Let's Talk About...

Cliché Plots

Cliché Plots

Where should I start? 

There is some comfort in reading a story line we're used to and we do instinctively hunt out stories that are similar to ones we've read before. Great, how does that help us when we crave it but it never lives up to expectations?

I could discuss each and every plot line that has been over used on Wattpad, but other ranters have already done that. What I want to talk about is how to make something not cliché. 

What makes stories unique:

-Plot line

-Characterisation

-Tone and style

This means if your MC is fantastically witty so her narrative is interesting and we want to hear her take on this known story then it could be really interesting. If it's told in second person then that automatically shakes things up a bit. If you tell the story from a secondary character's point of view like in The Great Gatsby, it adds some mystery. 

Just because people like a certain type of book, doesn't mean they want to read something that is exactly the same. I particularly hate it when I read an update and I have no idea what story I'm even reading because THEY ALL SOUND THE SAME. I can't stress that enough. If your story is indistinguishable then it's not interesting. 

Something that I know annoys a lot of people is the starting with the alarm clock ringing on the first day of school cliché. I'm going to break this apart. The reason why people like to use it is because it's a beginning. But it happens to everyone so there's nothing special about it. I know it's tempting and I've used it myself when I was younger, but something has to be different from the instant your story begins otherwise the reader won't want to keep reading. 

I think you can always make something out of an overused plot if you tell it in a fresh way. Eg:

Shit. I had missed my first alarm and now the six o'clock one was going off. I was so dead. 

Rather than go on to explain that the MC jumped out of bed, explain the consequences or something. Surely the reader will be intrigued as to why the character sees six o'clock in the morning as late because that's not normal and you're jumping straight into an issue that needs to be resolved.

I think it's better to start a story in the middle of something, an action scene maybe or some punchy dialogue. Personal preference but ask around or see what types of beginnings you like to read. 

Something I said I would rant about in this chapter is the bitchy ex. Now we all assume she's a girl. Why? Because she is a girl in every single story. I will develop this topic about gender choosing next rant, but for now let's focus on her as a plot device. Why is it that the plot of every teen fiction story has to be romance? I appreciate it can be a minor part of all stories, but why is it the sole point? Aren't there more important things in life? Don't people have other problems? 

Problems, now we've hit on what I wanted to talk about. Plot thrives on conflict. Funnily enough, there's enough conclict in real life without ex-girlfriends trying to break the blooming couple up. 

Plausible plot problems:

-You're stressed out with exams/school work. 

-You're suffering depression. 

-You have an eating disorder.

-Your parents are getting divorced.

-You don't know what you want to do in your future but you have to decide now.

-You fell out with your friend. 

-You've grown apart from your friend group.

-You've had to move school/house and adapting to a new environment is hard. 

-You don't see eye to eye with your parents.

-You aren't motivated to do your work. 

-You're having an identity crisis. 

-You can't find a job.

This is a short list of big problems, these sorts of things happen to a lot of people and I feel like they're trivialised in favour of romantic problems. 

Conflict in relationships isn't usually caused by someone being good and someone being evil, people just have different viewpoints on things and that's why they don't get along. Think about who last annoyed you or why you argued with your parents. Misunderstandings too are a key cause of problems. People are stubborn, they don't like to admit their wrong and a lot of the time arguments are about the way someone handled a problem rather than because they caused a problem. 

In real life, problems don't need to be big to be a problem. Especially in romance, if the guy you like is seen flirting with another girl you're likely to be dejected for a couple of days. That still counts as a big problem. The guy doesn't need to be sleeping with someone else for it to make you upset. We like to make drama in our lives so little things matter to us. At the same time, you don't need to tell the reader ever single part of your MC's life. Select the interesting bits. The MC's best friend may be obliged to act interested but the reader might not be. 

Here's something to think about: everyone goes to school but nobody has the same story.