Cliches

[rhiza021]

Hi Guys,

I need some of your opinions regarding cliches. What is the most cliche part that you always see on books or movies? Do you think it's good for authors to put some cliches or to not put them at all on their stories?

Thank you very much.

[Harmony Hills]

The cliche part that i've read in the book are there area always this game/competition and teaming up, like in harry potter--quidditch + the houses, percy jackson--the cabins + capture the flag, in the hunger games--the district + the hunger games, in the divergent series--factions. It's not that i don't like it, but whenever i read something on this genre, they all seem similar. All of them were a hit and bestsellers and i guess the idea of groups add up to its popularity. But all in all, a books quality is based on the author's execution, of how well he/she write a story, whether it's cliche or not.

[Mallory Whitaker]

Love triangles are used all the time. Sometimes I enjoy them but if they're the main focus of the book or movie, then I typically get bored. Or if they're just in your face about it.

[Angela Stripes]

It really depends on how much it impacts the story. If there's a cliche character, like a comic relief character, they work well in the background and getting glimpses of the spotlight, rather than being part of the main action all the time.

Love triangles (as mentioned above) have their place.

Ultimately, when I read or watch, I'm looking for something interesting which often times means something new. If the bulk of the story feels like I've been there done that, yeah its boring. But you do need to fill in the blanks with some familiar themes, characters, or settings to make it relate-able, or tangible for the audience. If the story's dependent on a cliche that's when I tend to check out or move on.

[Mallory Whitaker]

It really depends on how much it impacts the story. If there's a cliche character, like a comic relief character, they work well in the background and getting glimpses of the spotlight, rather than being part of the main action all the time.

Love triangles (as mentioned above) have their place.

Ultimately, when I read or watch, I'm looking for something interesting which often times means something new. If the bulk of the story feels like I've been there done that, yeah its boring. But you do need to fill in the blanks with some familiar themes, characters, or settings to make it relate-able, or tangible for the audience. If the story's dependent on a cliche that's when I tend to check out or move on.

You're absolutely right, love triangles do have their place. As well as other tropes/familiar characters and themes. Although, even if there is a story dependent on a cliche, especially a cliche theme like "good vs. evil", that wouldn't make me check out. I think a lot of familiar themes, characters and settings can be okay as long as the author finds a way to make them their own or have them really add something to the story and not just have them be there because they think they should.

[Angela Stripes]

It really depends on how much it impacts the story. If there's a cliche character, like a comic relief character, they work well in the background and getting glimpses of the spotlight, rather than being part of the main action all the time.

Love triangles (as mentioned above) have their place.

Ultimately, when I read or watch, I'm looking for something interesting which often times means something new. If the bulk of the story feels like I've been there done that, yeah its boring. But you do need to fill in the blanks with some familiar themes, characters, or settings to make it relate-able, or tangible for the audience. If the story's dependent on a cliche that's when I tend to check out or move on.

You're absolutely right, love triangles do have their place. As well as other tropes/familiar characters and themes. Although, even if there is a story dependent on a cliche, especially a cliche theme like "good vs. evil", that wouldn't make me check out. I think a lot of familiar themes, characters and settings can be okay as long as the author finds a way to make them their own or have them really add something to the story and not just have them be there because they think they should.

True True.

I guess how I learned and understand cliche's to be takes a different approach. To me, a cliche is when the author relies on a familiar personality type, or phrase without making it their own. It's kind of an easy way out.

Yeah, basically what you just said. Spot on.

[Anirudh Badri]

Heroes generally have become fairly cliched. They are too good at everything they try. Even when they have a flaw, the flaw is usually arrogance or carelessness or something. Deeply flawed heroes are just much rarer and more interesting to me. Maybe if they become too common, they too will end up as cliches.

[RegularGuy3]

Characters failing to share the most basic information with each other to the point that the end up working at cross purposes or worse. Just say what you mean, people!

[RegularGuy3]

Characters failing to share the most basic information with each other to the point that the end up working at cross purposes or worse. Just say what you mean, people!

-- 04 Sep 2017, 15:47 --

Characters failing to share the most basic information with each other to the point that the end up working at cross purposes or worse. Just say what you mean, people!

[Whippet]

In films I hate the 'darkest before dawn' effect. Three quarters into the film the main character will hit rock bottom before turning things around. This happens in romance and comedy, romantic comedies especially. It's a necessary cliché in films of lighter genres I guess. But I love the films in these genres that can avoid it.

[lisalynn]

It's almost impossible to avoid some cliches or tropes. There's nothing new under the sun. I keep looking for new spins on the old story.

[NicholsC97]

The biggest cliché I've seen is the helpless damsel in distress main female lead. Nothing makes me drop a movie or book faster than one of those.

[Corina Elena]

Oh, the cliche I detest the most: young girl, shy, not attractive, into literature, very clumsy and introvert meets a handsome, strong, popular guy and he falls madly in love with her. After we have to read an entire book of insecurities ("my hair looks bad, what does he see in me?" type of stuff) and it all ends with lots of abuse and isolation. You know, I am talking about books like Twilight,50 Shades of Gray, etc...

Another thing that drives me crazy is the female protagonist having all the men falling madly in love with her, and the author presenting all the rest of the women in the book as competition and usually slutty, making the protagonist to be the only moral one. I actually recently sampled a few pages of a book that fit this exact plot to a tee here, for Book of the Day.

[Deepa09k]

I detest that too! But it has become increasingly common to read these kind of cliches now-a-days.
A situation or two would be fine, but more than that, all the books would seem alike.

[DD129]

For me, it’s not about the amount of or what cliche an author uses, but how they use it. Cliches can definitely hurt a story, but it can help it as well, especially if the cliche doesn't turn out be what I was expecting.