A/N

Ok so apparently no one reads writing stuff on this website anymore so I’m just gonna use this story slot to make some notes for myself as a reference for future writing.

Whatever.

But for the two people that did subscribe to this lame thing I call helpful (I love you two), if you do spend some time reading this chapter, it’s pretty basic stuff for a pretty basic problem so if you don’t want to read the whole thing, you can skip to the conclusion at the end.

Problem:

Say I am writing about a female person(Jisoo). I noticed most of my sentences start with "she". Is there a way to avoid using this pronoun too many times, and use an alternative word instead?

I have tried using her name from time to time, but the sentences seem to be unconnected when I switch from “she” to “Jisoo”.

Solution???

Four ways to lessen the repetitive use of sentences starting with a nominative pronoun like "She" (other than using the person's name):

Change the subject to a part or aspect of the character.

In some cases, one can present the action as performed by some part or aspect of the person. While this will typically use the genitive form of the pronoun, it can still reduce the perception of repetition. E.g.:

She looked down at her plate and remembered how much she disliked broccoli.

could become:

Her eyes dropped down to her plate, even the melted cheese could not cover the recall of her dislike of broccoli.

or:

She was bored. She yawned openly as the lecturer's voice droned on.

could become:

Her body ached with boredom, and her uncovered yawn brought no relief as the lecturer's voice droned on.

This kind of change can give an excessive emphasis on the aspect of the character (e.g., the body), potentially reducing the recognition of the character's other attributes. On the other hand, this may encourage an excessive interest in the character because the description tends to seem more vivid; if the reader is meant to identify more deeply with the character, this may be appropriate.

Make the character the object of the sentence.

In some cases, one can have an object acting upon the character. This would also not remove the pronoun but change its case (from nominative to objective) and position. E.g.:

She hurried out the shed, fleeing the stench of rotting wood.

could become:

The stench of rotting wood chased her from the shed.

or:

She looked at the pearl necklace and longed for a man who thought her worthy of such a gift.

could become:

The pearl necklace held her gaze and stirred her longing for a man who thought her worthy of such a gift.

It may not even be necessary to include the character in the action. E.g.:

She returned the plate of uneaten broccoli to