After talking about tropes, I want to take it one step further and discuss cliches. Our world is full of them, but they are often not welcome in our literature. Cliches are overused opinions that most people find common enough to not think them inspiring. While they can be good to communicate something quickly and efficiently, cliches are not valued in stories since most readers are looking for originality.
Cliche Definition
Knuckle down. Damsel in distress. Luck of the draw. Cliches are overused phrases and ideas that have lost their impact but not their meaning. Americans know that busy bee refers to someone who likes to be on the go and always busy, but it’s so common that no one stops to appreciate the way that meaning is conveyed. In literature, we strive for originality so we can make our story more impactful on readers.
Cliche Vs Trope
Before we go further, I want to point out the difference between tropes and cliches. Tropes are familiar literature conventions for specific genres, and cliches are when those tropes have been used so much that they fade from favor. Really, the big difference between cliches and tropes is that one is liked while the other can be annoying. To determine where your work falls, make sure you stay aware of your genre and what the readers are buying. Eventually, all original ideas will become tropes and all tropes will become cliches. It’s just the cycle of life.
Types of Cliches
Cliches come in three different varieties: figurative, character, and plot. Let’s look at each one and discuss how to replace these cliches with originality in your book.
Figurative
Figurative cliches are phrases that, while once poetic, now are common speech in certain cultures. They creep into every conversation, text, and book. Most of the time, we don’t even know we use them. I’ve already used cliches in this post (not just the examples I’ve given). See if you can uncover a few, or pay attention to your speech today. I guarantee you’ll use more than one cliche. To get your mind thinking, here is a list of just a few cliches common in American English.
- Fly the coop
- Yanking your chain
- Take a load off
- Sink or swim
- Jump the gun
All these phrases convey a generic meaning about life. While they still may be true, they have lost their impact. Cliches don’t stir strong emotion, imagery, or thoughts. If you want to evoke these things in your readers, you need to be original in your prose. How do you do that? Be specific. The more specific your words, the more vivid the image. You can use metaphors, similes, and symbolism to convey your meaning in a unique way. For instance, say we want to say a man is all thumbs (clumsy).
He was constantly holding onto things like they were coated in butter. Too lose, they slipped out of his hands. Too tight, they shot from his grip. He rarely found the right balance, making him the last person you’d want to hold an explosive.
Yes, this description is longer than all thumbs, but it evokes a better image in the reader’s mind. You can obviously create something shorter if you want, but the point is not to just convey meaning but to make an impact.
Character
Character cliches are when you go from using a trope to using a stereotype. You don’t want readers to know exactly what will happen because they know how those types of characters act. You can start with a cliche character, but you need to develop them into an original idea. If you don’t, readers will not be interested in following a character they have already seen a million times. Here are a few examples of character cliches.
- Ditzy blonde
- Knight in shining armor
- Absent parent
- Chosen one
- Unintelligent sidekick
Similar to how you subvert a trope, you want to make sure you find a new way of viewing an old idea. If you want a ditzy blonde, then use her. Legally Blonde used that exact cliche, but the writer twisted it into something more. The main character may act like a silly girl, but she is smart and determined. Her presentation is that of a ditzy blonde, but her core is someone far more complex and brilliant. So, you can start with a character cliche, but develop that person into someone more real and unique by the time you publish your book.
Plot
Plot cliches are when the story is an overused arc with an expected outcome. These are plot tropes that have been seen so many times that no one gets enjoyment out of them. Cliches also happen when the plot is nothing but one trope after another. There isn’t anything new or interesting, and the reader will get bored. Here is a list of plot cliches.
- Happily ever after (where everything is impossibly perfect in the end)
- The villain isn’t really the villain
- It was all a dream
- Opening with staring in a mirror
- The mentor dies
Plot cliches are often the result of lazy writing. You want to make sure your plot has originality so it surprises the reader. This is where plot twists come in handy. You can start your story with a familiar trope and then switch the ending to the unexpected. If you just follow the trope, you risk writing a cliche plot. Another way to make sure your plot isn’t cliche is to give it a unique message. Take the theme of your book and create a unique way to teach that lesson. If readers come away with a new outlook on the world, they won’t feel like the story was cliche.
Final Thoughts
Cliches aren’t always bad. They can be used to insert humor or irony. Some characters can take cliches literally and create misunderstandings. You can write a cliche plot and then overdo it to make it humorous. Overall though, it’s best to limit the amount of figurative, character, and plot cliches in your stories. Try to make your prose specific, your characters deep, and your plot surprising.
Thanks for reading!
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