How Do You Avoid Cliches?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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  1. Avoid Stolen or Borrowed Tales.
  2. Resist The Lure of the Sensational.
  3. Turn a Stereotype on its Head.
  4. Tell the Story Only You Can Tell.
  5. Keep it Real by Taking it Slow.
  6. Deliver Your Story From Circumstantial Cliché
  7. Elevate the Ordinary.
  8. Rescue Gratuitous Scenes From Melodramatic Action.

What can I replace cliches with?

  • Recognise you’re doing it (by saying the opposite) In fairness, you might not realise you are writing clichés. …
  • Establish the reason. …
  • Challenge the use of adjectives. …
  • Switch to verbs. …
  • Change the voice. …
  • Give yourself limitations. …
  • Tell it like it is.

Why should we avoid cliches?


Overused clichés can show a lack of original thought

, and can make a writer appear unimaginative and lazy. Clichés are often specific to language and cultures and may be a communication barrier to international readers.

What are clichés examples?

Other examples of clichés include demarcations of time, such as

“in the nick of time”

and “at the speed of light.” Clichés also include expressions about emotions, such as “head over heels” to describe love, and the phrase “every cloud has a silver lining” to express hope in difficult situations.

How do you avoid cliches in writing?

  1. Avoid Stolen or Borrowed Tales.
  2. Resist The Lure of the Sensational.
  3. Turn a Stereotype on its Head.
  4. Tell the Story Only You Can Tell.
  5. Keep it Real by Taking it Slow.
  6. Deliver Your Story From Circumstantial Cliché
  7. Elevate the Ordinary.
  8. Rescue Gratuitous Scenes From Melodramatic Action.

Why do we use clichés?

According to Oxford, they are

phrases or opinions that are overused and show a lack of original thought

. Sometimes, clichés are useful to get a simple message across. Mostly, they are tired and worn out. In fact, synonyms for clichés include ‘platitudes’ and ‘banalities’.

What is wrong with clichés?

Overused clichés

can show a lack of original thought

, and can make a writer appear unimaginative and lazy. Clichés are often specific to language and cultures and may be a communication barrier to international readers.

What can I say instead of but?

  • although.
  • however.
  • nevertheless.
  • on the other hand.
  • still.
  • though.
  • yet.

What should I use instead of this?

  • aforementioned.
  • already stated.
  • here.
  • previously mentioned.
  • that.
  • the indicated.
  • the present.

What are 10 clichés?

  • Actions speak louder than words. …
  • The grass is always greener on the other side. …
  • The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. …
  • You can’t judge a book by its cover. …
  • You can’t please everyone. …
  • What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. …
  • Love is blind. …
  • Ignorance is bliss.

What are examples of oxymorons?

  • “Small crowd”
  • “Old news”
  • “Open secret”
  • “Living dead”
  • “Deafening silence”
  • “Only choice”
  • “Pretty ugly”
  • “Awfully good”

Where do clichés come from?

The word cliché is borrowed from

French

, where it is a past passive participle of clicher, ‘to click’, used a noun; cliché is attested from 1825 and originated in the printing trades.

Are there good clichés?

At The End Of The Day,

Cliches Can Be As Good

As Gold Cliches are often criticized as the most overused and contemptible phrases in the English language. But writer Hephzibah Anderson says there are times when cliches are not only useful, but also create a sense of camaraderie.

Why are clichés cliche?

Clichés are terms, phrases, or even

ideas that, upon their inception, may have been striking and thought-provoking but became unoriginal through repetition and overuse

. Popularity made them seem trite, turning them into what we now know as clichés.

What is a cliche saying?

A cliché is an expression that was once innovative but has lost its novelty due to overuse. Take the phrase “

as red as a rose

” for example—it is a universal descriptor for the color red that is now commonplace and unoriginal.

Is in this day and age a cliche?

Phrase Alternative people which ones? Be specific. society who is “society”? Too many alternates exist to list. Instead, be specific about which group of people is being considered this day & age today, presently
Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.