We writers can sometimes get so caught up in our characters and settings that we forget that we are not actually transcribing the events in an alternate world. We are storytelling.

As such, it’s crucial to remember the reader on the other side of the scenes you’re constructing.

In my editing work, I often see writers establish some information, only to force the reader to wade through the same information twice, such as the protagonist relaying what just happened to a secondary character who wasn’t there.

Before I get to some examples and common pitfalls, let me be clear what I’m not saying. Sometimes it’s helpful to repeat information! When you’re bringing back a minor character from the earlier in the novel, smoothly jogging the reader’s memory via the narrative voice can be a helpful way to avoid forcing the reader to flip back through pages to remember who that character is.

But long, painstaking regurgitations of facts that have already been established? The reader will be skimming ahead to get on with it. Here are some common scenes that swiftly drag in novels.