How to Avoid Cliches in Writing: Quick Tips for Fresh Ideas
Cliches are overused phrases, tropes, or ideas that feel stale. For example, a story with popular tropes and a plot line that has been done many times before. While it can be comforting when you want something familiar, it can be boring to guess every event when we want something fresh and exciting. When writing, we want to avoid cliches so that our work feels engaging and original.
Recognize Common Cliches
The first step is to recognize which cliches are common within your genre. For example “the chosen one” in fantasy, and “love triangles” in Romance. Love triangles were so overdone in 2012 that when I come across them in books today I have to check the publication date.
If it’s not tropes then it’s phrases like “it was a dark and stormy night”, even the ones that have used this line ironically don’t feel ironic anymore.
Understand cliche vs defining characteristics
Read widely within your chosen genre and note patterns you see. Some are defining characteristics while others are cliche. How can you spot the difference? A cliche feels unimaginative and doesn’t add depth to the narrative while a defining characteristic of a genre is a core element or theme expected in that genre. So while a romance will always involve the two main characters falling in love, it’s cliche for them to fall deeply in love after their first meeting.
Flip Expectations
Take a cliche and twist it in a surprising way. Consider character roles, expected outcomes, and common setting details and reverse them! Check out this article for some inspiration.
Draw from Personal Experience
Use your own unique experiences and perspectives to add originality to your writing. You can easily take a funny story you tell at parties and turn it into a scene or entire novel with some creative work.
Avoid over-explaining
It’s cliche at this point “Show, don’t tell” but in this case, the advice isn’t stale! Describe actions and emotions using the five senses instead of using phrases. Instead of saying a character’s personality was “cold as ice” show them in a usually emotional situation being closed off and cold. Describe their body language and the way they distance themself from the emotional event.
Seek Fresh Inspiration
Take notes when you're inspired by art, music, nature, and everyday life. It might be the vibes in a coffee shop or a whole scene you imagine could go with your favorite song. Use writing prompts and exercises to challenge you to create unique scenarios.
Using some deep thinking, creative prompts, and inspiration from your regular day can lead to unique concepts that don’t rely on a formula or predictable plotline to create a story. Do you have some unique ideas you want to share? Join the Discord Community to share ideas or share your stories on StoryForge!
