Priceless Writing TipsHow to Avoid Clichés: The Ultimate Problem-Solver for Writers!
Is that another essay you have to write? Well, you’re quite a copious writer, I tell you. Now let’s see what you’ve got there… Oops. Sorry, champ, your paper needs a health check – it looks like it’s infested with commonplace ideas. To understand how to avoid clichés, learn some of the most terrible clichés ever and stay away from them.
How to Avoid Clichés: Fifteen Unbelievably Hackneyed Stock Ideas
Check these common clichés:
- “Out of the frying pan into the fire.”
- “Since the dawn of time…”
- “I think that…”
- It’s all only black and white.
- “According to the undeniable fact that…”
- “Where am I?”
- Coach Talk
- Using… too many… ellipses
- “Rhetoric questions are annoying, aren’t they?”
- Puns. Puns are NOT funny
- “There is no chemistry between us.”
- “That’s a big stretch”
- The uplifting tone
- “Creating a character”
- No big conclusion
Avoid most of the set phrases – they have worn out their welcome already.
Metaphors are great void-fillers, but you need to be original, so get rid of them ASAP.
Okay, that’s downright immature. Students raise their hands and say quietly, “I think that,” while real writers believe that, are certain that, realize fully that, argue that, etc.
French fries are unhealthy, vegetables are good for you; Macbook is awesome, Windows is for retarded… It’s just unbearable. Admit good sides as well as bad ones – create honest and objective papers, and you’ll learn how to avoid clichés.
Leave the formal language right where it belongs, i.e., in a clerk’s dustbin.
According to the undeniable fact that… Hey, it seems that your readers are half asleep. Make your texts understandable and your sentences short (no more than 20 words in a sentence.)
Believe it, the entire world is sick and tired of the c’mon-you-can-do-it attitude. There’s no need to be gloomy – just don’t sugar-coat the truth.
Ellipses can help create suspense, but they look rather pretentious and have worn out their welcome completely.
Never use rhetoric questions. End of the line.
People don’t like puns. Puns are either hackneyed or very obscure. Use puns only when you feel the essay will look empty without them.
Never mix metaphors – it’ll get you nowhere. As silly as it is confusing, the use of such technique will make the author seem a distasteful show-off.
Okay, the task is to write a 1000-word text, and you’re out of ideas after writing the first 300. The first thing you’ll think of will be to stretch the sentences you’ve already got, but this just won’t do. Try brainstorming for ideas instead.
Along with the Coach Talk, this one is a great annoyance for most readers.
Unless you have enough space to give your character a personality, it’ll be useless and annoying for the readers.
If you write a really impressive article that leads nowhere, be ready to lose your audience.
Be original, and your efforts will pay off. It’s time to write outstanding essays –follow the tips from other writers and learn how to avoid clichés!