Fanfiction Cliches (and Where to Find Them)

Cliche #1 - Names

Cliche:
Almost every fanfiction character you come across is bound to have an unusual or exotic name.

Example:
"What's your name?" he asked, his voice lowered to a mouse squeak of a whisper.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and stared at him with her sky blue eyes.

"Frappachina," came the sultry response.

Why it's a cliche:
Ordinary people DO NOT have names like "Esmerelda" or "Coachella" or "Banaramadingdong". Why can't people understand this?

It's even more annoying if a fic takes place in the 1960s and the main character has a name like "Kylie" or "Zoe" or "Willow" or "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt".

In My Own Words:

The baby was still sleeping serenely despite all of the excitement and worry. George smiled. Only one name described his precious baby daughter perfectly. He asked John is he would like the baby's middle name to be used in homage to him. John flushed bright red and said that he would be honored. George clutched his baby close and tenderly kissed her soft pink cheek, then he whispered into her ears.

"Hello, Serenity Winifred Harrison. Welcome to the world." 

The above excerpt is from my very first WattPad fanfiction, Golden Lockets. I still wonder why I chose such a bizarre name for George's daughter, but it stuck and she's been called Serenity ever since.

* * * *

She pulled the shortest girl forward. "This is Rhiannon." 

Rhiannon's face flushed pink but she was a lot braver than poor Polly. She waved shyly at us, waggling her fingers and blinking with her soft blue eyes.

I was barely 15 when I wrote The Gift of Girls. Why did I choose Rhiannon as a name? No one was called Rhiannon back in 1964!

* * * *

The man's smile grew wider. "What's your name, love?"

"Anne. Anne Lawson," I replied. "Well, actually Anastasia, but I hate that name."

How many people do you know that are called Anastasia? None, probably. I certainly don't know any... apparently Anne from My Thin White Duke does, and she's it!