How can you identify and address redundancy in your writing?

Before you start writing, spend some time thinking about what you want to say. Write down the main ideas first. Just a sentence for each point. This will help you focus your writing. You may realize that some ideas can be combined. Others don't match. Don't despair. Planning is part of the writing process. This practice will give you clarity. And this clarity will reduce redundancy in your work. It's hard at first but over time it becomes indispensable. I believe that most redundancy comes from using cliches. Try to find simple yet original sentences to express your thoughts. One thing I like to do is to print out my draft. Then, I go over it with a red pen. I make comments, cross-out stuff, and look for errors. Then I edit. Try it!

La redundancia se puede evitar teniendo claro qué quieres decir o escribir, antes de plasmarlo. Porque, de esa manera, das más orden a las ideas y evitas repetir información que ya se ha mencionado. Otro elemento clave es el léxico: entre mayor sea tu vocabulario, más fácilmente encontrarás sinónimos u otras formas de escribir sin repetir términos.

In a weird way, I think the best way to avoid repetition is not not trying to avoid it. Particularly in legal writing, repetition and redundancies often get baked into the final product because the writing hasn't done a "rough enough" rough draft. Had the writer done so, the full word salad would have been on the page. And I think many of the redundancies and repetition would have been worked out. In short, having a legal-writing process that includes writing the same things over and over again, paradoxically, allows you to make sure that is all cleaned up by the time you get to the final product.

You can never, ever, ever rewrite enough. You need to re-read you work, have others read your work, have your neighbor read it, have your family read it, have your friends read it, have your roommate read it, have your dog read it. Take out anything that repeats or paraphrases the same information because that’s basically just filler and you don’t need that. You’ll be wasting everyone’s time with it. Keep a hard focus on your theme or plot. Rewrite as many times as needed. That’s a sign of a great writer.

There should be no filler words or fluff in your writing. However, that doesn't mean that you agree with everything Grammarly tells you to remove. Sometimes, what you might consider a filler word, adds a certain dramatic effect or context to the sentence. If you remove that word, the sentence loses its meaning. For example, read these two sentences (assuming a reply to someone who's angry) It was a joke. It was just a joke. The second one sounds reactionary and slightly more apologetic, as a response to someone who is angry. Don't miss out on these nuances. Not everything is fluff.

Una de las técnicas más acertadas en la #ComunicaciónEscrita es expresar una idea por cada oración. Cada frase debe presentar información nueva o complementaria, de tal manera que se evite repetir #contenidos que ya fueron dichos de otra forma. La clave está, además, en hacer uso de sinónimos, para lo cual es fundamental extender nuestro vocabulario. Al escribir de esta manera, podemos reducir ampliamente la redundancia en nuestros textos, bien sean informes, correos, propuestas para clientes o un simple WhatsApp.

Spotting your own repetitive ideas and language can be difficult. Often, especially if you're too close to a piece, either you won't pay close attention, or your brain will subconsciously 'fix' what you're reading. The best way to self-edit in cases like this is to give yourself space. Finish your drafts early enough that you can move away from it. Start a new project for a while, then come back to read it with fresh eyes. As you do, monitor your emotional engagement for signs of boredom or frustration. These are most likely your trouble spots. If you don't have time to do this, work with an editor or another writer who is experienced at giving constructive feedback, and ask them to pay close attention to pacing and redundancy.

I think Shannon is spot on. Failing to build in enough time for multiple drafts and skimping over key stages of writing leads to a lesser final product. I'll say it until I'm blue in the face (because it's my experience), an unpolished final product is often the result of editing too early—rather than not editing enough.

Sin duda, lo más importante al momento de adr por terminado un texto es revisarlo. En primera instancia, por nosotros mismos; con una simple mirada detallada podemos identificar errores de gramática, coherencia y ortografía. En otras ocasiones, la mirada de otra persona puede validar si el contenido es claro para el lector (siempre, cuatro ojos ven mejor que dos). Asimismo, al tratarse de documentos o textos de relevancia, es fundamental que se haga uso de correctores de estilo, quienes tienen una amplia capacidad para revisar la semántica, sintaxis, evitar la redundancia, corregir la puntuación y ortografía. Incluso, cuando de textos académicos se trata, es clave validar la citación y normas como APA, para evitar caer en palgio.

With some assignments it's difficult to avoid redundancy. Usually, if you don't like the topic you just want to get the words out and move on. That's a normal feeling. But you want to get past that. As a professional writer, you never know where you work will land. Sometimes a piece of content you neglected ends up in the hands of someone who can change your career. Always put in your best effort. Take breaks when you can. Ideally, leave a draft overnight so you can come back with fresh ideas. Focus on creating a quality piece of content. It may not be obvious but you will keep improving if you do this. One day you'll be so far ahead it will surprise you. So keep improving your work and don't use redundant words to meet the word count.