Avoiding clichés is not about banning every familiar phrase, character type or scene; some of these are genre conventions readers actively want. The real work is noticing where a piece of writing is running on autopilot, reaching for the nearest available phrase or stock character instead of the specific one this story actually needs.
This guide separates phrase-level clichés from character and plot clichés, distinguishes cliché from convention, and gives a practical way to fix the ones that are actually weakening your writing.
What are phrase clichés?
Phrase clichés are expressions so familiar that a reader’s eye slides past them without registering any specific image: a heart pounding like a drum, eyes like pools, a silence you could cut with a knife. They are the easiest cliché to spot in a manuscript, because they tend to sound like something already read many times before.
Example
For example, "her heart pounded like a drum" could be replaced with something rooted in the specific character and moment: "she noticed her own pulse in her ears, absurdly loud over the sound of the kettle." The second version is slower but belongs to that character in that kitchen, not to writing in general.
What are character clichés?
A character cliché is a type deployed without any specific detail attached: the wise old mentor, the sassy best friend, the cold career woman who learns to open up. These become a problem when the character has no traits beyond the type, rather than when the type exists at all; most stories use recognisable roles, and the fix is depth, not elimination.
What are plot clichés?
A plot cliché is a sequence of events used so often that a reader can predict exactly what happens next: the amnesia that conveniently resolves a conflict, the misunderstanding solved by one honest conversation the characters never have, the villain who explains their whole plan before acting on it. These weaken a story most when the plot has no specific reason for the beat beyond convenience.
What is the difference between a genre convention and a cliché?
A genre convention is a shape readers of that genre expect and often want: a mystery has a detective and a solution; a romance has two people who end up together. A convention becomes a cliché only when it is executed with no specific detail, so it could be lifted out of this book and dropped into any other in the genre without changing.
How should I think about familiar tropes?
A trope is a recognisable pattern, not automatically a fault. Enemies who become allies, a chosen one, a fake relationship that becomes real: readers often come to a genre specifically for these patterns. The question is whether your version has anything particular attached to it, or whether it runs exactly as expected with no variation at all.
How does specificity fix a cliché?
Specificity replaces a generic image, character or event with one rooted in a particular person, place or history. A "beautiful sunset" is generic; a sunset that turns the specific colour of a bruise on someone’s arm is particular to that story. The underlying idea, a sunset, has not changed; the treatment of it has.
How does observation help avoid cliché?
Clichés often come from writing what is expected rather than what is actually observed, remembered or imagined in detail. Drawing on a genuinely specific memory, a real habit you have noticed in someone, or an invented detail built from research rather than assumption tends to produce fresher writing than reaching for a stock image.
How do I write fresh comparisons?
A fresh comparison usually comes from the world of the specific character or story rather than from a general stock of poetic images. A baker’s comparisons might come from dough and heat; a mechanic’s from engines and tools. Comparisons rooted in a character’s own frame of reference tend to feel earned rather than borrowed.
How do I subvert expectation without confusing the reader?
Subverting a cliché or trope only works if the reader clearly recognises the pattern being subverted; without that recognition, the subversion just reads as an unclear choice. Establish the expected pattern clearly enough that departing from it registers as a deliberate turn, not a mistake.
When is a cliché invisible?
Some clichés are so embedded in everyday language that removing them entirely would sound stilted: common idioms in dialogue, for instance, often need to stay because real people use them. The line worth policing is descriptive and emotional writing, where the reader is meant to be experiencing something specific, rather than functional dialogue, where natural speech is more important than originality.
When is a trope actually useful?
A trope is useful when it lets a story move quickly past something readers already understand, so attention can go elsewhere. Establishing a character as "the reluctant hero" briefly, using familiar shorthand, can free up space to spend real detail on what makes this particular reluctant hero different from every other one.
How do I avoid forced originality?
Forced originality happens when a writer reaches for unusual language purely to avoid sounding familiar, producing comparisons or phrasing that draw attention to themselves without serving the story. If a sentence would make a reader stop and think "that is a strange way to put it" for the wrong reasons, it has probably swapped one problem for another.
Do
- Replace a generic phrase with something specific to this character or scene
- Let familiar tropes carry weight through particular detail, not elimination
- Keep natural, even clichéd, idiom in dialogue where real people would use it
Avoid
- Reach for a strange comparison just to avoid an obvious one
- Strip every convention out of a genre readers chose for those conventions
- Confuse a fresh detail with an obscure or confusing one
If you are unsure whether specific passages are relying too heavily on familiar phrasing or stock scenes, a Manuscript Health Check can flag this in your opening pages.
Common mistakes
- Trying to eliminate every familiar convention. Genre readers often want the shapes they recognise; the fix for a stale convention is specificity, not removal.
- Confusing an unusual phrase with a good one. Strained originality can be just as distracting as the cliché it was meant to replace.
- Giving a stock character no distinguishing detail at all. A recognisable role becomes a cliché specifically when nothing particular is attached to it.
- Subverting a trope the reader never recognised. Without a clearly established expectation, a subversion just reads as confusing or arbitrary.
- Leaving plot clichés unexamined because they move the story along conveniently. Convenient plot devices used without justification tend to be the clichés readers notice and resent most.
Frequently asked questions
Is it ever fine to use a well-known phrase?
Yes, particularly in dialogue, where natural speech often includes common idiom. The concern is mainly with descriptive and emotional writing meant to feel specific.
Are all tropes clichés?
No. A trope is a recognisable pattern; it becomes a cliché only when used with no specific detail attached to this particular story.
How do I know if my comparisons are fresh enough?
Check whether the comparison could belong to any story, or specifically to this character, setting and moment; the latter usually reads as fresher.
Can removing all clichés make writing worse?
Yes, if it is done by forcing unusual language rather than adding genuine specificity, the result can feel stilted rather than fresh.