That’s my little tongue-in-cheek joke for this post, because the irony of what I’m doing literally as I type that statement is not lost on me. It’s true, though— I honestly think that advice is one of the most damaging things to a writer’s mindset. It makes them second-guess their methods, their ideas, and even whether they truly have what it takes to be a *~*writer*~* in the eyes of the rest of the world.
It’s a truly unfortunate thing, because it’s so important for writers to be able to share their experiences and successes. The problem is that these experiences get passed around in a game of It’s-Been-Ten-Years-Since-This-Essay-Was-Written Telephone, and the original intent of the advice (and sometimes its actual meaning!) gets lost along the way. They become these overarching blanket statements that offer broad limitations without reason or potential alternatives.
One of the greatest offenders of this is the idea that you ought to avoid clichés in writing. I’ve been part of online writing communities for a while now, and by far the most common concern I see is some variant of, “I’m thinking about doing [x], but I’m worried it’s too cliché”. It’s an epidemic amongst writers, and it absolutely infuriates me that so many writers have come to doubt their own work just because some vague internet grapevine has told them that clichés are to be avoided at all costs.
Because I’m so infuriated by this (and because I’m super extra and actually have a relevant platform on which to discuss this), I’m going to take some time to explain the actual meaning of this particular piece of “advice” and why it’s far less of a concern than you’ve been lead to believe.
To begin, it’s very important to address the fact that there’s a fundamental misunderstanding surrounding this idea. This starts with the fact that the terms cliché andtrope are mistakenly thought to be synonymous, or otherwise become confused with one another. Before I move forward, I want to offer the proper definition for both.
Acliché is a particular phrase that’s been used often enough to become commonplace. In writing, they’re generally used to create a specific image or tone that we can take for granted that the reader will recognize.
She was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. It was raining cats and dogs, but she still stood with her arms to the sky, laughing like she didn’t even notice. She turned to me and winked, and I felt my face go as red as a beet.In that moment, I knew that I’d give my right arm to be with her.
Atropeis a convention used in writing to give meaning to aspects of your story. They’re used as storytelling shorthand to attach identifiable qualities to your plot and characters— recurring themes that exist throughout history to guide stories.
Examples of tropes include the hero’s journey, the character’s fatal flaw, the comic relief character, thehero with a dark past, and the Mom Friend.
I’ll be the first to admit that there are similarities between the two— both are used to help readers understand parts of your story, and tropes can be specific phrases as shown in the cliché example above. The key is to separate the two in your mind and think about them only by the definitions above.
It’s important to do this, because part of the central misunderstanding is that “cliché” is often used in daily life to describe ideas as a whole that have been overused (think of the “I’m holding up the tower!” pic that literally everyone takes at the Leaning Tower of Pisa). I get the confusion and concern here, I really do. The most important thing to remember is that clichés have a specific meaning when it comes to writing. No matter how often you may see a particular theme or character arc, it is and always will be a trope.
With that out of the way, I’d like to discuss why this should be good advice. The truth of the matter is that clichés should be avoided where possible because they give the impression of lazy writing. Writers and readers alike take the imagery for granted and rely on these tried-and-true phrases to add physicality to their prose instead of finding unique descriptors; while it certainly gets the point across, it comes across as more of a 2D picture from a magazine than a scene from the movie adaptation we all know our books are destined to have.
To illustrate this, let’s take a look at the example above with all of the clichés removed:
The world had never experienced a beauty like hers— neither had I. I just watched as she stood there, arms to the sky as the rain pelted her relentlessly, soaking into her clothes and hair. She smiled as it ran down her face, laughing at each raindrop, finally turning to me and winking. She could have just been blinking the water out of her eye, I don’t know, but my face was hot and I suddenly found it hard to look at her. I stared at my shoes, willing them to take a step for once so I could go and join her.
Clichés fall flat because they aren’t specific to you as a writer— they aren’t at all indicative of your unique style. Your story loses so much when it’s not told in your own voice, so you shouldn’t rely on old phrases just because you know people will automatically understand them.
While the argument could be made that tropes fall into this same category, I would point out that tropes serve a deeper purpose than clichés. Where a cliché would act as filler, a trope would act as a foundation. Tropes are tools (most frequently, structural tools) that guide the story through plot/character development and tonal themes to give your reader a general idea of what they’re signing up for when they read your story.
Example Time!
