What Do Cliches Do to Your Readers?

I read a book over the weekend riddled with cliches. I would have been more annoyed if I had paid money for it, but it still bothered me. The very first sentence included a cliche (she ran as fast as her legs could carry her). I probably should have counted them.

When I first read that writers should avoid peppering their writing with cliches, I didn't get it. The cliches sounded 'right' to my ear--probably because they were so familiar. I figured others might wonder why cliches are a no-no. Here's what I came up with.

Cliches are distracting. At least, for some readers. I don't think they used to bother me as much before I began to study writing, but now they tend to pull me out of the story for a moment.

Cliches are not fresh. Anytime I use a cliche, I try to look at it as a kind of plagiarizing. Think about it. This particular set of words has been used so many times before, it's not unique to me. It's the easy way out, instead of working to find a new way to say something.

Cliches invite skimming. I don't know about you, but when I get published, I'd rather not give my readers any excuse to skip sections of the story. When a cliche appears, readers instinctively know the rest of the phrase, and tend to skip ahead. Why not describe characters, emotions, and setting in an unexpected way, so the reader doesn't want to miss anything.

Here are some resources for identifying and changing cliches in fiction:

Use the Cliche Finder to pick out cliche's you might have missed in your editing.

If you worry that you use certain words too often, these three resources will help you out.

Did you know there are many kinds of cliches in writing? Read the list in No More Cookie Cutters.

And check out my favorite novel for fresh, cliche-free writing. I reviewed it here.

Do cliches bother you as a reader? Do they sneak into your writing? And do you have a book recommendation for an author who writes fresh?





13 comments:

  1. Good post, Debbie! However--with a little tongue in cheek (to use a cliche, I, for one, never get tired of hearing...)--I think the question is posed perhaps wrong. If a writer uses a lot of cliches, I doubt strongly if she has any readers. At least none who aren't related or who she has incriminating evidence on...

    Cliches mostly indicate a lazy writer, imo...

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  2. You're absolutely right, Les. It's a sure way to turn off readers--the last thing a writer would want to do!

    Congratulations on the new sale! You're on a roll.

    ~Debbie

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  3. Thanks, Debbie. I think writers who use cliches are the same writers who use adverbs improperly. The problem lies in the way we write. We "get it down" which is fine, but when we write that way, usually we'll use whatever language pops into our minds at the time. Well... what pops into our heads are cliches and adverbs. That can work out all right if the writer does one thing. Rewrite. Over and over. That's when we can ferret out those little buggers and replace cliches with more original language, and replace adverbs with stronger verbs. And, I'd like to go on record that writers shouldn't look at adverbs as the "enemy." Adverbs, when used creatively, can be the sharpest tools in our toolboxes. The problem is that often they aren't used creatively or in an original way. But, I wouldn't eschew adverbs completely as some at times recommend.

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  4. Les, I'd really love to hear more on your adverb theory. I'm almost afraid to use them! I hope you do a post on that sometime.

    I really rely on my crit groups to help me dig out the cliches that sneak into my drafts. Without them, I'd be lost.

    ~Debbie

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  5. Hi Debbie--we've got quite the conversation going, don't we! Actually, I did post an article on adverbs on Mar. 25. Here's the link: http://lesedgertononwriting.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-04-01T09%3A48%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7

    Hope it helps!

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  6. Wow, all I had to do was ask! You're not a creative writing teacher or anything, are you? :) Thanks for the link--hopefully it'll set my mind straight.

    ~Debbie

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  7. Hope it's a bit of a help, Debbie. I always try to caution my students and writing clients to beware of absolutes in writing. That "show, don't tell" thing is a really misinformative one in particular (there are many times when exposition/summary is the thing to do), and that other one, "write what you know," which is really a bad one. If we followed that one, we'd never write historical or futuristic fiction unless we'd lived in the period, nor would we write as the opposite sex or an animal or anything but what we are. The proper "rule" (imo) is to "write what you can convince the reader you know."

    I'm enjoying our discussion!

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  8. Wow, I really like that line, "Write what you can convince the reader you know." It's a good thing you write books on craft, or I'd be begging you to. Wish I was in Indiana to take a few courses!

    ~Debbie

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  9. Thanks, Debbie, but actually I don't have any students or clients in Indiana. I teach for Phoenix College (not that "University of Phoenix" which is basically a diploma mill, but the real school) and Writer's Digest, both online, and that's how I coach writer's privately also. The writers I work with privately are all over the world--Ireland, England, Canada, many parts of the U.S. No biggie, but with the Internet it's easy to work with anyone today!

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  10. I learned more from Les by reading your conversation than I have from some of the instructors I have had in the past. I appreciate to finally have permission to write something besides what I know.

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  11. Yeah, I think the thing with cliches is that they're old and stale, not new and fresh and exciting. It's cool if you can use words in a new way to describe a same old thing.

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  12. I'm like you Debbie, they never bothered me until I started learning about why they aren't great. I'm still not the best at picking them out though. That is why I love your blog so much! You always give us a solution to the problem:)

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  13. Glad to have you guys along to learn with me. And Les, thank you for being an unofficial guest blogger for this post! If the rest of you haven't checked out his blog, make sure you do at: http://lesedgertononwriting.blogspot.com/

    ~Debbie

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