Working with Cliches

[Ennuiwolf]

Hey guys, I'm new on this forum. For a while now I've been working on a larger project that I might start posting about on this site. For now though, I'd like some insights from other writers and creators regarding cliches!

Personally, I don't believe in the old "avoid cliches like the plague" advice that's given (its a cliche in itself). I think at this point in time, it is impossible to have an idea that is 100% original and never been done before, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I will admit I make full use of cliches and tropes in my stories if it aids in character development or progresses the story. I also don't mind using cliches if they draw you deeper into the story. In my view, cliches exist for a reason, and that's because they work, so if one breaks them down to figure out how they work, they'll be able to effectively use them without pulling the reader out of the story. I found Terrible Writing Advice's video on Cliches to be very insightful in this regard!

What about you? Are there cliches you actively avoid? Or how do you work with cliches to help with the immersion rather than pulling you out of it?

[irislm]

I think that it's okay to use cliches. As a reader I would say if you want to use a cliche it is how you present it and place it in your story. If the cliche is helping in character development I think it would make it more interesting. Personally I like read a story with little cliches.

[Ennuiwolf]

Thanks for the reply! Could you elaborate a bit more on what you mean by "little cliches"? Does that mean the number of cliches would matter to you or the execution?

[irislm]

I really like it when author tries to experiment with cliche tropes. No I wouldn't say number of cliches would matter. it's use of words or expressions you can express an experience in different ways. For me it's use of words I think. Sorry if this doesn't make sense.

[cherrystark]

Cliches/tropes aren't really the issue - it's how they are presented. For example- big, burly "Alphas" are super common in fantasy stories today. Instead of portraying him as a sexist jerk, you could portray him as a big softie. One story I read, the hunky male lead was actually shy and self-conscious because of his size. He was often sexually harrassed by the women in his pack, so he tended to keep his distance from people. His portrayal added multiple layers and gave him a layer of understanding toward's his love interest's own body issues.

There are obviously negative ones to stay away from that are dehumanizing, but as long as they are presented in an interesting way - readers will read it.

[Ennuiwolf]

Ah, that Alpha trope takes me back. I always hate it considering I'm a massive animal junkie who has read about wolf behavior for years now, so it really irks me to see the distortion of pack dynamics in that way. Because of that when I wrote my own werewolf story, I drew from real life much more, especially in how the main character had to build up the trust of the other characters since they were all unrelated in order to establish himself as the leader.

[worstTurtlebestBug]

Ironically, the things you're presenting here as your views have been studied and many people came to the same conclusions as you did.

[FafasMcMelt]

I think at this point in time, it is impossible to have an idea that is 100% original and never been done before

At no point in time was anything concieved from nothing. What humans do is to build on top of a foundation. We're not creatively bankrupt in the current year, nor have we ever been. We evolve what we inherited from our predecessors, as our predecessors did before us. I don't interact with tropes in any different way that I would another idea. This obviously means I don't go for clichés for the sake of it either.

I didn't get around to watching TWA's video on Clichés, but from the videos he does on the subject of each cliché by itself, we can already see the clarity of mind of an author. Every idea, trope, cliché, is a tool at the author's disposal. You can make bad use of your tools, or good use of them. It's not about the tool, it's about the work.

[annaportia]

I think it's fun to take a cliche, then twist it on it's head in a way that the reader isn't expecting! I don't think there's anything wrong with using cliches, so long as you bring something fresh to it!

[_calm]

Clichés are so Cliche. Therefore you can never not use cliches. There that's it

[Tailzkip]

My boyfriend watches those trapped in another world anime constantly. I used to enjoy them, but now they are supper just annoying, especially to listen too. Those high pitched screaming/crying girls and explosion's, the music gets all dramatic as the female's finally confess their love before the final showdown. I can sit with my back to the TV and predict exactly what's happening in each scene and I don't even speak Japanese. He keeps trying to get me to watch them and I'm like...why?...They are all the same story, each with more fanservice than the last. The main character arrives, get's OP and surrounded by thirsty girls for 24 episodes until they save the day or w/e. It's the same cut and paste characters just with a new design %90 of the time. Occasionally a good one seeps through though.

[grayscaleTOP]

@Ennuiwolf I agree with you. When I try to put cliches in my work, I always come up with a reason why this element (character, setting, etc.) is important. I sometimes think that "cliche 1" plus "cliche 2" is equal to a whole new level. Any writer can twist past literatures, and using cliches might the reader close to the story's hearth.

