Reader, So I noticed how you can read reviews from people on books, movies, and video games (what I will herein refer to as media) and many people say they are cliche, Lord of the Rings copy cats, etc. My bone here is if people truly think about it cliche is cliche itself. My issue is not when people point out an idea or concept that is cliche (i.e. elves are best at magic), but more along the lines of say someone wants to take over the world. A planet can only have so many original stories in truth based on the people that live on it. For example if we took all the REAL history of every race and person in the world and made a story based on these facts you would have the most cliche book series of all time. So if I create a world and populate it with races given the laws and HISTORY of our own world cliche doesn't really matter because our own history is cliche within itself. So as I tell people, "its not what your story is, but how you tell or convey it that will make it original." v/Respectfully, Keven
We have this discussion in many different posts all the time. Most people here generally agree that it doesn't matter what you write. It is how well your write and how you set yourself apart from what else is out there currently. So, with that said, most of us agree with what you tell people.
I'm sorry, but I really don't know what you're talking about. It seems that you have a different definition of cliche than most of us do. What, exactly, does "My bone here is if people truly think about it cliche is cliche itself" mean? A is A. Fred is Fred. Cliche is cliche itself. Why is this your "bone"? If I understand you correctly, then "For example, if we took all the REAL history of every race and person in the world and made a story based on these facts you would have the most cliche book series of all time" indicates that you don't have the same understanding of the word "cliche" as I do. For me, a cliche is a character, situation, even phrase, or any other story element that has been overused to the point that it has no power for the reader anymore. The reader's eyes glaze over when they read it. There's no more emotion; it's boring to the point of being beyond boring. The idea of "it's not what your story is, but how you tell or convey it that will make it original" is, of course, true. You'll find that many people on this site (including me) have made the same observation, as have a great many people who have published books about writing. The tale is in the telling, as the saying goes.
