What superhero cliches should I avoid?
Too many heroes - if there are so many heroes in one city, what the hell have the Police been up to all this time?!Too many coincidences - Wait, so his enemies include his best friend’s dad, his one-time idol, his old teacher, a work colleague, a few class mates, and a girlfriend’s ex? Wow. What a small world!In fact, while we’re looking in this area…..Too many enemies - look, people don’t just devote their entire lives to killing the one guy who put them behind bars, OK? I mean maybe one might but if it happened as often as comics suggest there’d be no cops alive. There’s also not as many jailbreaks either.Too many powers - So he’s super strong, indestructible, super fast, flies, can blow icy cold hurricane-force winds, and shoot lasers?! Or super strong, super agile, sticks to walls, makes all kinds of webs, battlefield precognitive, and he’s a genius scientist?!Seriously. Just pick one.Lame names - avoid anything gender specific like -man, -boy, -lad, -woman, -girl, -lass, etc. Titles like Doctor, Professor, and Captain are overdone, too. Oh, and animal themes.Do not work with children or animals- it’s just stupid.
What are some plot cliches that all writers must avoid?
One man's cliché is another man's classic trope. When it comes to clichés, you'll find dozens of them in any given genre. It isn't always possible to avoid them, but you can mitigate the effect by either writing it so well that no one cares that it's been done before, or by twisting it up a bit so it doesn't fall so neatly into expectations. Instead of an alcoholic cop, make him addicted to the shopping channel, for example.But my #1 cliché to avoid? It's that romcom staple of the lover who must reach his beloved before she gets on the plane/marries someone else, and gets stuck in a monster traffic jam and must leap out of the cab/abandon their vehicle and hoof it as the clock ticks down. Whatever you do, don't do that one.
What are some cliches I should avoid in my book series?
The Happily Ever AfterAll of the characters in your book live happily ever, with no hardships to bear. You’ll find the hero in this ending has defeated everyone and all of the plot twists you’ve worked so hard to write have been tied up nicely — but they’re also usually tied up very unrealistically.The DreamIt is having the main character waking up safe and sound in their bed, having realized that the entire plot up until that point has just been a dream.The Killing HeroIt is where the hero gets incredibly strong or lucky and kills off everything that ever stood in his or her way. He either accomplishes this task himself, or he is instrumental in orchestrating a plan that saves the world.The Guilty MonologueIt is where the hero finally defeats the bad guy or force, but you get to hear his internal thoughts of regret or remorse. This monologue is supposed to show the character’s guilt at what he’s had to do, and how this is eating away at him (or her). Even though the ending is happy, our hero must now live with all the blood and sins on his hands.I’ve faked my death/ I’m not really deadEveryone from Volpone to Juliet has done this. Perhaps Jesus sparked this trend off with his resurrection. And it’s either pointless or causes trouble. Don’t even bother writing it. See the reason for someone escaping their own funeral.I never really knew my parentsTarzan is a particular victim of this. And so is Rudyard Kipling’s Mowgli. It’s not just feral children raised by animals though, there are plenty of other children like this raised in human society. Yes, we all have an identity crisis at some point, but puh-lease!Don’t go into that secret room!Ever heard the story of Bluebeard? It’s pretty gory, and is a common trope from Romantic/Victorian Gothic literature – think the dungeon or the torture chamber in the castle. If you tell someone NOT to do something, they will do it.I fall in love with my best friendOf course, because they’re the perfect match. The friend you’ve known since you were four years old. The reason why this is a plot twist is because we expect the protagonist to fall in love with Prince Charming (or Princess).
What are some crime drama cliches writers should avoid?
“I suppose you are all wondering why I’ve called you here today…”It’s to tell you that the butler did it. On a dark and stormy night.Other cliches include:The villain is either a psychopath or a sociopath.The victim was murdered by a jealous lover.Money is the sole motive for the crime.The bad guys are OTT evil.The hero is a candidate for sainthood.Nobody ever runs short of ammo in the middle of the gunfight. In fact, it never occurs to anyone to even wonder how much ammo they have left.This is not an exhaustive list.The best way to learn how to avoid the cliches in a particular genre is to read everything you can find in that genre; as you read, you will notice which tired old tropes keep re-appearing even though they are well past their “Best Before” dates.Those are the ones you need to avoid in your own writing.
What are some of the cliches I should avoid when writing a pirate novel?
Matey, if you want to write the best pirate story, think outside to box, or the chest o’ gold, if ye prefer. Do a real story, but out of ye damned Caribbean Sea.Me favorite true-pirate story takes place in two parts in two different centuries. The first part is popularly called “The Sea Hawk,” about a young Englishman who is enslaved by Barbary Pirates and bravely escaped. The second is about his descendant, British admiral Edward Pellew, who in 1816, freed thousands of slaves during the Bombardment of Algiers and curtailed piracy throughout the Mediterranean.The bombardment of Algiers was the first major battle that was fought entirely for humanitarian purposes and without expectation of gain — the British and their Dutch allies merely wanted to free slaves and put an end to slave-taking and piracy in the Med.It’s a great story, but not, alas, politically correct.Arrrrrgh!
B&A : What are some Love Triangle cliches to avoid?
Don't worry so much about avoiding cliches. Focus instead on making the "love triangle" believable. If your reader can believe that this situation might really exist, and is able to care about the outcome, then nobody will even think of whether or not it is cliched.