Common Cliches In Literature

Common Cliches in Literature

Comedy:

Focusing too much on the humor, instead of the plot

Stupid, or unintelligent characters who’s antics are the focus of the plot

Two unwilling allies forced together by fate

Overuse of slapstick comedy

“Humor” revolving around bodily functions

“Humor” revolving around sexual or romantic drama

The sassy fat/black/gay friend 

Crime:

Lawyer/detective protagonist is depressed/suicidal/alcoholic/”hardened”

Mystery forces lawyer/detective protagonist to confront troubled past

Every crime is the work of a serial killer/serial rapist

Lawyer/detective and their unlikely partner, usually with a special ability

Lawyer/detective’s super smart computer/medical examiner friend who can find and figure out anything

Dystopian:

The ‘lone survivor’ story

Earth has become a scorched/barren wasteland

Zombies/mutants

Humble/abused female turned apocalyptic badass 

Erotica:

Male love interest is a millionaire/billionaire

Heterosexual male/female has homosexual sex for the first time, and it’s the most amazing thing ever

(BDSM) Vanilla-sex-having girl goes all-out BDSM for the first time, and is totally cool with 

Near-death experience leads to sexy time

Sexy fireman/cop/Navy Seal/Special Ops/professional athlete

Dark/damaged/brooding male love interest

Fantasy:

The ‘chosen one’

The wise old man who just knows things

Villain turns out to be related to the protagonist in some way

Revenge as a plot motivator

Hard-to-pronounce character names

Artifacts of ultimate power

Magic with no discernible rules 

Horror:

Something’s wrong with the innocent child

Insanity/paranoia/delusions turn out to be cause of horror

The very haunted place everyone in town knows about

Insane asylums as a setting

Revenge as a plot motivator

(Character) is actually dead/a ghost!!1!!1! 

Romance:

The lovers come from two extremely different worlds (especially when one of them is famous)

Heroine says again and again how much she hates kids, but ends up pregnant or dating a single dad

The girl or guy has a very specific set of skills (photographer mechanic etc.)

Girls with typically male dominated jobs and a tough girl persona

Girl is in an unhappy engagement/marriage, but falls in love with another man. But it turns out, her fiancee/husband was cheating on her, too! So everything’s okay and justified!

Guy and girl insist they hate each other, but it’s just sexual tension

Guy dies while in the military/someone dies tragically in a car crash

The little brother of the heroine’s best friend is the sexy love interest

Science Fiction:

Aliens that look/think/act human

Time travel/time travel paradoxes

A human creation (aliens/robots) taking over the world

Humans colonizing another planet and getting trapped

A distant future of government totalitarianism

Thriller:

amnesia as a plot device

A retired ‘professional’ is brought in to do one last job

An international criminal

A secret government agency

Young Adult:

Love triangles

The ‘chosen one’

A distant future of government totalitarianism/dystopia

The brooding bad boy with a troubled past

REBELLION

Male love interest is a vampire/werewolf/alien/demon hunter because attractive, interesting human young men don’t exist

Over in the Commons for Writing 201, we’ve been working on finding our angles as writers. I’ve found myself responding to the same question from several bloggers: “I want to write about X, but I don’t want to seem too opinionated. What should I do?”

Hanging your opinion out on a global laundry line can be scary, especially when you’re writing about potentially contentious topics. We often tiptoe around those stalwarts of family dinner table arguments, politics and religion, but any issue on which two reasonable bloggers can differ can be divisive — and therefore scary — to tackle publicly. Human sexuality. Parenting decisions. Food choices. Who should win The Bachelor.

Today, let’s look at some dos and don’ts for writing about sensitive topics in ways that are both constructive and true to you.

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i'm currently writing a novel about a group of kids who come from another World to this one. any good tips on how they would react and what they would especially notice about our World?

I think that’s a great. broad question to start yourself off. Once you know the big questions you need to answer within your plot, you can bore down to the nitty-gritty details, the specific logistics of your setting, plot, and character development that you much research or otherwise embellish to move forward. You’ve got the big question. Now you must dig deeper.

Here are some questions to get you started:

Where did the kids grow up? On a space ship travelling from their world to ours? On Earth, but in a parallel universe to ours? On another planet in a far-away solar system? (I’m gonna assume it’s a planet for now.)

How does their planet compare to Earth? How far is it from their sun(s)? Is it larger or smaller than Earth? What is gravity like on their planet as compared to Earth’s gravity? Do they have a moon? What is their atmosphere like? Does the air composition differ, and if so, how does that affect them?

