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Students are often told to avoid clichés in their writing. But what does that mean, really? In this article, we clear up what clichés are and how to avoid them in your writing.
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Let’s talk about clichés, or at least, how to avoid clichés in your writing. From “letting the cat out of the bag” all the way to the “beads of sweat rolling down” your character’s forehead, cliché expressions, themes, and plots can be difficult to avoid in your creative writing! If originality is something that you struggle with, read on to find out how to spot clichés and avoid using them in your writing.
Clichés are elements of artworks that have lost their meaning or impact through overuse. Be it a piece of symbolism in visual artwork (For example, mirrors or skulls in Renaissance artworks), an image or metaphor used in literature (eg. roses and love in Romantic poetry), or a phrase or refrain from music (eg. the beat drop in some types of dance music or EDM), if it is done to that point that it becomes meaningless or, as we might say today, memeable, then it is a cliche.
Put simply, a cliché is an overused element of creative writing.
As you can probably tell, cliché is not an English word– it’s a word that we’ve borrowed from French that refers back to the days of the printing press and the invention of the stereotype (the plate with typeset letters embedded on it used to print documents). The story goes that “cliché” was the sound made by the stereotype as it was set in molten metal.
From the days of the printing press onwards, clichés have come to be known as words, expressions, or images that seem to write themselves and “are repeated without reflection” almost as if they’ve been stamped again and again from a printing press.
Clichés, in and of themselves aren’t bad – they serve a useful purpose in trying to relate information in some contexts. Without cliché, we wouldn’t have meme. But when you are required to demonstrate originality and creativity, then clichés are to be avoided like the plague.
English teachers often discourage you from using clichés as they can make your writing seem awkward and unoriginal. When we produce creative writing in English, we aim to contribute to an original piece of storytelling that engages your reader by having something important to say.
Clichés are storytelling elements that are not well-thought out and because they are so thoughtless, they detract from any deeper meaning or messaging that you may have planned. In many cases, the inclusion of clichés can make your story seem superficial.
Clichés fall into 3 broad categories:
To make sure that you don’t use clichés – accidentally or otherwise – you want to be confident spotting a cliché. To help you with that, we have a quick exercise. Below is a passage that is littered with cliché, your task is to find them.
Billy was a 13-year-old boy with bright blue hair and hazel eyes. He was walking through the market at midnight and was a little upset to notice all of the food trucks closing for the night. As he walked through the streets in the central part of town, he suddenly stumbled across a dark alleyway. He sauntered down the alleyway that did not have a single person in sight. Billy stopped when he saw an antiques store that he had never heard of or seen before and decided to go in. There seemed to be no one at the store counter so he perused the dazzling objects scattered around until he came across a gold watch. The clock struck midnight when he happened to touch the watch. To his surprise, it lit up in a magical glow. “The watch has chosen you,” boomed a voice from behind the store counter. “With great power comes great responsibility,” the disembodied voice said.
| Topic, Trope, or Plot | Expressions and Phrases |
| -> The unassuming hero who finds a mysterious object of power -> The idea that “great power comes with great responsibility” -> The purposeless description of what a character looks like. | -> “Suddenly stumbled across a dark alleyway” -> “not…a single person in sight” -> “The clock struck midnight” -> “The watch has chosen you” -> “With great power comes great responsibility” |
As you can see from the example given above, clichés are quite easy to overlook in your writing. To avoid clichés, start being more intentional with your writing. Overused expressions can creep into your writing when your concentration slips.
You can also avoid unoriginal writing by learning to recognise clichés whenever you come across them in your own writing or in someone else’s.
It can be very tempting for young writers to establish dramatic themes of death or severe mental illness. Something to keep in mind to avoid both unoriginal and awkward writing is to make sure that your writing either draws from your own lived experiences or from sufficient research.
A big part of avoiding cliché topics, tropes, and themes is firstly to be well-informed about your subject matter and characterisation.
Below are some topics, character tropes, and themes to consider winding back in your writing:
It can also be quite tempting for many English students to write short stories that read more like they should be blockbuster films! The trick to ensuring originality is to have plots that are very specific– pare back the parameters of your plot.
Common plot clichés that we see include:
In terms of the more specific ways that clichés can creep into your writing, make sure to keep an eye out for expressions, phrases, and idioms that make your story seem superficial.
Common cliché expressions and phrases that English teachers often see include:
Please also try to avoid excessive descriptions of sweat, tears, or any other bodily fluid. Common expressions that your English teacher is likely to roll their eyes at include:
A lot of the time, cliché phrases and expressions are unoriginal because they are too vague and nonspecific. Thinking deeply about exactly what your character is doing at that precise moment can help you avoid being too general with your descriptions. You might find it helpful to close your eyes and visually imagine your setting and your character.
Since it can be quite easy for a cliché to slip through your writing pieces, it helps to read over your work at least once or twice, and preferably aloud. This will help you to catch any awkward or overused expressions that you previously may have missed.
If you are able and not writing under exam conditions, try to get another pair of eyes to look over your work. A lot of the time, you can miss your own mistakes since it is your creation. It can be very helpful to have a third party read over your work to prevent any awkward wording.
Written by Deborah Prospero
Deborah Prospero is a passionate English teacher and youth advocate. With an international & global studies and languages background, Deborah is a writer with a keen interest in exploring literature, culture, and politics. She is currently the project lead for the Mami Watta Collections Journal and has had her work featured in publications like Kindling&Sage, Gelmag, KOS Magazine, and the Asian Australian Project. When not working or studying, you can find her rock climbing, beading jewellery, and playing Scrabble.
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