I read a comment somewhere about how cliche some things were in the story they read (large breasts, huge cocks) and that it was all overdone.
I disagree.
For one - I have large breasts, my husband has a huge cock. Everything from my blond hair to my blue eyes is pure 'cliche'. Ergo - I love reading it all.
What about you?
I love reading stories where they ride off into the sunset together at the end. That's because that's how all my dates actually end.
Actually, I really do love a good 'boy meets girl' story with a happily ever after. It's cliché, yes, but how often does it happen in reality? I'm a soppy romantic at heart.
If the story is well written, who cares how cliche it is. I sure don't.
The cliche tag is appropriate not because of certain items in the story, but because of how they're handled. I agree that a large cock, or huge breasts, or a nice juicy ass, are very, very common in stories, but that doesn't make them a cliche. Now, if the story focuses on those body parts, and minimizes everything else, to where it's essentially a setup for the dude with the big cock to "pound" the chick with the big tits in her juicy ass, then the story becomes cliche.
As an artist, we are taught in college that cliches are a no-no and not original. At times I fought against this because they are vital to the human experience. Everyone understands them and connects. I don't feel there is a huge difference between art and storytelling. Cliches are vital, but can be overdone. I love a hot story - big tits, big dicks (my wife and I are blessed as well), cum everywhere, but it can be overdone. I'm certainly impressed by stories that can forgo those conventions and still be sexy and hot.
I think all you need to do is look at the definition of the word cliche - a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse.
The way I see it the reason things get over used is because they do the job, they work, people like them.
As an author I don't mind using cliches. I think it's a skill as a writer to take an idea or situation that has been used before, and make it seem fresh to the reader.
Ultimately you are never going to impress every reader, and everyone is entitled to their opinion. As long as you're happy with the work you've produced, I think that's all that matters.
JAYNE; you've stated that very well., It sure does not leave anything to guess work..
We all use clichés in our everyday lives, so why not use them in stories? I think the more you use them, the better you get at using them. Of course if a story is filled with clichés and it's not pulled off properly, it can affect the whole impact of the story. I don't think we should be shying away from using a cliché because the odd one here and there can make the story just that little more realistic.
The emotionally neglected cheating wife.
The lust-driven, serial, cheating husband.
Motel, no-tell, closing time, bar-skank pick-ups. (both genders)
First piece of ass & falling desperately, head-over-heels in love immediately. (both genders)
Being dumped creates an obsessive stalker who harasses & terrorizes the former love interest. (both genders)
Gold diggers. (both genders)
They sound cliché but most of us over the age of 35 have witnessed one or some or all of the above so frequently (perhaps even in our own lives) - we can almost identify the situation before we even learn all the particulars.
The same GQP demanding we move on from January 6th, 2021 is still doing audits of the November 3rd, 2020 election.
originality is overrated. In awesome cliche fashion, "old tricks are usually the best tricks."
Cliche situations often reflect human reality. People make the same mistakes, for example, as they have for centuries: bad decisions, histrionic emotional states, etc. Human motivations remain as they almost always have been. Creative writers put a twist on cliches, give us innovations in language and narrative use, change up the patterns, and we, as readers, enjoy those twists and turns that we didn't expect or could predict. Film and TV dialogue is so predictable that I can usually peg the exact wording of the next line without having seen the show. Good writers go that extra creative mile to tweak the cliche a little. I appreciate that in what I read.
