Cliches Kill Your Writing – “Please Stop Winking” on Romance University
We all have our tendencies as writers, but when do those tendencies become distractions to readers? Do our tendencies come at the expense of strong characterization? Can a simple gesture like winking be a cliché? How important is avoiding clichés in your writing?
TWA’s Harrison Demchick explores the consequences of shorthand in fiction in his new guest post at Romance University. Shorthand gestures like winking, Harrison explains, are too easy—universal, but obvious. In that respect they’re not much different than clichés like “a chill ran down his spine.” Readers understand what they mean, but only because they’ve been used a million times by other authors.