Clichés

Oh God. In my Joker story, I have the most obnoxious cliche ever!
Girl is a killer. Boy meets girl, is also killer. Boy killer wants girl killer. Girl killer doesn't like boy killer. Killers work together. Killers get busssy. :XD

But, I do believe it's a lot less cliche now that it's actually past all that business.
And hopefully my other story is less cliche in the begining.
I don't really like cliches, unless they're amazingly written.

Well, when I first began writing all my writing was so cliché that now I can't even stand to acknowledge I wrote them.

In one story it was the typical vampire/human love/hate rape relationship bullshit. Girl gets kidnapped, gang raped, and then falls in love with one of the kidnappers only to have her get pregnant by one of the rapists.

Another story, girl gets attacked and saved by mysterious guy who takes her to his house while she's unconscious. Girl falls in love with guy and they live happily ever after until his mentor comes to kidnaps her.

In both stories the character doesn't suffer from depression from the rape/kidnap or any other ill effects.

x.x

Jeez, it's all horrible.
I've strayed away from kidnap all together and the only rape I used in my story was for a character who was raped but her emotional turmoil was needed for the plot of the story.

I actually don't avoid cliche`s. Most of the time I take a very over used situation and try to reinvent it, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I'd like to think it does. If you think about it, most story plots have been used before no matter who writes it. Boy loves Girl, Girl loves Girl, Boy loves Boy; even the situations are usually unavoidably cliche`. The way I write and what I write is often influenced by what I've read, which doesn't say much to avoidance.

One way to avoid clichés is to not write about love or hate.
It’s tedious to read about relationship defined by either or both.
What then is there left to write about? Well, only everything in between.
Nothing’s black and white and it’s not always as simple as hating
or loving everyone you interact with. There are a lot of grey areas
between people who get along and between those who don’t.
So it’s better to try to grasp and define that in a story because
then it’s more likely you’ll have to think outside the box.

Sometimes avoiding cliches like the plague is just as bad as using cliches. It can be really obvious. If you think about it, most general cliches are there because they work, so they are there for a reason. If you weren't allowed to re-use a particular situation or scenario we'd have run out of anything new years ago! So yeah, I don't see anything wrong in using certain cliches. It's what you do with it that counts, how you portray, and if you can manage to make it original.

Rebel Radio:

Sometimes avoiding cliches like the plague is just as bad as using cliches. It can be really obvious. If you think about it, most general cliches are there because they work, so they are there for a reason. If you weren't allowed to re-use a particular situation or scenario we'd have run out of anything new years ago! So yeah, I don't see anything wrong in using certain cliches. It's what you do with it that counts, how you portray, and if you can manage to make it original.

I agree. It's just that a lot of people don't bother to do that.
When Story A is the same as Story B but with different names, it's sort of ridiculous and redundant.

druscilla; happiness:

Rebel Radio:

Sometimes avoiding cliches like the plague is just as bad as using cliches. It can be really obvious. If you think about it, most general cliches are there because they work, so they are there for a reason. If you weren't allowed to re-use a particular situation or scenario we'd have run out of anything new years ago! So yeah, I don't see anything wrong in using certain cliches. It's what you do with it that counts, how you portray, and if you can manage to make it original.

I agree. It's just that a lot of people don't bother to do that.
When Story A is the same as Story B but with different names, it's sort of ridiculous and redundant.

Oh yeah, people get it wrong more than they get it right. And of course there are bad cliches out there (like 'my dad's a rockstar' or something similar). But yeah, the good ones - in the right hands - can still turn out brilliantly. At least that's how I see it.

In my story Creep Is Dead I have to be careful about avoiding Mary-Sue-ness with my character Nick. Since I've starting rewriting it for the third time, though, it's going a little better.
I also have to keep an eye on Fred, who has a lot of crappy stuff happening to him. I don't want his life to suck TOO much, because I don't want him to be a walking sob story.

I have a habit of writing about Outcast People. I can't help it, it's a natural draw because it's something I can relate to, to a degree. It's hard to make "bullies" not seem like Mary-Sue villains; there's always some kind of reason, and I have to establish reasons as well.

Writing a novel is really quite complicated. :weird

Porcelyn.:

Oh God. In my Joker story, I have the most obnoxious cliche ever!
Girl is a killer. Boy meets girl, is also killer. Boy killer wants girl killer. Girl killer doesn't like boy killer. Killers work together. Killers get busssy. :XD

But, I do believe it's a lot less cliche now that it's actually past all that business.
And hopefully my other story is less cliche in the begining.
I don't really like cliches, unless they're amazingly written.

