The Right To Write

Cliches.... Cliches...

Cliches can come in many forms. I've covered characters, but I feel like there a few things that need to be put to justice.

Situational Cliches. I'm not talking overgeneralized plot or characters, I'm talking about scenes in theirselves that are cliched. I dare you spot all the cliches in this opening scene:

Laura heard a crash. Hot breath only seared her arm. She could feel the dragon's eyes only touching the corner of her presence. It would find her. Without thinking, she broke into a run. A loud footsteps thumped from behind her with deep grunt. The dragon was after her. She glanced behind her to see it molding a fiery orb in its stone-like jaws. A ball of fire caressed her neck. She jumped over a log, forcing her run right. A tree toppled from behind her, falling to the side. The dragon's effortless gait became more clear. He was closer than ever. She tripped over pebble. Her form rapidly flipped to meet the dragon's slim scales. The fire formed in his mouth, then glowed brighter and brighter. Then was fired. Her death--

The alarm's ruthless beep shook her into a straight stance. Her heavy breathing thinned into a relieved sigh. It was only a dream.

She got up and randomly looked in the mirror. Her wavy butt-length hair's golden shine went perfectly with her oak-like eyes. Her face had a heart shaped glow, with her strawberry touch on each of her cheeks. Freckles crowded the bridge of her nose. She looked around her room (dat tumblr room pic is Laura's room!! Pretty, right??).

I tremble rereading that. Let's get started:

-A Chase. This opening scene is extremely common in Sci-Fi and Fantasy. It usually involves nothing but running. It usually has nothing to do with introducing the character, setup, or plot because there is rarely a way to introduce the character and setup in a sensible way. Other than that, it's simply overused. On top of that, Laura tripped, which just piles onto to the cliche level of my opening scene.

-Dreams. I see these opening scenes literally everywhere. It's natural to think that opening a book with something more exciting than a simple introduction will do the job. But it's not. Instead, it's tricking readers into believing what they're reading an actual part of your plot setup, but they're not. Dreams, most of the time, accomplish exactly nothing relating to the book. It's just an irrelevant segment.

Don't get me wrong. Sometimes, dreams may relate to your plot in some way, but if they don't, don't bother including them. Think of it this way. Would your story make sense if you deleted the dream from the book? If the story makes sense without the dream... delete the dream. It's cliche and unnecessary. On the other hand, if it relates to the plot, it's an exception.

-Alarm Clock. Having your character wake up to an alarm clock is an extremely overrated cliche. Enough said.

-Describing The Character In The Mirror. A lot of writers feel like this is an easy way to describe their characters. It is, so stop it. Never do things the easy way. Mix your character's physical descriptions with action. We've talked about this.

Cliches are exceptional plot devices sometimes, so don't completely avoid them, but please, please completely avoid setting up your book with a cliched situation. Unless you want an editor to turn you down immediately.

Dead Parents and Orphans. If your main character's parents are dead, so is your story. Need I say more? Actually, I need to clarify that there are exceptions for deceased parents, such as it relevance to the plot. If it has something to do with the plot over character empathy, that's perfectly fine. If they're dead for the sake of being dead, for readers to merely feel sorry for the character, rethink the setup.

Don't remind your readers a they're reading a cliche. Sometimes, cliches are completely fine to use. I wouldn't say you should strive to use them, but if you have no other choice, or few good choices available, then it may be no problem. Readers will understand, but you don't have to shove your knowledge of cliches in their faces.

I see this all the time on Wattpad: "Cliche, I know" or "She tripped. What a cliche" or "she tripped ever so clichely." You don't have to clarify that your decision to incorporate cliches was well... cliche. Writers may find this a way to get away with cliches, by stating that they acknowledge what they're doing is cliche, but really, your just pointing out that what you're writing is cliche. It's not necessary.