More Than Words: Avoid Clichés

As writers, we know we should try to avoid clichés and stereotypes. But you might not think of unique imagery as you’re writing your first draft, so you drop in a cliché as a placeholder. It’s easier to run with the first thought that pops in our heads to keep our momentum going, and think we’ll go back later to fix things. Makes sense. When revisiting a manuscript to self-edit, though, many writers often overlook the cliché that’s right in front of them: the clichéd image.

Is your imagery original? Or are you trotting out tired tropes? Avoid big-picture clichés!

Avoid Clichés in Imagery and Character Traits

You know clichéd images when you see them:

            A story or chapter opens with a character waking

up … or ends with a character going to sleep.

            A character stares in the mirror and analyzes their looks.

            Multiple chapters end with characters asking questions.

 There are also clichéd character traits:

            A girl who is quiet and loves to read books

            A boy who feels like he doesn’t fit in … also loves to read books.

            A bully who makes fun of the girl or the boy because they’re quiet/don’t fit in/love to read books.

People want to read stories about active characters, to see what they’re doing, and how their actions shape them. Just as this means we can’t spend pages and pages listening to a character’s thoughts while they stare out a window, it also means we want to actively engage with them from the start: hence no beginnings as they wake up and start their day. And, while it might seem to make sense to close the chapter as they go to bed, this also flattens the tension for the reader. Not every chapter ending needs to be a cliffhanger, but you do want to discourage the reader from putting the book down. End on a question once in a great while, but better yet, give the reader something to think about. Maybe the character comes to an unexpected conclusion, or their routine is interrupted.

At the end of the chapter, consider what the emotional goals of the scenes were, and make sure they’ve been achieved. Then think about the goals of the next chapter, and see if you’ve created an adequate setup. And as for the long look in the mirror, analyzing their looks … this, too, needs to happen organically. What if instead of looking in the mirror the character struggled with taking decent selfies? Or they considered filters they could use to fix what they see as their imperfections? Thinking about your story this way will help generate more original ideas and images, and will hopefully steer you away from filler scenes that slow things down.

Knowing what makes your characters unique, and showing that front and center, will also keep them from becoming clichés. Maybe you have a girl who is obsessed with local birding habits, and is concerned they’re losing places to nest. Maybe that obsession is indicative of a larger problem—she uses it to escape her social and home realities. As she constantly thinks about the birds, she refrains from participating in the rest of the world around her. Could she also be described as quiet, loves to read? Yes. But now she’s unique. Or, to use a recent example, maybe she only has a handful of books that she continuously rereads, and each book takes on specific meaning, because she’s roaming around the country with her dad on a converted school bus, as in Dan Gemeinhart’s The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise. In this story, the books serve a specific purpose, and work to color Coyote’s life for the reader.

Avoid Clichés in Scenes

And then there are clichéd scenes. My biggest pet peeve here is the scene where the character goes to the library, and looks at titles on the shelves (usually classics) that the author hopes readers will discover through the character. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge advocate for and supporter of libraries. But for a character in a book (especially middle grade or YA) to actively go to a library, there has to be a really good reason. Contemporary characters have smart phones, and the answers to most of their questions are at their fingertips. Why would they go to a library to research?

There are exceptions to this, which demonstrate how to keep your images from becoming tired tropes or clichés. One, the characters need local information, sources available only in hard copy at the library. Another, there’s a group they belong to meeting at the library, or if it’s a school library, there’s a class meeting at the library. Even here, be careful. Ask yourself, how does the character being in the library move the plot forward? Is it a scene that could just as easily take place somewhere else, say, in the corridor or outside the school? Which locations make the most sense for the characters? What spots would they naturally gravitate to? Why?

Meeting the librarian needs similar treatment. Remember, every named character in your story should have some impact on the overall plot. There should be a reason for the reader to remember the character’s name. So while we all would love to pay homage to our favorite librarians by immortalizing them in our stories, we need to make sure that mentioning them, giving them paragraphs of fame, isn’t in fact diminishing the tension. The same is true with classroom teachers, coaches, and advisors. If the story is for middle grade or YA readers, heavy-handed advice—or any advice, really—from adults can fall flat fast. We need to see kids solving their own problems. What does this mean for the adults in the story? They can point the characters in a direction, but they can’t solve the problems for them. The insight is best received when it comes from the kids themselves.

Work Harder to Avoid Clichés

To avoid clichés, work harder with your characters and scenes. Word choice matters, for sure. You want to avoid clichéd descriptions and phrases, especially in these unprecedented times, (See what I did there?) because they slow your story and push the reader away. The same is true with characters, images, and scenes. Make it your story. Let us hear your character’s voice. Take us on the journey only your characters could experience. And if part of that journey involves going to the library, make sure there’s nowhere else that could better serve the scene.

I’d be happy to work with you to make sure your manuscript is fresh and engaging! Book me for editing, book coaching, your outline consultation, and more at Good Story Editing. Post contains an affiliate link.