Plagiarizing myself!

Plagiarism is something all writers guard themselves against. When I'm in the thick of writing a new story, I tend to read outside my genre lest someone else's well-turned phrase seep into my subconscious and flow accidentally out my fingers.

But sometimes, I catch myself plagiarizing ME!

Writers develop little ticks, fillers that pop immediately to mind because we like the way they sounded the first time we wrote them. Sometimes, we give a character a gesture and it fits them so well before we know it, they're cocking their head more often than that dreaded red-headed man on CSI.

Or perhaps it's a phrase. If you read a Kathleen Woodiwiss book, I guarantee that at least one character will stand with their "arms akimbo." Wilbur Smith, one of my favorite non-romance authors, evidently liked comparing a woman's bare behind to a pair of ostrich eggs so much, he does it in every book.

Have you noticed a writer repeating themselves from one book to another? Do you find it's just part of that writer's unique voice? Any unusual repetitions you'd like to share? If you're a writer, do you catch yourself doing it?