Comments on: Literary pablum…

By: MaryWitzl

MaryWitzl — Thu, 20 May 2010 18:27:04 +0000

Cliches drive me wild -- unless I'm the one who's offending, in which case I never see them until it's too late.

I have a Ukrainian student who describes overly optimistic people as 'seeing the pink glasses'. I love the way non-native English speakers can freshen up our language.

By: Redleg

Redleg — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:09:27 +0000

I knew someone who was convinced that it was a "mute point" because "moot" wasn't a word.

By: bitter and twisted

bitter and twisted — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:27:25 +0000

My favorite
"Who made you judge Judy and executioner."
Homer Simpson.

By: Kelly Wittmann

Kelly Wittmann — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:27:48 +0000

We're on the same page, Miriam! (JUST KIDDING)

By: Rebecca T. Little

Rebecca T. Little — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:49:34 +0000

Seeing a cliche or two isn't nearly as bad to me as seeing an obvious error that didn't get caught. As we rely more and more upon the electronic word, I frequently see more "their/there" and "then/than" switcheroos. I wish more people realized that spellcheck isn't always a friend! Most recently I saw someone had posted their "Summery" and that was enough to make me stop reading immediately. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for the agents!

Rebecca T. Little
http://rebeccatlittle.blogspot.com/

By: February Grace

February Grace — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:39:39 +0000

Seeing those cliches in print is a timely reminder of just how important it is to avoid them like the plague in my in my own writing whenever humanly possible. So I'm eternally grateful to others when they use them.

In other words, yes in the extreme it does get tiresome. Unless you're trying to win a Bulwer-Lytton then by all means, knock yourself out!

I think that those sorts of cliches can have great comedic value though if you wield them carefully and respect them as the dangerous objects they are. I try to save them for those moments and turn them into something that makes people laugh instead of cringe.

When my daughter was two she used to say "oily cow!" and we're still fond of using it on the rare occasion. I loved 'drum bull'.

By: franklycreative

franklycreative — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:11:51 +0000

I don't mind one or two in a novel, as long as they're in dialog. The thing I hate is the "rolling of the eyes." Can't authors come up with something else to have their characters do to express themselves while engaged in a conversation. (These are usually novice authors I see using this lazy way out, but their manuscripts still make it to the publishers. Why can't mine? Oh, maybe I just need to send it out there more–could help).

By: T.J.

T.J. — Wed, 19 May 2010 15:46:53 +0000

I think cliches in writing are more appropriate in dialogue unless the books in first person. But yeah, an overabundance of cliches makes me want to put the book down, slide it out of the room, and watch tv or surf the internet.

By: J. Andersen

J. Andersen — Wed, 19 May 2010 15:25:45 +0000

Honestly, they don't bother me as long as they aren't overdone. People use them in real life all the time, so why not allow them in books?

By: Jim Donahue

Jim Donahue — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:18:10 +0000

A former co-worker thought the phrase for ending something quickly was "nip it in the butt."

And yes, relying on tired phrases is a sure way to get me to stop reading.