frustrating.

When this happens it is a key that you need to really start going over things with a fine tooth comb in search for echos.  Look through the whole story (or chapter, or whatever).  Are there words on the page in question that are used a lot throughout the rest of the piece?  How about multiple word phrases?  Words that sound similar, even if they have very different meanings?  In some cases having too similar paragraph structure can invoke it (same number of sentences, same paragraph progression, starting off too many paragraphs with the same types of words).  Is the way you describe different elements following a predictable formula?  ANY of these can be the cause of an echo, and they are much more problematic to fix than the simple removal of a single word.

Keep in mind that several slight, almost unnoticeable echos can build on each other until they present an obvious wrong feeling.  So it may even be that something you thought was just barely okay is the issue and fixing it (along with several other 'almost okay' problems) will correct the hollow sound of the story.

I'm not going to lie.  It is a bitch to track down these sorts of echos and it is very easy to throw up your hands, say 'screw it' and just move on.  Trust me when I say that doing so is a bad idea and ultimately stunts your growth.  It does get easier with practice, even if it remains time consuming.


*When they are good:*

Like many things in writing, something that is normally considered bad can be used to wonderful effect.  Before I continue I will say right here that this is something that works best in one of several situations: Echos at the beginning and end of the story, Echos that cause major plot points to mirror each other, or Echos that are themselves reveal a plot point.

This works because one of the effects of an echo is that it causes you to remember where it last happened.  When invoked unintentionally it just gives a feel of 'I have heard this before' which causes the whole story to feel dull as a result.  But if carefully cultivated instead of reminding the reader of something more or less random it instead reminds them of a specific scene or detail that is immediately relevant to what is happening.

Echos at the beginning and end of a story act as bookends.  It gives the story a over reaching feeling of completeness.  If you want to see an especially effective use of this look at your copy of "The Name Of The Wind" or "Wise Man's Fear" (you do have them, right?  Seriously, if not, stop listening to my BS and go get them RIGHT NOW.  Just reading them will make you a better writer.  I am not shitting you.  DO IT).  Really there isn't anything I can say except that you will understand it best if you see it done well.

Echos that cause plot points to mirror each other are similar to the above except they tend to happen in the middle of a story.  One way this can be done is to have the story show someone who fails at a task which the hero will later be attempting.  To do this properly you don't need to have the whole scene be structured identically.  The setting alone is probably enough.  In fact, perhaps the best use of this is to have the thing which killed the other guy not be shown, instead just have it announced by a distinct cue.  Then when the hero arrives and the reader sees the same cue they are immediately reminded of what COULD happen.

Echos which reveal plot points are probably the most difficult ones to make use of (at least for me).  Take a look at the "The Chronicles of Prydain" and you will find that there is a bard who, whenever he tells a lie, causes one of his harp strings to snap.  Through most of the series this is played for laughs as he is a good person but has a tendency to tell lies to impress others.  But far from being annoyed he loves his harp because it has the sweetest melody possible and always seems to play the perfect song for the situation.  Then in the last book he burns the harp to keep his friends from freezing to death, and for the rest of the story every time he tells a lie the echo hits you as there is no longer any harp string to snap.  It very cruelly drives home the point of just how much he sacrificed for his friends.

One word of warning: when trying to use echos to this effect you need to be absolutely certain that you do not invoke them until the proper time.  If you have to make a list of phrases/words to avoid until it is time to spring them on the story again.


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## Kamatz (Aug 19, 2011)

This was helpful, thank you!


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