Sure it must be boring to see another book similar to the father-son conflict. Or that drama series where two women pulled each other's hair just because of a guy they both had a crush. Heck, I'm also using a cliche where a serial killer hunts down the victim and police are going AWOL.

But, like @irislm mentioned, interesting parts come from the character development and having a minimal number of cliches can help. A writer might need a story structure to cover up those cliche tracks.

[Aleksei]

I hate cliches xD
When I am reading a story and find a cliche, it takes me out of the story. Unless it's well written. Wich not happen very much. In my opinion, to well use cliches its to take the base of the cliche, and change something, like the result.
Before writting my bl webcomic, I read a lot of other stories, and I always found cliches like 'x guy fall sick, y guy went and took care of him, instant love' -I hate it. Or the whole cast go to a mountain, the couple get lost, or suffer and accident, and magic! they communicate and deepend their relationship. Why is that? Why can't they have a normal conversation like human people in a café?
If it were for me, and I would be forced to use any of those cliches, I would change some of those things. Like, okay, they go to the mountain, but never could arrive because the bus has a flat tire, and have to spend time in a crappy hotel instead, but they loved it. Different, and beleivable.

Those are my thoughts on cliches xD

[wispysing]

Take note that cliches/overused tropes and the foundations of a genre are two slightly different things on the surface. I'm currently making a dystopian themed comic and I've become aware that an oppressive government regime is a cliche, but it is impossible to have a dystopia without some form of authoritarian control, since that is one of the main elements that defines the genre itself. So I simply added another main focus instead of the government -- added a dash of something new. A little hint that it might not only be the government running the world.

I agree with you that tropes and cliches aren't necessarily bad, it's just the way they're presented. Try to add a little something, your trademark, if you will. Something that will make that cliche uniquely yours, or at least, a little less cliche.

Also yes, do watch lots of Terrible Writing Advice. I've found his videos very helpful in revising which aspects of my story may be bland and overdone. Also since you're new to the forum, do browse around a lot. There are TONS of wonderful first-hand advice you could read from.

[Breezy]

What about you? Are there cliches you actively avoid? Or how do you work with cliches to help with the immersion rather than pulling you out of it?

I've tried on and off for years to write a novel that was original and immersive. I wanted to avoid tropes and clichés as much as possible, but then I had this idea to write something totally fun and frivolous. I said, screw it, I'm just going to have fun and I don't care if it is good. Thus Nonconforming was born!
It is the furthest I have ever gotten in any novel I've ever attempted, clocking in at 150,000 words and on going. It turned out to be less cliché and tropey than I originally intended, but I think throwing this notion that I had to be "original" out the window helped free me as an author.
In the end, I think you should just write what makes you happy. If you like what you write, then you will find an audience that likes it to. Sometimes, as readers, we just want something familiar to sink our teeth into. That is why fanfiction exists and it is sort of the basis of most web-published novels. We want those clichés, but wrapped in good writing and compelling characters.
So, I say go for it!
And, if you want to see all your favorite omegaverse clichés and tropes turned on their heads, check out my novel!

Nonconforming | Tapas

[sensibleshroom]

I don't think I really avoid any cliche in specific. HOWEVER, I'm a big fan of embracing cliches I like and taking ones that I don't like and "subverting" them to make myself like them. If I'm apathetic or downright aggressive towards any particular cliche, it's a personal challenge to myself to force myself to like it. It's fun.

[Ennuiwolf]

Take note that cliches/overused tropes and the foundations of a genre are two slightly different things on the surface.

This is actually quite important! Thanks for pointing it out! Hallmarks of genres are what make them, even if they do seem cliche. I feel like the part is identifying the hallmarks and separating them from the trope cliches, and considering them as separate tools in a toolbox.

[Ennuiwolf]

I think throwing this notion that I had to be "original" out the window helped free me as an author.

I've honestly experienced this myself! Constantly worrying about whether I was cliche or not honestly stalled me a lot in the writing process. When I let that go, I found I was writing works that I enjoyed reading, and that I got good feedback on, even if they had "cliche" premises.

[LadyLily]

Sometimes, something you need just so happens to be a cliché. When that happens, make that cliché something unique to you and your story. Put your own spin on it. How would that cliché situation work for you in the real world? How would you handle it? It may still look like the familiar cliché, but you've put a twist on it that surprises the reader expecting it to go the same ol' same ol'.

[fleurravenbooks]

Cliches are fine as long as you do something about them, add your own spin. I mean main plot of my story is the chosen one, which is one of the biggest cliches in fantasy genre

Summary

The secret of heir | Tapas