4 Cliches About Writing You Should Avoid
Writers from all over the world have various initiatives to tell their stories to their readers. Readers also have a variety of reasons to maintain their reading interest based on their book specifications.
As a result, writers can often avoid using cliches as a sustained commitment to readers who usually pine for a universal story concept; examples include fiction stories with satisfying endings.
However, why should these cliches be avoided? Before you get too confused, let's dig more about the term "cliche."
What is a cliche??
Cliches are overused phrases that have lost their original meaning; they appear pleasant but less significant. Old cliche lines may be remarkable because people have already heard about them; however, as an eye-opener for writers to rescue themselves from the trite and sensational melodramatic ideas, they eliminate using them to draw readers in a contrast mechanism.
Moreover, there are instances where you can include cliches in your story, but you must use them wisely. For example, an author has avid readers who seek to retain a consistent connection to them, and adopting cliches is the option. But it depends on how the author preserves their relationship to their emotional readers.
But why should we avoid using cliches in our writing as much as possible? Let's find out the typical cliches about writing you should avoid.
1. Repeated Story Plot.
Before reading, people read the plot blurb, which you can see on the back cover. After reading, readers will tell if the story is similar to others. If they find it ordinary, there is a tendency that they will skip it. And, that alone will affect your whole engagement with them. So if your objective is to draw more viewers, surmise a new storyline that they haven't read before because readers with a wide bookshelf will find the same story plot monotonous.
What are some standard plots that we always read over and over again?
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CEO AND HIS SECRETARY:
[A filthy wealthy businessman falls in love with his ordinary secretary].
FROM RAGS TO RICHES:
[An unforeseen encounter between an unfortunate woman and a sought-after bachelor who fall in love at the end].
MAFIA LEADER FALLS IN LOVE WITH A PERFECT WOMAN:
[A ruthless syndicate leader who abducts a woman for vengeance but eventually falls in love].
LIBERATED WOMAN BUT COMPLETELY INEXPERIENCED IN REAL LIFE:
[A well-heeled and sophisticated lady who always seems to reach what she truly likes, except for the man she truly desires, who doesn't even want her due to a wrong impression].
A FAMOUS PLAYBOY BACHELOR FALLS FOR A NAIVE ALLURING WOMAN:
[A playboy meets a naive woman who hasn't had a boyfriend since birth, and both of them fall in love in the end].
2. Common Character flaws.
Most authors create complicated personalities by adding flaws to the characters in the story to visualize a believable identity. But at the same time, they forget to be mindful to craft unusual scars to make those characters memorable because they are after convenient characters that almost always spell doom.
There are a lot of familiar character flaws in the story. Some are as follows:
Haughtiness - conceited ego
Faint-hearted, lacking courage to face danger
Agitated - suffering from a mental illness, being delusional or obsessive
Deceitful - a liar; sociopath
Why should these common character flaws be avoided?
First, it sounds unrealistic and stodgy; readers are immune to it. Readers are likely to be aware of the character's transition, particularly in the final scenes.
Second, some likely foresee the ending and decide to read the story instead. Writers usually put flaws in the story's characters to create conflict; hence, the way to rescue yourself in using clichés is by investing your characters with unusual adversity that points them away from the cliched earthier dramas of "ordinary" existence.
But take note, I am not urging you to avoid using those common flaws because they are natural occurrences to every character in every specific story we read. In any case, it still wholly depends on your storylines. Whether you're writing a fictional or a mysterious story, you'll need to range your approach to presenting your characters to your readers. The adjectives I cited earlier are only typical examples of classic romantic stories' flaws. However, when writing in a different genre, you can still use those words; however, constrain your use of repetitive adjectives.
3. The use of Skeptical Adjectives.
Adjectives add information about a character's identity and personality. It added flavor as well. But if authors used common adjectives, including idioms, it makes the surface less exciting to readers.
Here are some examples of the common overused adjectives:
As much as possible, try not to use redundant descriptive words but still fit your story's classification to make your storyline more interesting. You can try using some unusual synonyms that are new to the ear of most readers.
4. Happy Endings.
I believe, during my time, readers often crave a happy ending. Why is that? Simply because it gives them satisfaction and Yes factor; meaning, getting what they want. But nowadays, people are getting pragmatic; they believe that there is no such thing as a happy ending. They demand a story that ends the way it should be. People love cliffhangers to leave them in awe with unresolved questions. Since people have discrete attitudes toward story endings, finish your story the way it should be, not with a compulsion to satisfy readers.