:pat: I don't really find it cliche. I've read it (remember me?) and I enjoy it. It's actually the only one like that I've read, so either my viewpoint is small, or it's not that cliche.

So, I have loads of cliches. Especially in my past writing. I've had the "sad girl meets boy, sad girl gets happy" one, the "ran away from home" cliche, and so many others. Honestly, they're awful.

This is a cliche I'm not sure I want to avoid because... -makes a face-

Boxers. Does a guy in a story ever not wear boxers?
I mean, I've written several where he just doesn't wear underwear period, but I've never read one where he wears tighty whities or even boxer briefs. Even though I know that most of the guys I write about do wear boxer briefs, I always make them wear boxers. It just flows better.

Thoughts?

^I never noticed that boxers thing :XD I guess boxers are just nicer to picture in stories than worn-out, yellowing tight whites? XD It has more of a sexiness factor (even if the print is funny) so maybe that's why people use it.

It doesn't bother me though. XD

The Way:

It doesn't bother me though. XD

Nor me.
I was just randomly thinking about it today at work while writing my sex scenes.

Hahah, tighty whities.
That thought has never even crossed my mind. (Until...now, of course.)

But um,
gosh.
My story 'Disenchanted' is sorrtttaa cliche, and I'm slightly ashamed that I couldn't find a better base plot, you know?

It's that whole:
I'm-heartbroken-but-Gerard-is-making-me-feel-better plot.

xP
But, I'm trying to mix it up as I move along.

Just like, whenever someone mentions a cliche that they're sick of seeing in stories, and I realize that that certain cliche is in my story, I almost feel sick for spending so much time on my story when it's considered even somewhat cliche.
You know? Just a sick, sick feeling.

But see, what's funny is, I based Disenchanted on a true story.
Because, admittedly, I've been through that crap, and blahblahblah.
I had my heart broken by some stupid kid and someone else came along, and within days, things were just "right", and...I dunno, better.
At the same time, though, the main character who's going through the crap, I'm trying to change her. And make her different from me. You know? Heheh.
xD
But, I dunno.
It's almost scary to continue writing Disenchanted.
In fear of adding to the horrible-ness of overused...ness.
Haha.

I think I'm rambling on too far with this, so I'll stop.

My current story is kind of like a cliche.
The 'I hate you because I love you' cliche.
But there's going to be a twist in the end.
So, I'm hoping it won't be similar to what others have.

Belle.:

My current story is kind of like a cliche.
The 'I hate you because I love you' cliche.
But there's going to be a twist in the end.
So, I'm hoping it won't be similar to what others have.

That's my favourite cliche. :tehe:

Reading my stories a couple of them are sort of Cliché...

I met Gerard Way now he's taking me to live with him even though I have a family and friends back here in England. Also, I'm going to make friends with a popular guy who ditches that crowed and two 'out casts' before falling in love with one or two of them.
If I Surrender

I'm in love with my straight best friend and acting as if I'm in love with a friend who's bi.
I'm Both A Patient Boy, Well, And A Jealous Man.

I think my current story has some huge-ass cliches in there:
-vampires that can eat and aren't hurt by sunlight until they stop maturing (See? I've got explanations)
-boarding school but it's an all-boys "catholic" school (not that catholic)
-love story but it's kinda' one sided and mostly lust
-vamp/human. I don't really have an argument other than they don't fall in "love" unil the human is a vampire.

See? :file: Wow. I'm trying.

I don't much avoid clichés, but they don't come naturally to me. Just maybe in a couple of scenes, but not the plot itself. Or so I hope. :shifty
Like, I can write a lot about outcasts (though that's mainly because I can't, simply can't write about cheerful, happy, popular people), but there's usually something else besides the bullying and the feeling of being alone. I also write about love, but I simply can't describe anyone as perfect, so the characters involved don't only feel that towards each other.

I embrace cliches'. I use them where they sound right but I also aim to be original. I think in a way everything that is written by a person is somewhat original, whether it sounds cliche' or not. It depends on view points.

I write a story the way it is meant to be written.
I know that a lot of my stories have somewhat cliche plots, but I think/hope they don't ever come off that way.
Because they're natural, not easy.
I think the basis of the plot can seem cliche, but the stories themselves usually have more elements and aren't two-dimensional.