Say that you wanted to write someone a love poem. You do your research, sifting through decades of poems to pick out the best phrases and metaphors, and you end up with the following:
Your eyes are as deep as an oceans Your eyes shine like stars They’re like windows to your soul I get lost in them every time I look
The poem is essentially a cut-and-paste of phrases from every cheesy romance novel out there, and will most likely leave the object of your affections wondering why you’re so obsessed with their eyeballs.
Alternatively, you hand them this:
Roses are red, Violets are blue…
and things get a little more interesting. Sure, the opening to the poem is a cliché in and of itself, but it sets the stage for whatever you want to fill it with. You could go with something traditional and make it cutesy, you could subvert the trope by dropping the rhyme scheme for dramatic or comedic effect, you could even revive the old 2015 “gun” meme. The world is your oyster!
The point is, the poem hasn’t been written for you. Sure, it follows a similar structure to poems that have been written before, but where you take it is entirely up to you— the opening lines are simply the prompt to make way for your own creative license.
Let’s be real, here.
I get that everyone wants to make something new and exciting that comes entirely from their own imagination. It’s the dream! The idea that anything we write could potentially be sourced back to an existing piece is super aggravating, and you don’t have to tell me how discouraging it is to have something that you’re genuinely proud of suddenly fall flat because someone says, “Hasn’t the teen dystopia thing been done to death?” or “Didn’t Star Trek do an episode like this?” or “Penney, this is just a Star Trek fanfiction with the names changed to Dirk and Spork, please stop.”
To be totally honest, there is not (nor will there ever be) a single piece of writing on this earth that’s 100% original. Everything is based off of a story that came before it, or had plots and characters that were cherry-picked from the millions of plots and characters that existed previously.
Even more honestly, people like it that way. Tropes help us to identify our favorite genres and characters, guide us to stories that we may like based on those preferences, and open our eyes to new stories and authors that follow those tropes in a slightly different way.
In short, embrace your tropes. Learn to recognize them and how they can be used and reimagined, and build your story out of the wonderful things that come of that knowledge. Be like me and waste a billion hours in the rabbit hole that is TV Tropes!
Most importantly, write the way you want to write and don’t let anyone else tell you how to do it. They’ll have their time when you’re ready for peer review. Right now is your time to do as you please, ignore all writing advice you see online, make a few mistakes, and do it all over again because that’s what writers do! Get out there and make some beautiful, cliché-ridden, trope-y masterpieces.
Hey guys, quick question. Does it count as the “bury your gays” trope if they get brought back to life at the end of the story (and there are several other queer characters who don’t die at all).
April’s WritingTipWed! Every Wednesday I post a writing tip on my Twitter! If you want to see these weekly, follow me @/EmilyLaJaunie.
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#WritingTipWed 38 - A sentence doesn’t always have to be grammatically correct, especially with commas. If the sentence your grammar checker flagged for not having/having a comma flows better the way you wrote it, then keep it.
#WritingTipWed 39 - Don’t be afraid to create new words or phrases in your works. With the right context clues, they won’t confuse your readers. And then, one day, they may be added to the dictionary, and to the common vernacular.
Like Shakespeare who invented over 1000 words in the English language, like “bedazzled” and “addiction”, and many of them are used in everyday conversation to this day.
#WritingTipWed 40 - Cliches are not inherently bad. There are bad ones sure but using some in your writing doesn’t automatically make you a bad writer. You shouldn’t avoid them completely and should incorporate some into your writing.
Using selective cliches adds familiarity to your writing. Readers can get excited because they somewhat expect what’s going to happen. And then, if you subvert the cliche, it’ll create surprise/intrigue in your readers and it’s a great way to make a statement/critique.
#WritingTipWed 41 - If you cringe at what you’ve written before, whether it was years ago or yesterday, that’s good! You’ve grown as a writer and are more certain of how you want to write, even if you don’t know how to fix it at the moment.
Clichés make everyone cringe. They hurt your writing, and they usually trigger an involuntarily eye roll or groan from readers. It’s best just to avoid them altogether. But sometimes it’s hard to determine whether or not something is clichéd. Colors are easy. If it’s something you’ve heard quite often–fire engine red, pitch black, or sky blue for example–you know it’s probably one of those descriptions with a cliché tag attached. But what about characters, opening scenes, and individual lines? Though clichés vary from genre to genre and there are many of them, there are a few key ones that spread across all genres that you’ll want to watch out for.