What does nature look like on their planet as compared to ours? Do they have different plants and animals? Different weather? Do they have redwood forests? Do they have saltwater oceans? Do they have sharks? (You get the idea.)

What do these kids think of the idea of Earthlings having pets or houseplants? How do they feel about zoos? What do they think about megafarms growing only one crop as far as the eye can see? How do these kids feel about the way Earthlings manipulate nature to amuse us or suit our needs?

How does our appearance differ from the kids’ appearances? Are they humanoid? How is their basic physiology different from an Earthling’s basic physiology? Do the kids need to sleep as often as humans? Can they see better on average? Do they appear to have super strength or magical powers as compared to an Earthling? Do Earthlings appear to have super strength or magical powers as compared to them?

What do these kids eat? Does it differ from the normal dietary needs of an Earthling? Are there foods we Earthlings eat that the kids would find strange? For example. eating meat or eating massive quantities of sugar to appease the pleasure centers of our brains. 

What about their cultural experience is different to an Earthling’s? What was their culture like on their world? Were there many cultures on their world, or just one? Earth has many cultures, subcultures, and microcultures. Do the kids find this strange? Why or why not? Do the kids identify with any one Earth culture over the others? What about that culture reminds them of their homeworld culture? What are a few differences between the Earth culture they identify with and the similar one from their homeworld? Are these differences unsettling to the kids? 

How open-minded and adaptable are these kids? Is there a kid who is more accepting and open-minded than the others? Is there a kid that is least accepting and open-minded? How do these kids talk amongst themselves about what they are experiencing on Earth? Overall, are they cautious? Excited? Disgusted? Relieved? How often do these kids travel to other worlds? Is this routine for them or a one-time thing?

How do these kids have fun? What do they do to relax? How do these activities differ from what Earthlings do to relax and have fun?

How did their world’s politics differ from Earth’s? Do they have war? Are there even countries on their world? 

How is information disseminated on their homeworld? Do they have something similar to books? The internet? Phones?

There are plenty of other questions you could ask yourself to find differences for the kids to notice between the kids’ world and Earth. The example questions I’ve listed above aren’t nearly as detailed as you could get with this if you wanted, and I think it’s a great idea to explore these types of questions as completely as you can. 

As the writer, you get to decide what matters. I cannot answer these questions for you because I don’t know your characters, your setting, or your plot. With that in mind, I hope these questions get your creative juices flowing, and the very best of luck to you with your writing!

Thank you for your question!

-C

General

Do average people believe old tales, or do they dismiss some that have a basis in fact (e.g., Troy)?

Do wild and rebellious young people dress any differently from anyone else? Are they allowed to?

How do most people make a living here?

Customs

Do average people believe old tales, or do they dismiss some that have a basis in fact (e.g., Troy)?

Do wild and rebellious young people dress any differently from anyone else? Are they allowed to?

How do most people make a living here?

Does the weather or climate contribute any habits or customs, such as the mid-afternoon siesta in hot countries?

What is considered a normal family unit? How extended is an extended family? How important are family connections and responsibilities?

What are the rites of passage in this culture? Are they formalized rituals, such as being dubbed a knight, or are they informal? Are they different for men and women? For nobility and peasants?

What customs surround a birth and the introduction of a new child to the family? Is the mother sequestered for some period? Is the child? Is there a formal presentation of the new child to parents, grandparents, overlord, priest? Is a feast and celebration declared, or does everyone keep a low profile to keep from attracting demons or bad luck?

Who is normally present for births? Is it strictly a matter for women, or are men involved, or is the only woman present the expectant mother?

Who raises the children? At what age do they begin to be educated or trained? By whom? Are they considered mini-adults? Do they dress differently from adults? If so, when do they change to adult dress?

What customs surround death and burial? Is there a special class of people (doctors, priests, funeral directors, untouchables) who deal with dead bodies? What things must be done and why (burn hair to free spirit, burn body to prevent necromancy, coins on eyes for ferryman, etc.)? Are the dead feared, revered, or ignored?

What personal weapons are available to anyone who can afford them? Are some considered “for nobles only” either by custom or by law? Are there laws forbidding certain classes from being armed at all?

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Do you have any ethereal yet dangerous kind of feeling prompts?

an obsession with the picturesque and the body count that comes with it

gorgeous boy, elegantly dressed, a little blood on his neckties

always wearing white but it’s the black behind the eyes that stands out

her skin cast in shadow

don’t leave me alone in the villa with them

the fountain was poisoned and all the deer died

four course meal, what kind of meat is this?

her strange obsession with taxidermy

a boy’s ghost trapped in the garden

hazy drive home with your step father