What are three clichés you’d love to wipe off the books in 2013? Feel free to vent!
30 thoughts on “Reader Friday: Which Cliches are You Dying to Kill in 2013?”
1) Leggy blonde, 2) Any phrase in which “grin” is used as a verb, and most phrases when it’s used as a noun. Pretty much anything with “grin” in it, come to think of it, 3) A peal of mirth. Just to be clear, in 2013 I do not wish to read about leggy blondes who grin and let out peals of mirth!
A chill ran up her spine. His blood turned to ice. Thoughts raced in her head.
What if the chill runs DOWN?
Jordan, that would be six of one or a half a dozen of the other.
I had this is my upcoming work: Mr. Nakamura wore a perpetual scowl and his tense posture like a cloak. I recognized the cliche and changed “cloak” to “seasoned samurai” since this scene takes place in Tokyo. It’s okay to write your first draft with cliches as long as you go back and change them in revisions. Then you won’t hold up your writing looking for the perfect word.
“Thanks for your submission, but your project is not right for me.”
Here, here, Steven.
1) What Steve said. 2) He cut his eyes… (AGGGHHHH!!!)
I’ll get back to you on #3…
I’ll settle for doing away with one: “At the end of the day.”
“If at first you don’t secede …”
“Fiscal cliff!”
“It is what it is.”
“If at first you don’t secede …”
“If at first you don’t withdraw formally from membership in a federal union, an alliance, or a political or religious organization?”
(I’m sorry, I know it’s just a typo, but it made me laugh.)
I thought it was punny 😉
That’s the great thing about typos. If it doesn’t work, it’s a typo. If it does work, it’s a work of literary genius!
(And if it was intentional Old Rebel, then congrats. 🙂
He felt a twisting in his gut. His gut twisted. His gut did the twist like Chubby Checker.
“He/she released the breath they didn’t know they’d been holding.”
Just hold your breath and die already!
BK–Please let me use that one again before you kill it. (I stole it from a book by a NYT best-selling author).
“To die for”-unless you’re the killer or a ditzy obnoxious cheerleader that is about to die in a horror flick. Ok, no..still cliche.
“Fit like a glove”- unless you’re OJ and actually using one- find a better way to describe anything that looks particularly nice or noteworthy on a female.
Any reference to sheath, sword, holster, saddle, or a pistol- that is not literal. Yes, I just finished reading the “Yes, Yes, Yes… Oh, no” article :D)
“He padded across the room.”
What, he’s wearing Depends on his feet?
Now I’ll have that image in my head for the rest of the day :0
what? Where are depends supposed to go?
That one made me snort my coffee, Kris! I recently read about a pair of feet that “whispered” across the room. They must have been wearing sneakers 🙂
I have actually written that sentence. Every author has his/her crutch prhases they drag out when they are writing fast or badly. Our worst is: “His eyes flicked to her.”
Eyes tend to do way too much in books.
1. Meant to be 2. Look on the bright side 3. I feel your pain.
“Begs the question…”
Bless you.
A/the perfect storm Trending Being as how Everything happens for a reason.
If someone utters one of the first overused phrases it will be the reason I slap them.
Romance characters, newly aware of their feelings for the object of their affection, saying “Where did that come from?” or “How did that happen?”
My overused eyes expression is “her eyes swung around the room.” Eyes that swing, jitterbug or otherwise get too party hearty, must all be banished in the New Year!
I hate it when authors use the word “proverbial” before a a cliche like somehow that makes it okay. “She’s the proverbial stick in the mud.” This doesn’t make it okay. It just draws even more attention to the fact you couldn’t find an original thing to say.
Anything made of cement. Cement steps, cement buildings, cement sidewalks.
1) Leggy blonde, 2) Any phrase in which “grin” is used as a verb, and most phrases when it’s used as a noun. Pretty much anything with “grin” in it, come to think of it, 3) A peal of mirth.
Just to be clear, in 2013 I do not wish to read about leggy blondes who grin and let out peals of mirth!
A chill ran up her spine. His blood turned to ice. Thoughts raced in her head.
What if the chill runs DOWN?
Jordan, that would be six of one or a half a dozen of the other.
I had this is my upcoming work: Mr. Nakamura wore a perpetual scowl and his tense posture like a cloak. I recognized the cliche and changed “cloak” to “seasoned samurai” since this scene takes place in Tokyo. It’s okay to write your first draft with cliches as long as you go back and change them in revisions. Then you won’t hold up your writing looking for the perfect word.
“Thanks for your submission, but your project is not right for me.”
Here, here, Steven.
1) What Steve said. 2) He cut his eyes… (AGGGHHHH!!!)
I’ll get back to you on #3…
I’ll settle for doing away with one: “At the end of the day.”
“If at first you don’t secede …”
“Fiscal cliff!”
“It is what it is.”
“If at first you don’t secede …”
“If at first you don’t withdraw formally from membership in a federal union, an alliance, or a political or religious organization?”
(I’m sorry, I know it’s just a typo, but it made me laugh.)
I thought it was punny 😉
That’s the great thing about typos. If it doesn’t work, it’s a typo. If it does work, it’s a work of literary genius!
(And if it was intentional Old Rebel, then congrats. 🙂
He felt a twisting in his gut.
His gut twisted.
His gut did the twist like Chubby Checker.
“He/she released the breath they didn’t know they’d been holding.”
Just hold your breath and die already!
BK–Please let me use that one again before you kill it. (I stole it from a book by a NYT best-selling author).
“To die for”-unless you’re the killer or a ditzy obnoxious cheerleader that is about to die in a horror flick. Ok, no..still cliche.
“Fit like a glove”- unless you’re OJ and actually using one- find a better way to describe anything that looks particularly nice or noteworthy on a female.
Any reference to sheath, sword, holster, saddle, or a pistol- that is not literal. Yes, I just finished reading the “Yes, Yes, Yes… Oh, no” article :D)
“He padded across the room.”
What, he’s wearing Depends on his feet?
Now I’ll have that image in my head for the rest of the day :0
what? Where are depends supposed to go?
That one made me snort my coffee, Kris! I recently read about a pair of feet that “whispered” across the room. They must have been wearing sneakers 🙂
I have actually written that sentence. Every author has his/her crutch prhases they drag out when they are writing fast or badly. Our worst is: “His eyes flicked to her.”
Eyes tend to do way too much in books.
1. Meant to be
2. Look on the bright side
3. I feel your pain.
“Begs the question…”
Bless you.
A/the perfect storm
Trending
Being as how
Everything happens for a reason.
If someone utters one of the first overused phrases it will be the reason I slap them.
Romance characters, newly aware of their feelings for the object of their affection, saying “Where did that come from?” or “How did that happen?”
My overused eyes expression is “her eyes swung around the room.” Eyes that swing, jitterbug or otherwise get too party hearty, must all be banished in the New Year!
I hate it when authors use the word “proverbial” before a a cliche like somehow that makes it okay. “She’s the proverbial stick in the mud.” This doesn’t make it okay. It just draws even more attention to the fact you couldn’t find an original thing to say.
Anything made of cement. Cement steps, cement buildings, cement sidewalks.
IT. IS. CONCRETE.
Oh yeah, and “due to . . . “