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Do you ever notice an author using a word over and over again? (alien.top)

submitted 1 year ago by PastaConsumer@alien.top to c/books@metacritics.zone

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I’m currently reading The Duke and I and the author is constantly using the word “acerbic”. I had never heard of the word before now and had to google the definition. The word has shown up so much that I’m tempted to go through the book and count its appearances lol.

Have you noticed any authors having favorite words that they use page after page?

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[–] Onironius@alien.top 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

An author I've read recently really likes using triplet lists.

"She was [word] and [word] and [word]."

It happened frequently enough to be noticeable.

[–] craftmeup@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

VE Schwab did this so much in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, it felt so formulaic. Sometimes there’ are even sentences that are triplet lists embedded in triplet lists like “She was lost, wandering, and tired of being forgotten, dismissed, and alone.” (a paraphrased example). Once you realize it, it becomes so annoying

[–] Onironius@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hah, my example was VE Schwab, "Darker Shade of Magic" and "A Gathering of Shadows."

[–] craftmeup@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

LOL clearly a staple of their writing style then!