Clichés and How to Avoid Writing Them

Clichés are the metaphors and turns of phrase that have become tired through overuse.

You can be near the cliché, you can dance around it, you can run right up to it and almost embrace it. 

But at the last second you must turn away.  You must give it a twist.

Defy that inner voice that says, “Oh, well, no one will notice” – they will.

Give them the same thing…only different!

Even plots and characters can  be clichéd. Have you read a story where twins fool people into thinking they’re the same person? Or the family that has lost all their money and is about to lose their farm? If you want to use one of these old plotlines, it’s important to find a new spin. The same goes for clichéd characters, like the catty cheerleader or the airhead model. Use these stereotypes only if you can give them a twist.

But to know how to avoid the cliché, to know what tradition you are pushing forward, begins with knowing that tradition.  So you need to read and read some more. You need to read other writer’s books and discover what they did that worked.  You need to read with a critical eye to discover why it didn’t work, too.  If you want to write middle grade book, then read middle grade books.  You, also, need to read about writing middle grade books. 

1. You need to know the clichés, to give us the same thing… only different. 

2. You need to know what genre you’re writing, in order to invent a new twist.

3. You need to know the rules before you can break them.

We use clichés all the time when we talk, but there is less excuse for clichés in writing.  Why? A writer has more time to seek the right word and to avoid triteness. If, however, you decide a cliché is the best way to convey your meaning, then go ahead and use it. Don’t apologize for it by adding phrases like “if you’ll pardon the expression,” or “as the old saying goes.”

Here is a link that lists clichés http://www.suspense.net/whitefish/cliche.htm

Hope this gets you thinking as you revise your manuscripts.

Kathy

In every aspect of creation – from the idea, to the way characters speak, to the scenes themselves – putting a fresh spin on it is what you need to do.