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Q&A

Posts tagged cliches

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Q&A What to do with cliched metaphors?

Example from my own writing: "Please take care of yourself," she replied. "Health is the most important thing in life, remember that." "I know, Mom." I had already lost count of the numb...

5 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Alexandro Chen‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mark Baker‭

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Q&A Is it cliché to have two best friends fall in love?

I am writing a detective novel and wanted to include two best friends who are working together. Eventually they fall in love but one of my readers said it's too boring and cliché. Is that true? S...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Felisha‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mark Baker‭

Question novel cliches
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Q&A How many metaphors?

Some of the best books I read have a heap of metaphors, awesomely describing the characters' surroundings or the characters themselves. My creativity appears to be limited in metaphors. I want to a...

2 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by James‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mark Baker‭

Question cliches
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Q&A Is Ice/Fire opposition too stereotypical?

I'm writing a story where a secondary story-line (it's about a companion of the main character) is basically about a fire mage and an ice mage. It fits well in the story and the fire/ice elements a...

3 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Is it bad storytelling to have things happen by complete chance?

Background I recently noticed in my latest masterpiece novel there is quite a lot of things happening by chance. For example: The main character just happens to pass by an old, frail warrior w...

6 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Daniel Cann‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Romance without cliche?

My school is doing a romance writing competition and there is no cliche allowed. But that is the only way I know how to write romance. I mean, I haven't read a single book that hasn't had a bit of ...

3 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by haleymae‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question cliches romance
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Q&A How to split up a book into a series?

Related My book was never meant to be a series, so I'm genuinely uncertain on what to do. I only really write completely self-contained things. Background I've really been having a great time wr...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by Daniel Cann‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Are some ideas too cliched?

So I was thinking, and I've been wondering if some ideas are so overused readers don't get the 'thrill' of reading them anymore. I'm really into last-man-standing type novels, I love them. I've wr...

1 answer  ·  posted 8y ago by Daniel Cann‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Trying to avoid being cliché

Has opening a story with something like "I hurtled to my death", "I had destroyed the earth", or other outlandish statements like these become cliché? And if so, what are some alternative methods t...

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Theocles of Saturn‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A What's the significance of ancient mythology in literature?

Whenever I see a movie critic praise Ridley Scott's Prometheus, they seem to be drooling over all the mythological references, although most don't necessarily complement gaps in the story or enrich...

3 answers  ·  posted 11y ago by Sedat Kapanoglu‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to make side-characters look competent next to the chosen one?

I'm writing a storyline for a game where the forces of evil have humanity cornered. Truly everything seems lost, that is, until our main character decides to step in. Let's call him Bob. The Chosen...

5 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Not A Vampire‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A "All of a sudden..." ?

I am writing a manuscript for a novel. It's my first attempt, and often I find myself wanting to write "suddenly" or "all of a sudden". I do this when I want the scene to change in an instant, or...

5 answers  ·  posted 12y ago by Tim Chaves‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question fiction style cliches
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Q&A Can an overdone theme still work?

Okay, I think it goes without saying that vampire stories are really overdone. But I have a novel idea I would really like to write that has a vampire theme. I think I can pull it off if I do it in...

2 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Cashmerella‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question cliches
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Q&A Is it possible to combine clichés/tropes to make it not a cliché?

I have read a couple romance books at most and so don’t claim to have very much experience with romance and clichés. But here are the ones I can think of: Something happens to make them hate eac...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Nadeshka‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Dystopia that isn't cliche

Dystopian fiction is a big thing right now, and YA books like The Hunger Games and Divergent are pretty individual and subsequently are bestsellers. But a lot of stuff is also really cheesy and tr...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by weakdna says reinstate monica‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Is there a test for cliches in plot?

I know there are already questions about cliched phrases, but are there resources to help identify plot and characters that are cliches? I found some (like this), but they weren't very helpful for...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Hannah Kelley‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Why using the "It Was All Just a Dream" Trope?

There is a particular trope that became quite infamous across many media: the "it was just a dream" revelation, where, usually at the end of a important story arc, everything turns back to the star...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Deutertraumen‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Is a bandit ambush a fatal, cliche mistake?

Background I've planned the chapter I'll write tomorrow. It features a bandit ambush! That's so exciting! Wow! The sickly scent of blood, the glistening blades and powerless enemies. They are noth...

2 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Daniel Cann‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to write a scene where the villain meets the protagonist?

The villain was, like the protagonist, a child soldier/mercenary, who served with him. The villain was captured, tortured, and snapped. He feels a burning hatred for the protagonist, believing that...

2 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by DarkYagami‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Why do heroes need to have a physical mark?

It seems that a lot of authors want their heroes to be marked in a special way. It is not enough that these protagonists are going to be heroes, no; they seem to require having a mark that makes t...

2 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Reed‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