Stop the cliches!

You know, it's funny, none of that bothers me very much. Well, unless it's poorly-written. I love the tortured MC, whether it's one who drinks too much, one who's haunted by a past, who's still in love with someone... I dunno.

The only one that really makes me is where the man gets all the women. All of them. Always. They're all in love with him. Forever. And yet are willing to get into bed with him with no emotional repercussions whatever.

Otherwise, as long as it's well-written, I'm good.

gp101 said:

Okay, I've read so many crime/police/procedural/mysteries/thrillers in my life that certain archetypes have been burned into my brain. And along with the real-life cops I know, I get it. A fair number of cops and/or detectives like to drink (maybe too much). Some have a haunting past and can't matriculate normally into society.

But God help me, I don't want to read about another cop/detective/agent who:

1. is an alcoholic
2. has an ex s/he still hasn't gotten over
3. LOVES the Blues
4. Can barely speak in full sentences, due to his/her inferiority complex and/or historical demons or emotional ties to other characters
5. breaks ALL the rules ALL the time
6. Is in trouble with the suits ranking above him/her
7. Gets every lady (or man, though that might just be different), especially in the middle of a case
8. refers to victims as VIC or dead bodies as DB's, Gun Shot Wounds as GSR's and other TV jargon
9. Takes the hardest route because he or she is hard or that's the most heroic way to do it
10. Uses the terms "Showtime" or "Let's Roll" or "Let's Do This."

Gosh, this couch feels comfortable. Glad I could let all that out. Any other cliches some of you are tired of? These ranting-couch rates are very reasonable.

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You just described both of my books and my MC. (Except of #'s 3, 4, 7, & 10) Granted, there are a lot of cliches out there, and they do get old. I'm with HJ on this one. I like my characters flawed, it makes them more human, someone you can identify with as you read the book. If you have a cop who is picture perfect, has no vices, has no problems, what have you got? A pretty boring character, one the reader would lose interest in, and wouldn't care about.

My MC, Kelli, is a recovering alcoholic, has issues with following the rules, and is still in love with her ex-husband. She never takes the easy way out, and is constantly pushing the envelope. Apparently there are a number of people that love this type of character. *


*Reviews

This is part of the reason why I cannot stand to watch TV crime shows. I understand the concept of a flawed hero but every character has an ex or three, one or more estranged children who are now teenagers or adults, shocking incidents in their past they cannot talk about, etc.

archerjoe said:

This is part of the reason why I cannot stand to watch TV crime shows. I understand the concept of a flawed hero but every character has an ex or three, one or more estranged children who are now teenagers or adults, shocking incidents in their past they cannot talk about, etc.

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I love these shows, but then, I can identify with a lot of the characters. Maybe that's why I like them. (Married and divorced 3 times, grown children, ex-cop)

That is a completely accurate description of Bruce Willis in Die Hard. LOL

You're only really in trouble if you hit more than half of those.

neilfriske said:

That is a completely accurate description of Bruce Willis in Die Hard. LOL

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So true!

I'm with HJ, as long as the story is well-written none of that bothers me.

I've got to take exception to #3 since the protagonists in my debut novel (and soon to be released #2 in the series) feature a dynamic duo of blues harmonica playing crime fighters. So by default they do LOVE the blues.

Nope, you call them cliches, I call them real life characters. I think it's always best to write real life characters who speak real life dialogue, and if it comes off as cliche to some, well, go find another genre.

Huh, I like that list. My MC doesn't exhibit any of those cliched qualities, best I can tell.

But many real humans do, so I'm not overly fussed if someone else's MC does. As long as done well, as people have said.

gp101 said:

1. is an alcoholic

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Does it count if he doesn't admit it?

lizmonster said:

Does it count if he doesn't admit it?

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Absolutely! If he admitted it, he wouldn't be an alcoholic.

Denial is not a river in Egypt.


(I've been waiting a long time to use that.)

Ken Hoss said:

Absolutely! If he admitted it, he wouldn't be an alcoholic.

Denial is not a river in Egypt.


(I've been waiting a long time to use that.)

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CLICHE! I FOUND ONE! RIGHT UP THERE!! ^^^^

The hard-drinkin' PI stereotype is not like any alcoholic I've ever known, so I guess I'd say the problematic stereotype is the "alcoholic who drinks constantly and still manages to solve the crime and get the girl." THAT one does, in fact, make my eyes roll back in my head.

(And I don't think my MC is an alcoholic, yet. But he's putting his back into it.)

Here's an example from one of the shows with an acronym for its name:

The team arrives at the crime scene. The camera lingers on the facial expressions of one of the supporting characters so we now know the writers have decided to expand his backstory. The supporting character (SC) sees a piece of paper with a phone number. With a pained expression on his face, he pockets the evidence. Lots of lingering shots of him avoiding eye contact with main character.

SC drives home and sees he has a message from the same phone number from the crime scene. "Hi, it's Mandy. I know it's been a long time. You forgot your own daughter's birthday again. Not that she expects anything from you but could you try sometimes? And one more thing: I thought you should know Larry is out of prison."

