Clichés--The Good and The Bad

There are plenty of clichés out there. The popular football player/cheerleader, the nerd, the mysterious and ruggedly handsome new guy, that weird trench-coat wearing kid in the corner. And those are just high school clichés!

There's the ol' "the butler did it" mystery and the "my husband's mistress is stalking us" romance.

There's the "hot vampire falls for a plain-Jane human girl."

The "we're from two different social classes, but I love you anyway."

"The villain killed the MC's father."

"The MC just can't live without their love interest."

"The best friend that was always the right person for the MC, but the MC didn't realize it until the bitter end."

There's an endless sea of clichés out there and we've all been warned a million times to stay away from the tantalizing swells that sea offers.

But are clichés really evil?

They're bad for a number of reasons. They can make things seem tired and done to death. They can make things too easy. They can leave you with bland characters.

Notice the keyword there?

Can.

They can do those things, but in the right hands, a cliché can work just fine.

If you know how to handle your clichés, you can make them work. You can take that tired ol' chestnut and turn it in to something interesting. Something amazing! You've just gotta know how to work with them.

Take the football player for example. When you think of the stereotypical high school quarterback, what do you see? He's popular, especially with the ladies; usually dating the head of the cheer squad; has a lot of pent-up aggression for unknown reasons (takes it out on the MC for even more mysterious reasons); bullies the unpopular crowd.

The cheerleader is snarky and obsessed with her looks. She puts the MC down and has a gaggle of equally-mean friends.

We've seen those characters a million times before. They've gotten boring. You need a twist to keep our interest.

The football player actually hates football. He only plays because he knows a sports scholarship is the only way he's gonna get to college. He puts people down to protect his image on the team, but always feels horrible about it. He wants to get a good education, but the things he has to do to fit in with the team weigh heavily on his mind.

Basically, instead of the football player being a mindless asshole, give him an actual personality.

And that, my lovelies, brings me to my point:
Clichés aren't all bad. They can be great building blocks. But that's all they are--building blocks. If you don't build on to them, they fall short.

But if you're willing to put some time and thought in to it, you can shape a boring cliché in to something exciting.

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

Have a suggestion for a topic?

Leave a comment and I'll get right on it!

Dare to be Daring

"Write what you know."

Out of all the little tidbits out there, I think this is the advice that's dished out the most. And I also think it's some of the WORST.
When you only write the things you know and are comfortable with, you'll probably be able to pump out plenty of stories. But they'll be boring and uninspiring.

And you definitely don't want that.

I like to say, "If your heart isn't pounding, you're doing something wrong."

If it's not compelling to you, what makes you think your reader will find it compelling.

Instead of writing strictly what you know, I believe you should write about things you're passionate about. Write something that intrigues you. Even if you don't "know" it.

That's what research is for.

My current WIP, OPHELIA, is about gangs, abuse, drugs, and all sorts of nastiness. Before I started writing, the only things I knew about gangs was what the school resource officer taught us during those annoying safety seminars that I only half-listened to. So, honestly, not a lot. Basically, the only thing I knew was: Gangs/Drugs/Street Life = Bad.

So, before I started, I watched documentaries, read books and articles, and became pretty well-versed in the inner workings of gangs.

There's a scene where Ophelia participates in stealing a car. I've never stolen a car before. I didn't know how you'd go about getting in or getting it started or any of that. So, a few sketchy Google searches and one awkward in-person interview later, I now know how it's done (I'm not ever gonna use that knowledge for anything but my writing. I swear!) and got my scene written.

Basically what I'm saying is: Just because you don't know about something right now, don't think you can't write about. All it takes is a little research.

Break out of your bubble and write something that makes your palms sweat!

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

Shiny New Idea Syndrome

Recently, I've had a lot of new ideas buzzing around in my head. And I don't want that right now. I'm trying to concentrate on finishing up the rewrites I'm doing on LIGHTS OUT. (Which I'm thinking about renaming. Maybe HUMANITY SHATTERED. What do you guys think?) But it's hard when you've got a million different ideas slapping you in the face, begging to be written.

I never ignore these ideas. I just can't. I know if I let them go now--if I don't write them down--they'll be gone forever. While I'm sure most of you have better memories than I do, you should still take the time out to write your SNI (Shiny New Idea) down.

But right now, I've got so many new ideas popping up, I don't know what to do. I'm almost worried this is a precursor to getting bored with LIGHTS OUT. I don't feel like I'm bored with the story yet, but who knows? Maybe it'll jump outta nowhere and surprise me.

Anyway, about this condition I've dubbed SHINY NEW IDEA SYNDROME. (SNIS for short.)

The symptoms of SNIS include, but are not limited to:

--Racing thoughts that don't pertain to your WIP.

--At least one amazing new idea.

--A strong urge to work on that new idea.

--An even stronger urge to give in to procrastination in regards to your WIP.

--Persistent daydreams about things other than your WIP.

SNIS is not a new condition, but there is still quite a bit we don't know about it. I've got my top scientists working night and day in the best labs money can buy to find out more about this condition.

As it stands now, there is NO cure for SNIS. But, luckily, there is a treatment.

According to my researchers' findings, for temporary relief from SNIS, write down all the important details you've got floating around about your new idea. If the SNIS persists, delve a little deeper into this new idea. Do some character development, or possibly write a page or two.

But whatever you do:

DON'T GET DISTRACTED FROM YOUR WIP!

This is why Shiny New Ideas are evil. They try to entice you away from the story you're working on with promises of something twice as fun. Don't listen to them! Those ideas are just trying to distract you. And if you get distracted, you might not ever go back to that original story.

So, for those of you who skipped to the end, basically my advice is:

Don't ignore your Shiny New Ideas, but don't let them get in the way of your WIP.

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

So, you tell me:

Have you ever come down with SNIS?

If so, how did you deal with it?

Contests and Stuff

I'd like to direct you all to...

RONI AND JULIE'S TOTALLY EPIC SUMMER CONTEST!

As the title suggest, IT'S TOTALLY EPIC!

You should really pop over and check it out.

The prizes include:

•Hannah Moskowitz's Break
•Lisa Desrocher's Personal Demons (ARC)
•A query or first five pages critique from Fine Print Lit's intern, Gemma Cooper
•A query or first five pages critique from Janet Reid's assistant, Meredith Barnes
•A query or first five pages critique from agent Suzie Townsend
•A query or first five pages critique from editor Brendan Deneen

In other news, I'm sick.

Yeah, it sucks.

But I'm sure I'll be better soon.

Look forward to a post about Shiny New Idea Syndrome (SNIS) in the near future.

Love you guys!

Happy writing!