Beads of sweat (and other clichés that irk you)

JTstories · Feb 11, 2009

I'm in the process of scouring through my older works in an effort to identify cliche words and statements I use without realizing it. Thankfully I have never once used the term "beads of sweat" when describing a character that finds himself/herself under stress (or just hot) in any of my stories. That particular term is so over used (in my opinon) that every time I see it I audibly gasp because of the anticipation I have that the rest of the book will also feature many other over-used cliches.

That one in particular just irks the heck out of me.

Do you have any cliche's that make you roll your eyes when you find yourself reading or writing them? Too bad there isn't an official list.

Danthia · Feb 11, 2009

Sweating like a pig. Because pigs don't sweat! Makes me nuts.

dpaterso · Feb 11, 2009

Characters audibly gasping in anticipitation.

-Derek

JTstories · Feb 11, 2009

I'm glad to see someone got the pun.

CaroGirl · Feb 11, 2009

JTstories said:
Do you have any cliche's that make you roll your eyes when you find yourself reading or writing them? Too bad there isn't an official list.

Um, eyes rolling? Actually, eyes doing any number of fantastic and impossible things, like jumping, falling and running.

dpaterso · Feb 11, 2009

JTstories said:
I'm glad to see someone got the pun.

I appreciated the set-up, but felt cheap afterwards.

-Derek

JTstories · Feb 11, 2009

You just reminded me of another one, when somebody 'runs their fingers' over something.. I immediately imagine two little fingers sprinting through tables and books like in some old yellow-pages ads.

Caro picked up on some of my favorites too, eyes can seemingly do ANYTHING! They dance! They burn! They dart this way and that! And why are they so often colored green and hazel in fiction? It's like the go-to color lately.

DeleyanLee · Feb 11, 2009

Lately, reading the news, I've been twitching at the phrase "holding out hope." Makes me think they've got a tiny girl in their cupped hands or something.

NeuroFizz · Feb 11, 2009

Cliche search-and-destroy edits are useful, but the cliches can be of regional specificity (on a national or global scale). In this way, a cliche (used by a character) can be used as a writing tool to help take the place of a good bit of description, and thus contribute to show over tell. So, an outright rejection of cliche use should be tempered (but not much). Also, clever use of a cliche, in poetry in particular, can be absolutely divine. All that said, reliance on cliches is lazy writing (for all of those who take offense at the drop of a sweat bead*, I'm not saying the writer is lazy, but that the writing is lazy--not the same thing). The problem for all of us is cliches tend to just slip in our writing since they are so ingrained in our conversations (even if we don't use them, we hear them all the time) and through our entertainment media. It's a wise writer who looks for cliches when revising/editing and who pays attention when a reviewer points them out. But special kudos to those writers who are skilled enough to use them as literary tools.

*bent cliche

Travis J. Smith · Feb 11, 2009

CaroGirl said:
Um, eyes rolling? Actually, eyes doing any number of fantastic and impossible things, like jumping, falling and running.

Am I the only person that has literally never rolled his eyes in response to someone/something? I've done it for kicks when I have nothing better to do, but it seems like too much work to express what it's meant to. :tongue

CaroGirl · Feb 11, 2009

Travis J. Smith said:
Am I the only person that has literally never rolled his eyes in response to someone/something? I've done it for kicks when I have nothing better to do, but it seems like too much work to express what it's meant to.

These days it's definitely a teenager thing. Eye rolling is a dismissive gesture that says, this person, place, thing, or idea is NOT worth my time or attention. My 17-yo niece has been practising her eye-rolling for several years and has it down to a science.

NeuroFizz · Feb 11, 2009

CaroGirl said:
These days it's definitely a teenager thing. Eye rolling is a dismissive gesture that says, this person, place, thing, or idea is NOT worth my time or attention. My 17-yo niece has been practising her eye-rolling for several years and has it down to a science.

My eight-year-old has it down and uses it frequently. The five-year-old will probably catch on soon.

