Why are writers discouraged from using cliches?

Most people don’t want to read something they could recite from heart (obviously not true about everything, but you get the picture). That’s why cliches get a bad rep – because authors can (and sometimes do) use them as a crutch.

How do you spot a cliché?

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.

What’s wrong with clichés?

Using clichés is like using someone else’s melody in your music or thinking someone else’s thoughts—their melody would be discordant inside yours; their thoughts wouldn’t help you get through your day. Not only don’t clichés add to your writing, they can weaken it.

How do you get rid of clichés?

Shonda Rhimes’s 6 Tips for Avoiding Clichés in Writing

1. If your dialogue sounds familiar, write something new.
2. Strive to create a new cliché.
3. Put a new spin on an old cliché.
4. Write realistic dialogue.
5. Eavesdrop on real conversations for inspiration.
6. Listen to your dialogue read aloud.

Why should you avoid clichés?

Why You Should Avoid Clichés in Writing 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.

How do you avoid clichés when writing?

10 Tips to Avoid Clichés 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.