Communication <\/b><\/p>\n
One goal\u2014perhaps the central objective\u2014of writing is communication. Whether we\u2019re penning fiction or nonfiction, we\u2019re trying to communicate ideas and story. Our words matter; our phrasing matters. <\/p>\n
One of an editor\u2019s jobs is to interpret what the writer is saying. That\u2019s another level of evaluation beyond grammatical rules or story structure, a level regarding content and communication. <\/p>\n
Clich\u00e9s are phrases that were developed (or accidentally invented) to communicate a thought, feeling, or situation. Most of the time, they\u2019re used in regards to universal ideas\/situations, but not always. <\/p>\n
Most editors flag clich\u00e9s. Why? One reason is that clich\u00e9s do not communicate well. Another, is that clich\u00e9s can be redundant. Also, if someone has been trained to mentally catch clich\u00e9s, when they read one in a book, the familiar-but-meaningless phrase will jar them out of the story for a moment. <\/p>\n
See if you can find any meaninglessness or redundancy in the following list: <\/p>\n
Examples of clich\u00e9s: <\/b><\/p>\n
Each and every one of you <\/p>\n
Bless his\/her\/your heart <\/p>\n
Caught between a rock and a hard place <\/p>\n
Making a mountain out of a molehill <\/p>\n
Six of one, half a dozen of another <\/p>\n
Couldn\u2019t\/can\u2019t help but <\/p>\n
Now, you could probably define exactly what each of these means. We\u2019ve certainly heard\/ read\/used these enough, haven\u2019t we? But if we do see them in books, do they really communicate something, or do we gloss over the phrase and search for deeper meaning elsewhere? Also, sometimes clich\u00e9s don\u2019t mean what they appear to mean, which can confuse readers who aren\u2019t familiar with the inherent sarcasm or true intended meaning. (I\u2019ve heard \u201cbless your heart\u201d isn\u2019t a meant as a blessing\u2026) <\/p>\n
That\u2019s why editors will most likely ask you to \u201cwrite fresh,\u201d or rework clich\u00e9s. There are extra steps involved, but the work will pay off. <\/p>\n
Here are some tips for reworking clich\u00e9s: <\/b><\/p>\n
\u00b7 Ask yourself<\/b>\u2014What am I literally trying to say? It\u2019s okay to start with a clich\u00e9, but don\u2019t be afraid to rework it. Analyze it. What is the clich\u00e9 saying? How can you say it better? Go for deeper meanings, nuances, layers. Focus on communication, and strategize how to best get your intended meaning across. <\/p>\n
\u00b7 Pull out a thesaurus<\/b>\u2014Sometimes changing out a word or two is all you need to do. Don\u2019t make it too complicated, and don\u2019t let one phrase or scene get you bogged down. But, don\u2019t get lazy either. The strongest writing is clich\u00e9 free. Reworking clich\u00e9s isn\u2019t always easy, but it does get easier. <\/p>\n
\u00b7 Don\u2019t use the first phrase that comes to mind<\/b>\u2014Oftentimes, our minds tend to think in clich\u00e9s. It\u2019s easier. So, like I said, start there. Then, reword. <\/p>\n
\u00b7 Stay alert<\/b>\u2014Watch for clich\u00e9s. One writing workshop teacher used to say \u201cclich\u00e9 alert\u201d every time someone used one in her class, including whenever she quoted one. That kind of thinking will keep us aware of when a clich\u00e9 pops up so we can practice rewording it. <\/p>\n
Exception <\/b><\/p>\n
Yes, there are exceptions to every rule. Perhaps your character really does use clich\u00e9s. Maybe your story wouldn\u2019t be the same without him\/her. These characters even think <\/i>in clich\u00e9s. So, go ahead and include them in his\/her dialogue and introspection. But beware. Readers are going to search for meaning elsewhere. Be careful how often s\/he uses them. And don\u2019t use your character as an excuse to leave too many clich\u00e9s in your final draft. <\/p>\n
Bottom line\u2014avoid clich\u00e9s whenever possible, even in non-manuscript writing. By practicing not using them in e-mails or social media (our non-fiction writing), we\u2019re training ourselves to rethink and reword as we write. Remember, writing is all about communicating ideas. <\/p>\n
Application <\/b><\/p>\n
Comb through your current manuscript. Find any clich\u00e9s? See if you can rework them so they vanish and fresh writing takes their place. Your editor will thank you for it. Your readers will too. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Communication One goal\u2014perhaps the central objective\u2014of writing is communication. Whether we\u2019re penning fiction or nonfiction, we\u2019re trying to communicate ideas and story. Our words matter; our phrasing matters. One of an editor\u2019s jobs is to interpret what the writer is saying. That\u2019s another level of evaluation beyond grammatical rules or story structure, a level regarding […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[504],"tags":[199,135,138,23],"class_list":["post-258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editing-writing-advice","tag-cliches","tag-editors-tips","tag-thursdays-tips","tag-writing-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}