Cliches?

[SirLancelot]

Newbie here, so possibly a dumb question, but can cliche's be used in dialogue or is that also a no-no?

 

[Bloo]

Clichés are cliché because they work - or at least they worked at one time. They serve as anchorpints in many genres. Sci-Fi has dangerous tech that will Destroy. Us. All; Romance has the cute and clueless guy/girl; Scandi-Noir has Harry Hole.

Don't use too many. Be sure the cliché or trope is relevant. Clichés still in the zeitgeist can be made to work in lots of settings. Whereas, a cliché past its sell-by date works only as the butt of a joke.

Of course, don't use clichés meant to hurt groups of people in a narrative voice. Characters may use them in character. Just make sure you play it as a misguided opinion of that character and not a fact. If it's a hurtful, unfair cliché that you feel a significant number of readers could believe, use your narrative voice to dispel it.

 

[RK Wallis]

This vlog is good:

 

[JohnBertel]

Newbie here, so possibly a dumb question, but can cliche's be used in dialogue or is that also a no-no?

Probably as with other imperfections in the dialogue, they can add realism and character, but may still be annoying to read.

 

[Bloo]

This vlog is good:

Ooh...great resource. And way more precise than my explanation.

I use a cliché (or is it a trope ) to introduce several characters in dialogue. An 18yo boy is annoyed at his 16yo sister's antics, and blurts out, "Klisé amat lo." You're such a cliché. A sledgehammer approach, but 18-year-olds often aren't very subtle.

Broken clichés are fun to read, too. Yet I wonder how long it'll take for that trend to become cliché, as well.

 

[Ed Simnett]

Taking the question to be: can we have characters saying things in dialog like "better to be safe than sorry" or "the grass is always greener"

Dialog is meant to sound um, auth, authentic. It, well most of the, I don't know, well what I mean is that you want to write dialog that is convincing to the reader, not precisely recording what people would say.

ymwv, but I would guess you can get away with one cliche per character per book (unless you are making a real point of it). More than that it is going to get boring fast.

 

[PCFrontier]

Hi Sir Lance,
An interesting debate. I think the answer to your question is personal preference. Everyone will have their own view. I like to use some cliches in my writing and I like to read them in books to. I think cliches add colour and interest. In books and films they can be used to help define a character, produce some humour, or even be used as a good book or film title.
So live and let live, I'm going to have my cake and eat it too.
Paul C

 

[LJ Beck]

Hi SirL! Ah, clichés! Not a dumb question considering the number of cliches that just won't die. It's interesting question about using them in dialogue. My first question would be why? Is it a particular character who always talks in cliches? Or is it a throw away line that isn't character driven? I agree with others that if it's the latter, then maybe not.

I'm not a big fan of reading cliches unless it's done in a clever or unusual way. Meaning, if you turn a cliche on it's head, or change it up to mean something else, or use it at an inappropriate time for humour or tone. Also, I never, ever, enjoy a cliche that diminishes women (or anyone really) like "women drivers" or jokes about a woman's "time of month" etc, etc. That's a book-putter-downer for me.

A few cliches done in different ways, off the top of my head....
"It was raining ducks and fucks on the day my father died."
"The newspaper sold like hotcakes, if hotcakes were as appealing as hokey pokey ice cream on a hot day, which they are not."

 

[LA Thomas]

I think they can help dialogue sound more realistic, because we all use them frequently, but wouldn’t want to overdo it as it might start to bore the reader. I just posted a question on Twitter about cliches and tropes but got 73 replies overnight so had to turn comments off ha ha

 

[Pamela Jo]

Hi SirL! Ah, clichés! Not a dumb question considering the number of cliches that just won't die. It's interesting question about using them in dialogue. My first question would be why? Is it a particular character who always talks in cliches? Or is it a throw away line that isn't character driven? I agree with others that if it's the latter, then maybe not.

I'm not a big fan of reading cliches unless it's done in a clever or unusual way. Meaning, if you turn a cliche on it's head, or change it up to mean something else, or use it at an inappropriate time for humour or tone. Also, I never, ever, enjoy a cliche that diminishes women (or anyone really) like "women drivers" or jokes about a woman's "time of month" etc, etc. That's a book-putter-downer for me.

A few cliches done in different ways, off the top of my head....
"It was raining ducks and fucks on the day my father died."
"The newspaper sold like hotcakes, if hotcakes were as appealing as hokey pokey ice cream on a hot day, which they are not."

I dont know what hokey poky ice cream is -but now I want some. I just had some zuppa inglese gelato. It was not what I expected-tho I didnt really know what was lurking in that label.

 

[Pamela Jo]

I dont know what hokey poky ice cream is -but now I want some. I just had some zuppa inglese gelato. It was not what I expected-tho I didnt really know what to expect.

If you've got readers that like cliches than it's Ok to use them. If you've got readers whose teeth clench -then find a different way to say it. Lyse demonstrated that well. You can use them to illustrate what a dull , annoying fellow your character is-as Shakespeare did with Polonius. The key is to know your reader. They may not be the majority, but if they get you-then cater to them.

The Irish are fantastic at finding their way around cliche's. "As lazy/spoiled as a pet pig." "Close the feckin door! Were you knit by a cat?"" Cant remember who said it now, but the quote goes, "English was wasted on the Brits til the Irish got hold of it."

 

[Hannah F]

If you've got readers that like cliches than it's Ok to use them. If you've got readers whose teeth clench -then find a different way to say it. Lyse demonstrated that well. You can use them to illustrate what a dull , annoying fellow your character is-as Shakespeare did with Polonius. The key is to know your reader. They may not be the majority, but if they get you-then cater to them.

The Irish are fantastic at finding their way around cliche's. "As lazy/spoiled as a pet pig." "Close the feckin door! Were you knit by a cat?"" Cant remember who said it now, but the quote goes, "English was wasted on the Brits til the Irish got hold of it."

"Ah, Jesus, shut the door. Were you born in a barn?"
"Yes," Jesus said, "and laid in a manger."
"Me too," said the chicken.
Jesus did shut the door eventually, but only after the horse had bolted.

 

[Mel L]

On my first job in PR, my boss, a former newspaper editor, reviewed some copy I'd written and asked why I hadn't used simpler language to explain something. I can't remember the example, but he asked me why I hadn't used x instead of y.

"Because it's a cliché and we were taught to avoid them." He gave me a look of profound irritation and said, or words to the effect: "Why the hell not? Clichés are the quickest, easiest way to get something across. Don't waste the reader's time in trying to come up with an original way of saying something when you can use a cliché to get the job done."

Obviously, that was some time ago, and fiction is a different ball game, but I have kept the lesson in mind. Sometimes a tried and true way of saying something is best. Write your dialogue the way people actually speak. Which means the odd cliché is fine!

 

[LA Thomas]

"Ah, Jesus, shut the door. Were you born in a barn?"
"Yes," Jesus said, "and laid in a manger."
"Me too," said the chicken.
Jesus did shut the door eventually, but only after the horse had bolted.

I can imagine the chicken winking as he delivers his line.

 

[PCFrontier]

Some often repeated Si Fi phrases might have become cliches. Or are they catch phrases? Or both?
Hasta La vista baby. I am your father. Beam me up Scottie. ET phone home. I have a bad feeling about this. In space no one can hear you scream. I'll be back. May the force be with you.

Agatha Christie used cliches as book titles such as; Cards on the table, The labours of Hercules and Cat among the pigeons. Ian Fleming adjusted cliches for some of his book titles such as Live and let die, You only live twice, and Diamonds are forever. They sold a lot of books.