What cliches to avoid when writing about witches?
It's going to be hard at this point, especially if you're looking to get published. There was a big high for over 10 years-- Harry Potter, Charmed, etc.-- so many young adult series and tv shows and movies about Witches. So many people even in regular tv shows and such having the "good witch" new-age type image. So much hype in the newspaper and books either defending Witchcraft and religions like Wicca, or on the other sides those trying to get such books banned and websites about evil Satanic plots to lure people to the occult. Once something went that trendy and the trend recedes, you have to be amazingly unique to get a publisher to look at it, especially when you are coming in the shadow of some very successful authors. So if you are really going to do this, you'd have to practically re-invent the Witch and have a really solid plot and very in-depth characters. A lot of the witch cliches are exactly what makes them witches... so they are hard to avoid. And going too far out there for something new & different can sometimes be brilliant, and sometimes just terribly flaky.
What cliches should I avoid when writing about werewolves?
That they are sexy beautiful model types in human form. I like my Werewolves like the Lycans from Underworld. Very dirty, grimy, more sinister than anything else. Like lumberjacks. Even the smallest of them is a large football defensive lineman type guy. One of the things that was always mentioned was on a full moon even when it isn't night time it is still in the sky so are your 'wolves' going to start changing at the full moon point or only at night? I also thought that Lycans and werewolves should have a distinction. Lycans are born where werewolves might be bitten. They might be smaller when they change, or only half change. They have to prove themselves to the pack. In breeding.
Cliches to avoid when writing a superhero story?
YES, it's going to be a love story. But the girl isn't going to be damsel in distress, she's going to have superpowers too. Anyways, cliches to avoid?