Using clichés and other worn-out phrases can hurt your writing. Here's how to keep your language fresh.
Clichés can be deadly for anyone who wants to write well. Clichés are what comes out of our heads when we’re writing fast, without putting in the effort to use language well. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because we often need to turn off our internal editors and write without restriction. The trick is to go back and change the clichés to words of our own.
What is a cliché?
A cliché is a phrase that is used often, and usually without thought. It may have started out as a unique description or as a true statement, but it has become so common that it doesn’t have the impact it used to.
For example, Shakespeare coined many phrases which have come into common usage. “Hot-blooded young men” was unique then, and is a cliché now. The first time you read “the metallic taste of blood,” it sounds great. By the sixth story you read it in, it’s not fresh anymore.
Cliché examples
(Many of these were used in a cliché hunt in Use All Five Senses. How many did you find?)
- new and improved
- as deep as the ocean.
- higher than a kite.
- cute as a button
- clean and fresh
- soft as a baby’s skin
- soft as rabbit’s fur
- hard as a rock
- fresh and clean
- singing sweetly
- tinkling of broken glass
- shrieking with joy
- smelling like a dirty diaper or rotten eggs
- salty as a potato chip
- sour vomit
- fire-engine red
- new-mown grass
- cacophony of sound
Hunting down clichés
If you write slowly, choosing your words carefully, great! All you need to do is be aware of clichés and avoid them. If you're a writer who turns off the editor in your head to write freely, keep these steps in mind:
- Print out your story.
- Read it carefully and circle or highlight each cliché you find.
- Work through the story again, replacing each cliché with fresh words of your own.
- Relax – it’s not a race.
- Let your mind wander around each sentence.
- Play with language, situation, description.
Character clichés
Clichés are not limited to description; a character can also become a cliché. Anytime you find yourself writing about a ditzy blonde, a jaded detective, a smiling, bewhiskered grandfather, or an evil villain with a scar, STOP! Ask yourself if your blonde needs to be ditzy, or even blonde. Does your detective have to be cynical? Change details or add personality quirks that make each character unique and real.
The more you choose your words carefully, without resorting to worn-out phrases, the better your story will be. And the more you do it, the less you will rely on clichés in the rough draft stage.
