Writers frustrate their readers when they repeat themselves. Sometimes writers do this because they think the idea or information is important and they want to emphasize it. Unfortunately, readers are more likely to view the repetition as a waste of their time than as a helpful reinforcement of a key idea.

As you write, watch out for ideas that seem a little too familiar. That feeling of familiarity probably means that you’re repeating yourself. When you find a familiar passage, check your outline, decide on a logical place to make the point, and make it there definitively. Then either get rid of the repetitive passage or change it so that it refers to your definitive discussion of the point.

You can refer to another part of your composition with words and phrases such as the following:

Again,

As I will explain,

As previously noted,

As we’ll see,

Here, too, it’s worth keeping in mind  .  .  .

You’ll recall that  .  .  .

Some of these phrases — such as I will explain and As we’ll see — work best when you’re in the middle of making a point and want to introduce the new point later in your document. Keep in mind, however, that readers prefer to get information near the first place it’s relevant. They don’t like to wait. It’s best to refer to ideas and information that you’ve already addressed, using phrases such as You’ll recall that or As previously noted.