Flashback: it's dark, and two people are hiding while police with flashlights sweep the area. They're spotted and they try to run away.

SC drives to a liquor store and sits in the parking lot. We can see the light from the blinking neon sign reflected off his glasses. He grips the steering wheel until his knuckles turn white.

Flashback continued: Two people running from the cops. One trips, the other keeps running. The one who tripped is hauled away in the cop car. The one who gets away: the supporting character.

Sun comes up to SC on the floor with an empty bottle next to him. Another message on his answering machine.

"Hi, this is Larry. I'm a free man now. Haven't seen you in a while, buddy. What's it been, ten years? Kind of disappointed you didn't visit me. Just found out about you and Mandy. Now that you're not together anymore, I can confess I've always had a thing for her. Nice lady like that shouldn't be living all alone."

SC takes box down from top shelf of his bedroom closet. It has a non-regulation pistol. He checks the clip and stashes it in his pocket. Lingering shot of his car driving down the highway before fading out to commercial.

Back at the station, a <hot!> female cop from another department stops in. She complains the SC stood her up. They had a hot date planned. She can't reach him at home, either.

Nerdy tech with strange hairstyle bursts in. "I debugged the memory chip from the phone at the crime scene and traced the last number. It belongs to Mandy Johnson. A little more digging and, <insert nerdy catch phrase here>! She's <support character>'s ex-wife."

"Which one? He's got two of them."

"Actually, she's ex number three. She lives in <nearby city>. I tried calling but there's no answer."

Main character adjusts his sunglasses and says his corny catch phrase, something like "Load 'em up, let's move!"

<fade to commercial. Certain viewer turns off TV and decides to catch up on AW.>

Cliches are there for a reason right? Huh, cliche right there. Well...

But they are. And as mentioned, MCs are supposed to be flawed, if only to make them human. Also to make them relatable to readers, who are, without a doubt, flawed as well.

gell214 said:

Cliches are there for a reason right? Huh, cliche right there. Well...

But they are. And as mentioned, MCs are supposed to be flawed, if only to make them human. Also to make them relatable to readers, who are, without a doubt, flawed as well.

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Completely agree. Nobody is perfect.

Sooner or later, everything becomes cliche. All in due time.*


*cliche

Ken Hoss said:

Sooner or later, everything becomes cliche. All in due time.*
*cliche

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True.

Also, maybe a good thing to do is too keep a check list of these cliches. Put a check on those you use and stop at a reasonable number. This way, the character won't be a cliche himself, but rather he just has some cliche characteristics. Big difference, in my opinion. then you could sprinkle in some uncommon characteristics to make him stand out from cliche characters.

I'm with the others who say if it's well-written, I'll read almost anything.

That being said, I did pick up a book not too long ago that had a cop who was recently divorced and a problem drinker because of it, and it gave me a bit of an eye roll. I think, though, for me that if there is originality in the story, too, I can overlook a few cliches.

ETA: I will say I'm a little tired of psychopaths. Not so much in books, but TV shows. I watched one yesterday about a stalker and they kept referring to him as a psychopath, and all I could think was you know, most stalkers aren't necessarily psychopaths! I like them if they're done in an interesting and original way, but I'd like to see a villain who isn't a psychopath, and it seems like lately that's harder to come by.

kaitie said:

I'm with the others who say if it's well-written, I'll read almost anything.

That being said, I did pick up a book not too long ago that had a cop who was recently divorced and a problem drinker because of it, and it gave me a bit of an eye roll. I think, though, for me that if there is originality in the story, too, I can overlook a few cliches.

ETA: I will say I'm a little tired of psychopaths. Not so much in books, but TV shows. I watched one yesterday about a stalker and they kept referring to him as a psychopath, and all I could think was you know, most stalkers aren't necessarily psychopaths! I like them if they're done in an interesting and original way, but I'd like to see a villain who isn't a psychopath, and it seems like lately that's harder to come by.

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Agree. Not all stalkers are psychopaths, just as all psychopaths are not stalkers. I just happen to be one of those anomolies, I'm both.

archerjoe said:

This is part of the reason why I cannot stand to watch TV crime shows. I understand the concept of a flawed hero but every character has an ex or three, one or more estranged children who are now teenagers or adults, shocking incidents in their past they cannot talk about, etc.

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The increase in occurrence of characters like this are why I can't stand to watch TV crime shows: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PerkyGoth

kaitie said:

I'm with the others who say if it's well-written, I'll read almost anything.
....
ETA: I will say I'm a little tired of psychopaths. Not so much in books, but TV shows. ...

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, I am glad to see that I am not alone.

My absolute pet hate is the fact that every journalist in crime fiction is an immoral grasping oily creature, ready to sell his/her mother for a barely stood up story. Ehm... Reporting the news is a job! I read a crime novel where 3 young girls are killed in a very public fashion in a small area and the chief of police throws the newspaper down on the table and groans, the press are all over it! We must have a leak ! How else could they find out? O I dunno... The crime scene tape on the main road? The large police presence beside the body bag? Twitter? Sigh. (disclaimer... I'm an oily creature by trade)