If you’ve ever written a story, then it’s very likely you’ve used at least one cliché in the past. It’s not meant to be a personal attack or an insult to your writing skills, in fact, it’s just a simple truth. It’s not difficult for us authors to get into a story we’re reading and maybe nab a few ideas, or maybe we just run out of ideas and have to go to a last resort. It’s difficult to avoid using clichés too. I mean, writing has been around since… A very long time, and so many bases have been covered that it’s kind of difficult to think of something entirely original, something that’s entirely new.

With nearly 130 million books that exist in the world, it’s likely that almost everything has been covered. Things that may have been super special and unique to add to stories years ago may be considered overused now. As much as we may want to avoid these clichés, there’s simple tricks around them to make things a little more original.

1. Manipulate Those Clichés!

Do you enjoy manipulating people? If so… That’s not very nice, why don’t you use that on clichés instead? They could certainly use it.

 Manipulating clichés is likely the easiest though equally hardest way to handle clichés in your story. It’s likely the best route to go for if you’re using a lot of clichés in your story, but equally as useful even if it’s only one cliché. Oftentimes, you can add or remove a single detail from a cliché and sometimes it’ll make it seem as if there was no cliché in the first place! Unfortunately, sometimes this plan won’t work, and sometimes it may backfire.

Clichés tend to vary in “pieces” and detail. Some clichés have a lot to them and are long and detailed, and some are just small details that are considered clichés. If you change the smallest of the smallest, it’ll probably just turn into a new idea or a different cliché. If you try to change the larger types, it can be overwhelming to have to change so many details, so the best way to go is to manipulate the clichés that are at a happy medium, with not too many details, but also not too little. This doesn’t mean you should go for no clichés whatsoever, as clichés can also be relatable sometimes.

Changing details in clichés can make a huge difference without entirely changing a storyline.

2. Research Is Key.

A common issue with clichés is that they are unrealistic and oftentimes they don’t have much logic to them. It’s likely that you’ve read a story that maybe two characters were absolute rivals but fell in love within only a week? Or maybe A character wakes up one morning with a strange power? These are two very common clichés, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad. With a bit of research and creative thinking, we can whip these clichés up into shape and make them a bit better.

Let’s talk about the first cliché I mentioned. First, let’s give these characters some names. How about… “Liza” and “Erwin”

Liza and Erwin don’t get along at all. They don’t have anything in common and absolutely hate each other. This can be somewhat realistic, but I’m sure they’ve got something in common, let’s change it a bit.

Liza and Erwin don’t get along at all, but they do both have an immense love for cats. They’ll occasionally talk about cats during class but other than that they’re practically enemies. Doesn’t that sound even just a little better? Silly, but better! It’ll help a lot in the future of the story too, since Liza and Erwin need some kind of motivation, some kind of trait in common that will bring them together. Now to fix the second half, since it’s highly unlikely that the two would immediately fall in love after a week even though they’ve hated each other for as long as the story describes.

Although there are many people that thoroughly enjoy writing romance and getting into the fluffy stuff right away, it removes any connection that people could have with the characters, because almost nobody falls in love with someone they hate and manage to begin dating them within the week. (This next tip is also a very good way to add general length to your story.) Add more time in between. Add more experiences and more events. Think about what usually happens for you in only a week. Sure, maybe a few fun things happen if you’re an average person, but nothing like going visiting your favorite celebrity’s house 4 times that week. Now think about what happens to you within a year. So much more, so many possibilities.

And yes, sometimes it can be a pain to write deliberate, detailed descriptions of things, but it makes the reader so much more immersed in the story, and it’s likely you’ll look back at that long, 2,372 word chapter and think to yourself, “Wow, that was such beautiful imagery, I feel so refreshed.” Maybe you won’t say exactly that, but you’ll probably say something close to that.

Researching how the world really works and putting that into a fictional story can add so much more depth. It’s one of the reasons why stories covering important topics in detail tend to become very popular, because the author either knows firsthand what’s going on in the story, or they research. Many, and I mean MANY authors will interview people to get info for their characters, and many authors will travel around the world to study different cultures, and the results are great. So if you feel like something you’re writing is unrealistic, research a bit more about your topic that seems unrealistic and that can be an easy fix.

3. Brainstorm For A While

Brainstorm every possible thing you can think of, and don’t forget to write stuff down. Brainstorming might be the best solution on this list. The human brain can think of way more than you could ever imagine… wait…

But really, you just have to let your brain sprout wings and go where it pleases, and eventually, you’ll get a “yeah!” moment, or maybe an “aha!” moment, or maybe a “muahahahaha” moment. No matter what kind of moment it is, there’s gonna be something good that comes out of it. And don’t get bummed out if you come up with an idea that has already been taken. If you really liked the idea, you can refer to the other tips on this list and fix them right up, and you might have a completely original idea, but who knows? You’ll have to brainstorm first.

So In Summary –

Don’t be unoriginal, but don’t call it quits if you can’t come up with something entirely new. there’s always a way to make a cliche better, you just have to go where your mind takes you, because no matter what you think, you’re never really stuck, sometimes you just need to find the creative place in your mind and spend some time there. Soaking in your creativity for a good while might be all you need.

I hope this post was super helpful for those of you all of you who needed some advice on fixing up some clichés.

‘Till next time! Bye!