I’m back, but not completely. The flu bug still has a hold on me. So much for this year’s flu shot. Have any of you contracted the flu this year after having the shot? I should have known the shot was no good—my arm didn’t even hurt afterward. Usually I go around with a pretty achy arm for a few days.
I must say, however, that I’m working again. Isn’t it wonderful to be able to work at home where no one can see how you look or catch what you have?
Today’s topic involves clichés. What is a cliché? It’s a trite, predictable, overused phrase.
Frankly, I love clichés. I speak in clichés. I don’t know why. I guess because it is easier than coming up with fresh statements and you know you will be understood if you use a time-tested, familiar phrase. Sometimes I make up clichés. How do I do that? By tweaking a real cliché into something similar, but original. But then, it isn’t actually a cliché, is it?
In writing, however, we are cautioned against using clichés at all—except in dialog when your character has a habit of spewing clichés, of course; when this is part of his personality. In narrative writing all professionals recommend that you avoid clichés like the plague. (Oops, there’s a cliché.)
Instead of saying, “That night, it rained cats and dogs,” say, “The trio drove right into a Nor Easter and the fierce storm tormented them throughout the night.”
Instead of, “He took off like a bat out of hell,” try describing the details of the scene—color of car, how he slid into the seat, turned on the engine and slammed his foot down on the accelerator. Or keep it simple and say that white smoke spewed from under his back tires and everyone heard a squeal when he took off. Or say, “He was obviously in a big hurry.”
Instead of saying, “He was wasting his breath as far as I was concerned,” say, “I wasn’t interested in a lying word he said.”
Rather than “That’s something you don’t see much in this day and age,” try, “The last time anyone saw that was at a disco club in the ‘60s.”
This week, if you’re not down with the flu, take a look at your current manuscript and scan it for clichés. I’d like to know how many of them you find and how you changed them to make your writing more fresh.
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