Rules for repetition

A writer in a forum shared plans to repeat a sequence five times and asked for advice on how to pull it off. I replied…

This advice is just based on a hunch of what I would experience as a reader, but here goes: I would NOT let the impactfulness sag on times #2 and #4. That's almost guaranteed to look like a mistake.

If you're going to have something happen five times, you have to build it up and up, adding a new twist of some kind every time so that your reader is a) actually looking forward to yet another instance of whatever it is, rather than getting bored with it and b) is left in zero doubt that you are writing the repetitive sequence intentionally and with a mastery of your craft. The moment it sags, drags or looks like you're repeating yourself they'll put the book down.

On the very last time, you might get away with having it seem duller than the others...at first. But of course that's only a head fake to mask the biggest twist of all, because otherwise your reader will curse your name for putting them through all of that and then not paying it off big-time.

Sorry if this sounds harsh but like I said, I'm just telling you from a reader POV what the task you're setting for yourself is going to be. I hope you do in fact take it on, and with great success!