Mary Sue/Gary Stu If you’ve been writing for any length of time, you’ve probably heard of a Mary Sue (Gary Stu for the male counterpart). These characters are very predictable, stereotypical, and downright boring. They are neither very well-developed nor original. Though not always true, Mary Sues/Gary are often protagonists, and can even be a reflection of the author’s personality. While sharing just one or two quirks, habits, or interests with the author isn’t a big deal, the protagonist shouldn’t be a portrayal of the author. In fact, each character needs to be his/her own person. No two people on this planet are exactly alike, and no two characters should be either.
Tips for avoiding clichéd characters:
1. Give each character a distinct and different personality.
2. Avoid making them a Plain Jane or an outcast. This type of character is way overdone, especially for a protagonist. If you’re going to make your main character typical in either of these ways, be sure to include something extraordinary about them, setting them apart from the rest.
3. Avoid using stereotypes for characters, such as nerd, jock, dumb blonde, etc.
4. Give characters a realistic body type. Having no physical flaws at all–or at least not having a body part the character is unhappy with–is impractical.
5. Be specific. The more details you provide about your character, the clearer and more unique he/she will be.
6. Make them well-rounded; give them more than one interest. Pick hobbies that fit the individual.
7. Give them several faults of any type. Everybody has them. Just as there are no perfect people, there should be no perfect characters.
Life Stories and Death Scenes One of the quickest ways to diminish any interest a potential agent or publisher might have in your book is by having a “My name is…” opening. This is a habit many inexperienced writers develop during their early years of writing. They use this type of opening in an effort to show the importance of the story itself. I’ve certainly been guilty of it before, and I have to force myself to dive right into the story sometimes. It’s tempting to give an introduction to the main character; after all, they are usually the most important person in the story. However, if a book is well-written, introductions aren’t necessary in the general sense. The author does not need to make the character address the reader in any way. If the plot and action are good in the beginning chapters, the reader/agent/publisher will be hooked regardless.
Another often used opening is a death scene. It’s a great, dramatic entrance, and lets the reader know that something big happened. The idea is to make the reader want to read more about what happened, capturing their interest and preparing them for the rest of the book. But sometimes method has the opposite effect. When someone picks up a book to read, they expect a good story to be told. They expect there to be a plot with substance, one that builds up and leads to a climactic point. By starting with a huge death scene, the author has already given away a valuable asset in storytelling, the climax. My advice is this: If you’re going to start with a death scene, make it make it odd. Make it small or meaningless. Make it a joyous event, or something else unexpected. Have it be a cause and effect event. In other words, make it completely unique to any other death scene you have ever read, or make it so ordinary that that reader flips through it without much thought. This will give you a personalized opening without giving away key moments in the story right off the bat.
Tips for avoiding clichéd opening scenes:
1. Avoid introduction speeches.
2. Avoid giving away a climactic moment.
3. Make the scene have at least one unique element to any other story.
Dark and Stormy Nights Clichéd lines are just about as annoying as clichéd characters. These lines include those such as the infamous, “It was a dark and stormy night,” “Houston, we have a problem,” and “Is it just me, or is it hot in here?” Most of the time, these lines are part of dialogue, but not always. However, there is a way to overcome clichés: avoid them, or make fun of them. If you use them and it’s obvious that you’re poking fun at the line, go right ahead. Some of the most successful television series are ones that make fun of themselves from time to time. Just use this tactic sparingly.
2. If it’s a line that doesn’t just hint at what’s coming but makes it blatantly obvious, skip it.
3. Pay attention to the weather. Yucky weather can certainly make a bad day worse, but that doesn’t mean it always has to rain. If your character is heartbroken or depressed, making it dark and rainy outside just sets you up for one of those used-one-too-many-times lines.
In every other fantasy story, there is a Chosen One. Xe can alone defeat the Big Bad and save the universe. Unfortunately, Chosen Ones are incredibly easy to completely bork up.
Ask yourself whether you really need a Chosen One
If you can restructure your story so that it does not involve a Chosen One, you probably should. The general concept of a Chosen One is considered by many to be a discredited trope, so if you don’t really need it, try to avoid it.
Make the future uncertain
If you’ve decided you need a Chosen One, make sure that the outcome is uncertain - ie, that there is a chance that the hero could completely fail in xir quest. Alternatively, your character’s Chosen status needn’t imply victory at all - see Harry Potter,Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Do not use your character’s Chosen status as a substitute for actual motivation
Some chosen ones - particularly evil chosen ones and dark messiahs - have no real reason for doing anything other than they’ve been chosen to do it. Whether your character is good or bad, try to make sure xe has (or gets) some personal motivation for doing whatever it is xe is doing.
Do not use your character’s Chosen status as a substitute for actual skill or practice
