A Writer's Perspective
by Beth K. Vogt

Heard It All Before
April 14, 2006

Cliches.

Tired, worn out, overused phrases like: I felt as limp as spaghetti noodles or She looked like a deer in the headlights or You're growing like a weed. Give 'em a rest, writers. Better yet, banish them from your writing. It's okay if cliches show up in your first draft. As author Angela Hunt says, "Give yourself permission to write a lousy first draft." But cliches should be long-gone before you submit an article. Cliches are often our first effort at saying something. They are rarely our best effort. Go ahead, write She was spinning her wheels, but determine to shoot past that cliche and write something fresh. What happens when someone reads your brilliant essay and comes across a cliche? Her brain goes on auto-pilot as her eyes skitter across the oh-too-familiar words. She disengages from your writing, thinking, "I've read this yada-yada-yada before." (And yes, yada-yada-yada is a cliche.) Weak writing loses readers. Your goal is to avoid that at all costs! (Oops! Another cliche!)

Wonder if your writing is cliche-ridden?

Check out www.clichesite.com

<<back to list