If you’re an avid reader, you no doubt have several favorite authors. You might also have a favorite genre. For example, do you typically gravitate toward Christian fiction or romance novels or thrillers? (Sometimes, all three of these topics can be found in one story!) As you become familiar with a specific author’s work, you might be able to recognize his or her writing without seeing the name on the cover.
Authors often develop a unique or particular style, which is well-known among their fans. In Christian fiction, for instance, an author might string repeated themes throughout his or her stories, such as “redemptive suffering” or “lost-sheep-found” synopses. Some authors, like Shelley Shepard Gray, take repetitiveness to another level. If you’ve read at least four or five of Gray’s novels, you know that she repeats certain elements or catch phrases throughout her stories. Is this a good idea for an author?
Do Christian fiction fans like repetitiveness?
With all fiction genres, readers can usually find repeated themes. Some authors, however, like Christian fiction best-selling author Shelley Shepard Gray, take repetitiveness a step further. The following list includes several catch phrases and ideas that are found in most of Gray’s novels:
- Descriptions of people smelling like citrus, lavender, cedar, soap or vanilla
- Male characters leaning forward with elbows on their knees (when in deep thought or having serious discussions)
- Lips slightly parted (to add an element of romance or seduction)
In almost every one of Gray’s novels, one or more of these phrases or descriptions are present. Loyal fans might think, “Aha! There it is!” each time they encounter the familiar repeated phrases threaded throughout the author’s novels.
Repeated phrases serve as signatures
Just as architects often include a ‘signature feature’ in their designs, making their work more recognizable, so too can authors use this trick in their writing. If you were to pick up a Christian fiction novel without knowing the author, then come across phrases like “lips slightly parted” or “his scent was a mixture of cedar and soap,” you might instantly know that Shelley Shephard Gray wrote the story.
Another way to look at the idea of repetitiveness in fiction novels is that repeated phrases can become part of an author’s brand. Just as business owners use color schemes, logos and design to establish a brand, authors can use cover designs, genre and repeated phrases or elements for branding purposes, as well. Consider the writing of your favorite authors. Can you find repeated phrases or ideas in their novels?
