Echoing

As a writer, have you ever run into that annoying tendency to use the same word more than once in a paragraph--or even a sentence? Here's what I'm talking about...

'Neill turned to face the Colonel. The expression on Ulyanov's face told him everything he needed to know.'

or...

'Michael took Christina's hand and helped her from the car. He couldn't help but notice the condition of the car.'

In that last example, two words got used twice. And here's what I've noticed. When I write something, and then re-read it silently, instances of echoing aren't always evident. It's only when I read the passage aloud that I notice them. Which is why I read to Sheila after I've finished a chapter. I've never been to a writing class or seminar, but to me, that's the best way to eliminate the problem (I was going to say 'eliminate echoing', but I'd already used it above).

Echoing isn't necessarily bad, but I think that as a rule, writers should avoid it. But what if the word that keeps cropping up conveys what you're trying to say? For me, that's when a thesaurus comes in handy--and I've always got an online resource running in the background.

Steve