Chrys’ Writing Rules: Avoid Cliches

To editors, aside from poor grammar, there is probably nothing worse than overused cliches. Sometimes, we aren’t even aware we are using them, and sometimes they are hard to escape, because every day more and more phrases and ideas are becoming cliches in the literary world.

A writer who says they never use a cliche in their writing is fooling themselves. There are so many that no one could possibly know them all. Cliches are, in fact, sneaky. They can slip into your writing when you least expect it. 

What is a cliche? 

A cliche is an overused phrase/expression, idea, or opinion that betrays an original thought.

First, I will mention a few writing cliches that bug me:

1.    The most irritating cliche, in my opinion, is author characters. A writer writing a book about a writer writing a book is the most predictable and unoriginal idea I have ever come across. I have read several books by the same best-selling author with writer characters that I’ve come to think she does it because she’s fresh out of ideas for new books. Sure, we all know what it’s like to be a writer, but keep that in your memoir and create a unique character instead. Even if your character is a writer, make him/her different!

2.    Another cliche that irritates me are characters with blonde hair and blue eyes. One well-known romance writer always gives her characters this overused description. Don’t get me wrong, you can have a character with blonde hair and blue eyes, there actually isn’t anything wrong with it, but be careful about using the same color combo with your other characters, especially in other stories! There are so many other shades of hair and eye colors to experiment with instead.

3.    The last cliche I’ve noticed an overuse of is when one character tucks another character’s hair behind his/her ear. An overwhelming number of authors use this romantic gesture in their books, but it seems like books is the only place where this ever happens. At least, no one has ever tucked my hair! I will admit though that I used this ONCE in my writing, but I did it in a different way, which is the trick; you have to make it different!

Now here is a list of 25 cliches to avoid in your writing: 

·         Blood boil
·         Eyes were glazing over
·         Glaring sun
·         Stopped in his/her tracks
·         Yelled at the top of his/her lungs
·         Sigh of relief
·         When hell freezes over
·         Scared to death
·         Cold as ice
·         In the blink of an eye
·         All hell broke loose
·         At the end of the day
·         Each and everyone
·         Against all odds
·         A far cry from
·         Alive and kicking
·         On the tip of his/her tongue
·         Bared his/her soul
·         Let’s face it
·         Shove it down your throat
·         Time flies
·         Lit up like a Christmas tree
·         I’m all ears
·         See eye to eye
·         Knock on wood

There are so many more in existence than just these, so try Googling cliches to develop a longer list.

TIP: Using cliches is normal, but they shouldn't stay in your writing. After you create a list of common cliches you tend to fall victim to, use the Find tool in Microsoft Word to search for them in your finished manuscripts. If you come across one , either delete it or rework it to make it unique.

QUESTIONS: What cliches bug you? Would you like to add to my list of phrases to watch out for? And, ladies, has anyone ever tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear?