S1E9A8N5

I was wondering if there were any questions you ask yourself when your writing your scenes, story, plot etc to avoid cliche's and predictability.

Banzai

I just write, read, and re-write, to be honest. If something is cliche in a way which I don't think compliments the story, then I change it. Other than that, I suppose you can think over every aspect of the story before you start writing. That wouldn't work for me, since I write with only the vaguest plot outline in mind (it allows my writing to develop better, I feel), but it might help you. Hope it does.

Banzai

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Zombie

Well, it's hard to avoid cliches because they can vary. Certain things to me are cliche while those same things are not to my friends. People who are real cliche Nazis end up writing really abstract and utterly inane writing from what I've seen. There's always a degree of it because we're constantly drawing on the ideas of others. The way I see it is that as writers, we have a bucket of Legos with only so many pieces. We can't add new pieces or remove old ones, we just have to find creative and innovative ways of combining them.

Take something tried like the hero quest. A lot of us have done it and there are definitely ways to make 'hero quest' stories lame and cliche. However, to avoid the cliche, try to mix in different ideas. Look at other hero quests and see what the writers did and the decisions they made, see if you can go down a different path.

I wrote a story about a ruthless and very efficient hitman who was betrayed by his boss and his family murdered by thugs as a message. However, unlinke most people would believe, he did not go Frank Castle on them and kill them all in a bloody sweet tale of revenge.

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daisydaisy

I have had problems with the predictability thing too. I guess the only answer is to let someone you trust read it and give their honest opinion.

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Foxee

I think zombie has some good points about why it can be difficult to avoid cliches. Especially when approaching a genre that you're not familiar with.

However, I also think that it's the writer's job to be as creative as possible. So, write the first draft creatively and then revise it...pushing the creativity as far as you can. It really helps to get honest critiques as well.

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Merforga

Unfortunately most ideas and plots aren't original anymore since they'v been used time and time again. One of the few things you can do is present it in a new way. When it comes to correcting cliches ,i mostly write it all down on paper (for some reason i'm not really creative infront of a computer screen). I read it and make the corrections i need. Then type it all up and re read hoping to remove cliche's and add refreshing anamolies to my story to keep my writing refreshing

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Fantasy of You

Predictability?

'When things are getting dry, thrown in an explosion'

S1E9A8N5

Thanks for the advice.

FrankBlissett

Nope.

I just write. If a character is stock or a plot point overused then so be it. I view each writing session as a learning experience more than a culmination of what's come before.

-Frank

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Kimba

I usually find that the first thing I think of in terms of a plot is something that someone else would find too predictable. I think this is because the idea would have been subconsciously based on something you see on TV or read in a book.

To avioid going down that path, I tend to use the same idea but add a twist that wouldn't normally be considered as a natural progression but not something so absurd that a reader/viewer would laugh at the consequence.

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Mike C

The trick is not to avoid cliché, but to recognise it and know when and how to use it to your advantage.

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bob rulz

^That's a good, simple way of putting it. Also, the problem with cliches is that some cliches are realistic. Not the really ridiculous ones, but cliches aren't necessarily a bad thing, just as long as they're not overused or not overly ridiculous. It's always good to put a creative spin or an unexpected plot twist to a story. If it's predictable, you know you've got a problem. If it's cheesy and it's not meant to be cheesy, you know you've got a problem. You have to learn cliches well enough that you can use them to further your story, as Mike C said above.

Aqua

If it's good enough, it'll work.