Animation Source Forums

Hi guys. I did not know where to place this as this is for my own stories and stuff. I was curious to what is Cliche in stories. Is The high school love thing Cliche?

Questions belong on the main site...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clich%C3%A9

Even though I agree with Mighty that questions should be addressed at the main site, I think that a good discussion about cliches could be very interesting and useful, especially for those of us in the story-telling business. Therefore, I'll put in my two cents about cliches.

First off, cliches are a bit more complicated than simply a definition. Technically, from my dictionary, it is 'a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.' I love this definition because it doesn't gloss over what the real problem of being cliche is: lack of original thought.

I've participated in and read many, many discussions about what is and isn't cliche and how to avoid it. (It comes with the business of writing novels). But the two best points I've heard are (1) cliche doesn't necessarily mean the story is bad. Most times, it's not the cliche, but how the cliche is done. For example, while high school romance is an extremely common theme, adding a twist to it will make it interesting enough that the beginning cliche doesn't really matter. And (2) cliche is cliche because it makes the most sense and is the most predictable path. The best way to avoid cliches is to not use the first idea that comes to mind. Sometimes the second isn't original enough either. It's best to really put some thought into a story and play with dozens of different paths your story could take until you find one that no one will expect, maybe not even you!

Honestly, with the booming entertainment industry, it's very difficult to come up with a completely original idea. No matter what it is, somewhere out there is a book or a movie or a comic book that bares some resemblance, and you may not be away of its existence until someone points it out. It happens all the time to extremely popular writers (for example, JK Rowling, Suzanne Colins, James Cameron, to name a few) whose creations are compared to foreign and/or obscure works that only a small percentage have even heard of, and they have to go through all sorts of legal issues in order to clear the air.

Basically, as long as you aren't using every cliche in one story, one or two is okay and hardly avoidable.

(Here's to hoping discussion will spark up; I thrive on this kind of conversation.)

Cliches are very well known - be it in books, movies or even games. It's an interesting subject. Some people would describe them as sterotypes. A cliche doesn't necessarily make a media bad, but for seasoned readers/watchers/players it removes the surprise of the story.

Some stories / media whatever that give a surprise ending includes :

Where the Red Fern Grows
Hidden text : click to show
Old Yeller
Hidden text : click to show
Here are more
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvF0s5YC4_k

Thank you guys. This will be so helpful towards me and others.

Since it looks like an answer has been given and since this wasn't the right place for the topic, I'd lock it.

.locked