Rachel · Feb 11, 2009

Just because they bring up a certain mental image doesn't make them cliches. And eyes do burn, eyes can roll (and, unfortunately, do, a lot).
As to the other eye comments, I usually like to use "gaze" or some such word. Because eyes don't dart, true, but a gaze can dart from object to object.
And my eyes are green! And for that reason I never have characters with green/hazel eyes.

If I hate a cliche, it is the "better than she ever expected" line that comes with the first kiss... etc.

NeuroFizz · Feb 11, 2009

...and the male parts that throb in love scenes. I must be missing out--nothing thobs (this is mostly a joke).

Rachel · Feb 11, 2009

tehuti88 · Feb 11, 2009

CaroGirl said:
These days it's definitely a teenager thing. Eye rolling is a dismissive gesture that says, this person, place, thing, or idea is NOT worth my time or attention. My 17-yo niece has been practising her eye-rolling for several years and has it down to a science.

I've been rolling my eyes all my life and I'm 31...or 32...or something like that. :/ (Could've sworn there was a confused emoticon somewhere around here...) I've seen my parents do it too and I'm fairly certain they're not teens. And I do it for reasons other than those cited--for example, when I find something irritating or exasperating or unbelievable. Only teens roll their eyes nowadays? Ah! Look! --->

I've read over this thread and am surprised by what are considered cliches--while they're kind of overused in terms of figurative phrases, they never stick out at me when I read them, and in fact I've used some. I can't think of a phrase so cliched that it wouldn't work in ANY context, though I know there must be one somewhere. Perhaps I'm more forgiving.

That being said, the MC in my fantasy serial cringes to herself (or perhaps she rolls her eyes?--I honestly think that's what she does!) when she thinks of the word "crisp" to describe an autumn day, it's so cliched to her. She's a teenager.

scarletpeaches · Feb 11, 2009

Just, for the love of Zeus, don't roll your eyes AT someone.

Nakhlasmoke · Feb 11, 2009

They might just roll them back...

(yay a game of marbles! Squishy marbles!)

Rachel · Feb 11, 2009

Well, we can roll them at the heavens, 'cause God can put them back quite nicely.

gypsyscarlett · Feb 11, 2009

JTstories said:
Caro picked up on some of my favorites too, eyes can seemingly do ANYTHING! They dance! They burn! They dart this way and that! And why are they so often colored green and hazel in fiction? It's like the go-to color lately.

Hi there,

I have hazel eyes. They're pretty common so I wouldn't find it odd if a character had them. Now violet eyes on the other hand...

Nakhlasmoke · Feb 11, 2009

Yeah, hazel is like a default colour - mine are hazel. And I've seen my eyes change colour from dark brown to green, and one remarkable time, to amber.

So I can buy mood-ring eyes as long as the author doesn't overplay the idea.

Rachel · Feb 11, 2009

Ooh, I hate violet eyes. They are in those romances... *does not read romances - promise*

Nakhlasmoke · Feb 11, 2009

I've only ever seen violet eyes in sporked fanfic...

I must be lucky.

Red.Ink.Rain · Feb 11, 2009

Seriously - no one has violet eyes. I don't care how romantic and prettyful the idea is, NO ONE has them.

*rolls eyes*

Lol.

gypsyscarlett · Feb 11, 2009

Rachel said:
Ooh, I hate violet eyes. They are in those romances... *does not read romances - promise*

Why am I now picturing your bookcase filled with Fabio covered Harlequins? :tongue

Seriously, I never got the violet eye thing. In fantasy- okay. But who has them in real life?

- waits for an AW member to raise their hand.

Beads of sweat (and other clichés that irk you)

Danthia

Also in our Discord and IRC chat channels

Living the dream

Also in our Discord and IRC chat channels

Writing Anarchist

The grad students did it

Witty User Title.

Living the dream

The grad students did it

Stuff and nonsense.

The grad students did it

Stuff and nonsense.

Mackinac Island Fanatic

yes

Stuff and nonsense.

Ma fin est mon commencement

yes

Stuff and nonsense.

yes

Not your kid brother's YA

Ma fin est mon commencement