How can I fix my writing and make it less repetitious?

Question

When I type on yahoo answers I check what I have written quite a number of times before posting it but the first draft I create always has some mistakes. My biggest grammar flaw is constant repetition without even recognizing it right away. When I go over the whole thing I notice that there are mistakes but several too many. The most common is repeating an idea or word right after I just mentioned it and without needing to do so. This can make things sound a little weird and takes time to correct.
What can be done to improve this?

lol oh yes I know that but my main focus is not to have flawless writing on yahoo answers. Obviously it's not a competition. This is something I need to learn in order to express my ideas better when it comes to academic studies and meeting expectations.

You know pointing out my mistakes is not really that necessary...

Answer 1

Trim it down.
Break down each statement into it's essential parts, the subject, the problem, the question, etc. and try to explain it with the fewest words possible. Rather than change words, often you need only restructure the sentence. It's true that writing always needs editing, but a little planning can avoid some of that.

What you wrote could be trimmed down to:

When I post an answer on YA, I always end up with too many errors, usually in the form of needless repetition, even after proofreading it several times. This usually requires more time consuming editing. Any suggestions?

or

I tend to repeat myself in my writing on YA and spend too much time going back and editing my answer. What could I do to avoid this?

or

How does one save editing time and avoid being redundant when writing?

See what I mean? It could be a psychological issue of feeling you wont be understood unless you repeat yourself. It will be helpful to note that people have short attention spans and as their minds wander your meaning is lost in your words. So the answer is simply; less is more when communicating verbally.

Answer 2

It is normal to make mistakes in your first attempt in whatever you are writing.

Try the following methodology for writing an answer:

1. write your answer in 3 or 4 distinct paragraphs

2. In the first paragraph give a general statement about the topic you are discussing or answering

3. in the second paragraph give your ideas in which you agree or disagree with the questionnaire.

4. In the third paragraph sum-up your ideas and why you think so

5. And finally finish by giving an example or reference

Read again and correct the spelling mistake with the help of spell check.

Thesaurus will help in avoiding repeated words.

Answer 3

Most of us make mistakes when we are typing, and maybe we post without careful editing because there is a little bit of competition to get answer in. You can correct any mistakes by clicking on the edit button underneath. Or...
have your word processor already set up and minimized. After you read the quetion , type your answer on the word processing window and use the tools to edit it. Then copy it and paste back in the Yahoo window.
Or... don't sweat the small stuff. LOL

Answer 4

Reading GOOD literature is a good start. Read, read, read! The more you read the better your writing will get. Try taking some journalism or creative writing courses.

Always reread what you have written. When writing for your teachers, it helps to make an outline for yourself to follow to completion of the work. Grammar classes are always good too. Learning how to diagram a sentence is always helpful.

Remember Practice makes perfect!

Get suggestions from your English teacher as well.

Answer 5

I had to learn this in college and law school. You have to organize your thoughts. One paragraph for each thought. Within the paragraph you can easily see the repetitions. Another common mistake is the run-on sentence. That is where you write every thing you want to say in one sentence, and the idea behind the sentence is hard to follow. Break up your long sentences into two, where you can. Good Luck. It takes practice.

Answer 6

1) proofread
2)use alternative words--not exact synonyms, but words which add depth and meaning. Someone mentioned a thesaurus
3)make a checklist of common mistakes so that when you proofread, you can make a quick mental pass for each of your main problems. (For eg: spelling, redundancy, brevity) -Keep the checklist handy and USE IT. When you find a new problem area, add it to your list. As you master old problems, scratch them off the list. Post it where you see it, where you can write on it, like taped to the side of your computer, or on your desktop, or the wall by your desk.

Answer 7

Do you mean when you write things like " I notice that there are mistakes but several too many"?

Perhaps if you read it out loud to your self slowly and listen to how it sounds to your ear you might get better at not making repetitious mistakes.

You could also take a creative writing class or some other writing class.

Answer 8

Practice writing. Keep in mind that you have a problem with repetition and do your best not to repeat yourself as you are writing. Go back when you are done to re-read what you wrote to see if you were successful. Do this often and soon you will be able to write your thoughts down without being redundant.

Answer 9

Give yourself a couple of minutes to brainstorm before answering a question. Read it through several times before submitting it and utilize dictionary.com for their thesaurus and dictionary. Also, don't forget that Y!A has an "edit" option that you may use when you don't think your answer has as much oomph as it needs to.
Broaden your horizon a little-do you read much? Pick up more books and read from all different genres.

Answer 10

My goodness, you have no problem at all. All writing, even the greatest, requires editing. Bad writing is not writing that needs editing, but writing that doesn't get edited. The fact that you already edit, and most importantly, recognize what has to be done means you have no problem at all. You have no idea how many people don't know when they write badly. So they don't edit. The fact that you recognize it means that you don't write badly at all. Congratulations!