My Dirty Laundry
I have a strange writing tic; I duplicate my thoughts. It gets so bad sometimes that it even occurs in the same sentence. It took some time to understand what was going on, and I think there are two sources.
The first is that I need to reiterate my point to ensure it is thoroughly vetted—the second source during self-editing. As I edit, I know what comes next, but when I do not see it written down, I add it. Then, for some reason, in the following sentence or two, that event occurs. However, I do not go back and delete it or delete it the second time. I am not sure why these duplicated second thoughts do not stand out in the same editing session.
Even today, I find duplicate thoughts all the time, and I thought it would be a fun exercise (therapy) to collect a few boo-boos and lambast my glorious failures.
“I’m not sure how to feel right now,” Gabe said in a weak voice. “I don’t know what to feel.”
I guess Gabe really wanted us to know he did not know. I looked at a backup, and this survived 2 years of self-edits. Wow.
That night, Gabe spent the evening looking for new jobs in the likely event that tomorrow would be his last day.
Knowing it would be his last day was important. Day, day, day!
Chastising a person for not having experience is not nice. Should all those teachers and employers talk down to me? No, but it is human nature to feel superior.
These three sentences are from a recent blog post, and the issues are subtler. Still, this is confusing.
Without speaking, team members quietly took images.
Quietly being quiet for quiet’s sake. Quietly.
Gabe barely recognized the same tough biker from their previous meetings. His appearance had transformed.
Transformed into a longer sentence?
I did not understand, and it took eight seconds to comprehend that somebody had spoken to me.
This sentence is like watching a car crash into another car, then into a third.
In all off-world instances, an ACO has full authority. We have full authority to contain the situation by any means necessary.
Apparently, they have full authority to keep speaking.
Steve showed me an amazing mind self-explore. It’s amazing.
Is it amazzzzing?
Russell let out an enormous sigh. “The Racer X key breach,” he guessed with a big sigh.
How many times can a person sigh?
The result was a bloody mess. She turned to look at the man she had been struggling with. There was blood all over him and the wall.
I wonder if I got any blood on my keyboard?
There were many great scenes and descriptions. This is an outstanding first work with tight dialog, crisp scenes, and wonderful descriptions.
What was I thinking? Thinking?
Afterward, each franchise returned to its traditional work, and the two groups never interacted again. It is unlikely we will ever see the two characters legitimately together again.
Wow, these two really do not want to be together.
We are counting on you to make successful contact with my son. All three of our lives depend on your success.
A successfully unnecessary second successful sentence.
During the long flight, the family interacted little. Emma looked straight ahead for the entire flight with her hand on Kim’s leg.
Apparently, it is essential to communicate how long the flight was.
When I opened the box, I found my laptop, Arturo’s knife, and my other Dawson’s Creek notebook inside the box.
Did I open the box twice?
His hands shook, and I thought he would fall over. He almost fell over while staggering out of the room.
I uncovered these two sentences an hour ago. The sight made me so mad that I had to get up and walk around.
There is only one saving grace about my little issue. I have never found a grammar checker that highlights the problem. So, I guess this duplication issue is not significant enough to include in any of these checkers. What does this tic say about my writing? I am passionate about my topics but inexperienced at expressing them. Wow, I wrote a lucid sentence. What a spectacular sentence. I did it again. Dang!
You’re the best -Bill
September 08, 2021 Updated February 01, 2026
The first is that I need to reiterate my point to ensure it is thoroughly vetted—the second source during self-editing. As I edit, I know what comes next, but when I do not see it written down, I add it. Then, for some reason, in the following sentence or two, that event occurs. However, I do not go back and delete it or delete it the second time. I am not sure why these duplicated second thoughts do not stand out in the same editing session.
Even today, I find duplicate thoughts all the time, and I thought it would be a fun exercise (therapy) to collect a few boo-boos and lambast my glorious failures.
“I’m not sure how to feel right now,” Gabe said in a weak voice. “I don’t know what to feel.”
I guess Gabe really wanted us to know he did not know. I looked at a backup, and this survived 2 years of self-edits. Wow.
That night, Gabe spent the evening looking for new jobs in the likely event that tomorrow would be his last day.
Knowing it would be his last day was important. Day, day, day!
Chastising a person for not having experience is not nice. Should all those teachers and employers talk down to me? No, but it is human nature to feel superior.
These three sentences are from a recent blog post, and the issues are subtler. Still, this is confusing.
Without speaking, team members quietly took images.
Quietly being quiet for quiet’s sake. Quietly.
Gabe barely recognized the same tough biker from their previous meetings. His appearance had transformed.
Transformed into a longer sentence?
I did not understand, and it took eight seconds to comprehend that somebody had spoken to me.
This sentence is like watching a car crash into another car, then into a third.
In all off-world instances, an ACO has full authority. We have full authority to contain the situation by any means necessary.
Apparently, they have full authority to keep speaking.
Steve showed me an amazing mind self-explore. It’s amazing.
Is it amazzzzing?
Russell let out an enormous sigh. “The Racer X key breach,” he guessed with a big sigh.
How many times can a person sigh?
The result was a bloody mess. She turned to look at the man she had been struggling with. There was blood all over him and the wall.
I wonder if I got any blood on my keyboard?
There were many great scenes and descriptions. This is an outstanding first work with tight dialog, crisp scenes, and wonderful descriptions.
What was I thinking? Thinking?
Afterward, each franchise returned to its traditional work, and the two groups never interacted again. It is unlikely we will ever see the two characters legitimately together again.
Wow, these two really do not want to be together.
We are counting on you to make successful contact with my son. All three of our lives depend on your success.
A successfully unnecessary second successful sentence.
During the long flight, the family interacted little. Emma looked straight ahead for the entire flight with her hand on Kim’s leg.
Apparently, it is essential to communicate how long the flight was.
When I opened the box, I found my laptop, Arturo’s knife, and my other Dawson’s Creek notebook inside the box.
Did I open the box twice?
His hands shook, and I thought he would fall over. He almost fell over while staggering out of the room.
I uncovered these two sentences an hour ago. The sight made me so mad that I had to get up and walk around.
There is only one saving grace about my little issue. I have never found a grammar checker that highlights the problem. So, I guess this duplication issue is not significant enough to include in any of these checkers. What does this tic say about my writing? I am passionate about my topics but inexperienced at expressing them. Wow, I wrote a lucid sentence. What a spectacular sentence. I did it again. Dang!
You’re the best -Bill
September 08, 2021 Updated February 01, 2026
