I've grown tired of running from chiches. I've grown tired of being told that my ideas aren't "original" and I'm tired of fighting this uphill battle that plagues all writers. Originalty. I'm going to write about what I want to write about and if it just so happen to be similar or even identical to an already existing story...then so be it. I have started and abandoned countless plots and story ideas out of fear of it being seen as a rehash and being called a copycat writer that just wants to ride the coattails of a famous one. But you know what. I've made a concious decision not to care anymore. The word 'cliche' is like kryptonite to a writer's morale and motivation. I wish we would stop throwing it around in the writing community so carelessly. Calling someones work cliche is one of the greatest insults (in my opinion) that you can tell a writer. It can be percieved so many ways, but most are detrimental. For my own sanity, happiness, and pride, whenever I come up with an idea I will not even check to see if a story like it already exists because it is almost guarenteed that there will be. I will write and I will write as many "cliches" and use as many overated, overused, and over saturated plots, themes, and characters as I see fit to build MY story. I know this comes off as a negative rant, but it is more of a declaration of independent thinking and creativity. I do not need to be told that my idea is great anymore or that the idea has somewhat not been done. Trying to be original takes all of the fun out of writing. Just write and if someone says it's cliche or done before simply say "Well, it hasn't been done by me yet, so it couldn't have been that great to begin with." XD ((Don't really say that))
There might be nothing new under the sun, but you can still put a different spin on old tropes. The story I'm writing with a friend is very original, but we're still employing tried and true literary devices... that doesn't make it any less original. In fact as I had first imagined the story it was too original. It needed the classic elements of storytelling for it to jump off the page. When changes need to be made to the plot, again and again we're falling back on classic devices for telling a story. No harm in that.
So your plan is to write the most predictable and plot demanding story ever to grace our little blue sphere? I hate to say it but, there is some truth to formula over innovation. Look at Doom 2016, it didn't really break the mold and it is highly successful despite adding the element of story where there really wasn't one. Well have fun with your new best seller in the land that likes it's familiar when it comes to such things.
Embrace the cliche! Actually, this was just mentioned in another thread. Shakespeare took many of his plots from historical events, but added his own insight to them. Also, there are these things called guilty pleasures.
Hahah. I can't tell if you are being sarcastic, but I appreciate the good luck. My book is gonna be so cliche that it'll hurt, but at the same time you won't be able to stop reading because you'll be inticipating a surprise or twist and there won't be one XD To an extent you'l l know what's going to happen next and some people might actually like that.
I thought that was the case. C: If you think about it, trying not to be cliche has become cliche (I'm reaching I know ;D) but it very well may be true.
Well, most cliche-stories have at least 1 thing about them that makes them stand out--even if just a bit. Like, a love story similar to Romeo and Juliet, can be a bit different- maybe instead of the star-crossed lovers dying, maybe they are the only ones left alive, and it's up to them to restart mankind - or something like that. Put a twist in it and it won't be such a cliche...
Go for it! Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the typical American reader! Kidding... but it sure feels that way sometimes.
Jim Butcher already tried to do that. It didn't work Plus, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news: The biggest cliche in the book is that writers are to avoid cliches like the plague, so I'd have to say that embracing the cliche is the biggest step in the opposite direction that you could possibly take Would you be interested in looking at TVTropes? It's a collection of Over Nine Thousand! of the "cliches" that have already been used, and I love spending hours scouring the site, seeing which stories used which "cliches" well and which stories didn't use those same "cliches" as well as the other stories did. On that note, would you like to check my signature for the TVTropes page I made about one of my own stories? See which "cliches" I used and how I used them?
This reminds of that Always Sunny episode when Dee bragged about all the gross men she let sleep with her...
There's a "It was a dark and stormy night" writing prompt somewhere here which lead me to think we ought to have an April (Fools) writing contest, maybe Flashfiction, where the contestants try to cram as many "don't"s into their story as possible and still have an engaging story. Head-hopping, telling not showing, tense switching, etc. As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to go off and suggest it.
I never worry about clichés. I used to, but joining this writing forum has helped that issue go away. In fact, I accidentally added a cliché (or trope) in my book: the MC dragon kidnaps a princess, only it's from the dragon's point of view and you're given his reason. It actually becomes very important to the plot line and his character development. I love reading books and watching TV where tropes and clichés are done well.
Amen. I hope it's filled with all the Tolkien-esque races possible, and the MC's father is the villain. It must feel liberating to write without a single shit to give about anything else but the story. But yeah, there is truth in the last line. It's all been done before...but not by you.
It works for the porn industry. Billions of videos and pictures of the same things every single time. And yet they all claim copyrights to duplicated depictions of sex acts. Go figure.
There are a lot of clichés out there. I think the selection of specific clichés in this situation could be very interesting.
Also, in certain styles of writing certain rules/clichés don't apply as strongly. For example Deus ex Machina Majority of R. A. Salvatore's books practically depend on using it. Clichés can be used for humor as well. Especially if the character notices the cliché and comments upon it.
