"Throw Away That Old Cliche," (Thank You, Todd Rundgren)

During my first self-editing round with Bryony, scarcely having gotten my feet wet with the process (wink), I was surprised to learn how easily cliches creep into writing, and how certain patterns of speech so quickly spring to mind (wink again), and, perhaps most importantly, how I did not first recognize them as cliches.

While an occasional cliche is perfectly acceptable for the first and crudest of drafts, it's important to recognize and eliminate those pesky phrases, charecterizations, and plot lines on subsequent passes. If any combination of words, characters, or story developments easily flow onto the computer screen, you're probably dealing with a group of overworked and overused words and/or scenarios. Crisp writing that smacks of originality is hard work.

Below are a few cliche-identifying sites. The first, in alphabetized format, provides a checklist of 681 (yes, 681) popular cliches. Chances are, you'll find at least one of them in your writing.

The second site, intended for gamers, but helpful for writers, too, generates samples of cliched storylines, a good self-checker before venturing too far into a story. The third provides examples of various cliches, along with a "search and destroy" tactic.

The last link is Tood Rundgren's Cliche, included for motivation and listening fun, while you check out the links.

www.be-a-better-writer.com/cliches.html

http://chaoticshiny.com/clichegen.php?amount=10

http://writeitsideways.com/how-cliched-is-your-writing-take-the-test/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6uAPcFJZr8

Cleaning up the Dirt

We have a very tiny mission church in our home. A couple of weeks ago, as our priest was packing up, he glanced toward the kitchen. “Did you get new cabinets?” he asked. “They look brighter.”

“No,” I said, handing him his first mug of coffee for the day. Our denomination has a tradition of fasting from midnight, so making coffee after services is considered a great work of mercy. “Rebekah (my sixteen-year-old daughter) polished them when I had surgery.”

I thought about those cabinets Saturday when I began tackling Bryony’s third round of edits. The story is structurally sound, but it does have some smudges and stains that dull its sheen. A good editor doesn’t mind looking over your shoulder to say, “Hey, you missed a spot here, here, and over there.”

Some of those in my closest circle—the ones that read Bryony's crudest drafts--worry that editing means content changing. I think they will be pleasantly surprised at the finished product. I doubt they will notice the changes. The inherent story is the same, but smoother and, like my cabinets, brighter.