Non cliche creative writing ideas

Common clichés in fiction weaken the dramatic effect and imaginative power of a story. Read on for a definition of cliché, examples of plot, character and descriptive clichés, and how to avoid clichés in your own writing: What is a cliché? The word cliché means ‘a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought’ ( OED ).

Most sensational subjects have been treated to death. Result: a minefield of clichés. And, as novelist Martin Amis tells us, good writing is a “war against cliché.” The story’s problems might be partially redeemed by crisp dialogue, vivid descriptions, and an impeccable edgy style—but the plain fact is, they shouldn’t be solved.

By investing our characters with concerns and struggles that point away from the hackneyed and sensational and toward the earthier dramas of “ordinary” existence, by taking the most trite elements of our stories out of the foreground and putting them in the background, we begin to lift them out of cliché.

Walk into any book store, and you will find shelves and shelves of fantasy books. But the same clichés run through most of them, and many are so predictable that you only have to read the back cover to guess the entire plot.