Literature Book Cliches

Lumeneire

Lumeneire

Seeker of Stories
Hello all.


One day I would like to write a novel and having read a lot of books myself, I know there are a lot of cliches, genres and characters that are over done.


So here is a discussion I would like to open, not just for myself, but for other people out there that would like to write and would like some insight from potential readers.


This would also be a good place to find out about books, films and games you have never heard of.


So is there a favourite book of yours you would like to bring up?


A book or film story line you hate?


A genre that hasn't been written about enough?


What can be done to make the main characters more interesting and captivating?


etc....
 
What always tends to like and even love the character portrayed in the story is the little details, the ones that people overlook. And subtle humor.


Like for instance; Sally is a vampire, who spends most of her time indoors. Because of a fear of being alone, literally, she surrounds herself with dolls. Usually small and plastic or porcelain, she models them off of real human beings. One in particular was her favorite, the lead singer of the Three Doors Down. Which she lives three doors down from one of the band members. She made sure she intentionally lived there.


Something like that. It brings out the little quirks and habits that I adore in characters, no matter what genre they come from. ^w^


I hate it thought, when authors tend to use the cliche's about description. Like...describing the scene, only to point out something that is blatantly obvious. "She was scared of the outside. The outside scared her so much, that it scared her. Scary..."


I know, not that blatant. But you get the idea, right?
 
Hello! I'd like to give you some pointers about topics/settings/outlines, whatever you prefer to call them.


Some readers like things that are different, quirky, strange... Infinite and beyond. For example, it's okay to use popular genres, but it may be pretty cool to bring out a different side of them... Bring out the little details, as EuRo had said.


You can also try to give your favorite towns and cities an entirely new identity. For example, I used to live in Seattle, but I'd like to paint it a new color, so to say. Throw in your own creepy twists, as in... Plop Slenderman by the space needle, interact with him and his surlroundings. Paint him a new color!
 
Thank you everyone for your input, it's giving me a great insight as to what readers really want to see in their fiction.
 
I know this isn't awfully helpful, but I'd suggest at least making it a goal to make the characters relatable. You may choose to do that realistically or unrealistically, but it will go a long way towards making the character a success. As much as I personally hate the Twilight series, part of its fame was due to a character who was so incredibly shallow millions of totally different, unique people found themselves reflected in her. Her name is literally Beautiful Swan, so it was a favorable shell to assume.


But what really is remarkable is when characters with unique backgrounds, powerful personalities, original world views and convincing, realistic faults and strengths are still relatable to millions of totally different people, without needing to resort to a void. The Song of Ice and Fire is in part so popular because, while the characters belong to a totally foreign world with an overwhelming historical theme, nearly every one is their very own person, to the point where you could imagine your own friends and acquaintances and even yourself growing up to become like some or one of them were you to live in that world and culture and family. Similarity and concord among humans in a time of great difference and disparity is always more striking and rich than resemblances found where they are obvious and expected.


And have something to say. You'd be surprised how hard it can be these days to answer the pretty simple question, "Now that you've read this work of fiction, have you discovered something new?" This is why clichés are old. And yet a book that follows a conventional formula, while adding surprises and clever twists, even satirizing the platitudes every now and then, is fresh and welcome among most readers. We don't dislike predictability itself, or traditional styles, or even something we've seen before. Well over three-fourths of all post-1950 fantasy in all mediums (including D&D) is just a blatant rip-off of Tolkien; that doesn't necessarily mean it lacks quality. What we dislike is finishing a book right where we started.


Many readers turn to authors to learn something, to find something, to see something, to feel something, that they have not experienced before. Every person and every author has the potential to be unique. If you put yourself into it and avoid following the precise footsteps of one or two inspirations, if you involve your own beliefs and interests and words, you are bound to offer the reader some nugget of wisdom or creativity or quality or beauty that sticks. Every single one of those nuggets gives your product enormous worth, and you learn a lot yourself in the process of writing them :)
 
Well, personally i would say that one way to make a character more captivating is to give them some weaknesses, and sadly, especially when it comes to strong female characters, this simple fact is overlooked.


What makes a character interesting? their personality, skills and weaknesses and how these traits resonate with their environment and situation, and what makes a character strong? overcoming obstacles of course, and what are obstacles? thing they struggle to overcome, so they must somehow appeal to their weaknesses.


I have seen dozens of books, movies, games etc... where male characters are fully fleshed out, given personalities, weaknesses, a sense of humor etc... however, especially with female characters, in the mad rush to make a "Strong female lead" things like weaknesses and traits other than "She's a badass" are all forgotten, and just having her beat up 50 guys in 2 seconds doesn't make her a strong female, because she's not overcoming anything of any value as a threat, she might as well be kicking mice and saying she's tough.


I'm sorry if my "Picking on" female characters in books, movies etc... might seem hurtful or offensive, however I have noticed this trait in female characters far more often than male characters.


But don't make your characters too weak either, I have tried roleplaying with girls who make their characters a timid little sack of scared, and this makes the characters honestly repulsive, of no value, even if you want your character to start out weak and get stronger as the story progresses, they should always, always, ALWAYS have at least some kind of a backbone.


And don't give them a token fear, like a fear of spiders, so every 5 minutes they need to find some way for them to be around a spider so they can be scared for 4 minutes, make their weaknesses passive, almost everyday, for example, no matter how strong someone is, they will still be nervous when going on a date or going for a job interview, add in these simple, common things into your characters as well, make them relateable.


Also, some Cliches can be "Glanced" but not taken in entirely, for example, the cliche of the hero saving the heroine, this Cliche is common and for good reason, however, you can avoid really being caught by this cliche if they have to somehow work as a team (Eg: he has to take the key off the bad guy, and throw the key to her so she can get out of her cell while he fights the baddie, and once she's out, she stabs the baddie in the back)
 
bettsyboy said:
Well, personally i would say that one way to make a character more captivating is to give them some weaknesses, and sadly, especially when it comes to strong female characters, this simple fact is overlooked.
What makes a character interesting? their personality, skills and weaknesses and how these traits resonate with their environment and situation, and what makes a character strong? overcoming obstacles of course, and what are obstacles? thing they struggle to overcome, so they must somehow appeal to their weaknesses.


I have seen dozens of books, movies, games etc... where male characters are fully fleshed out, given personalities, weaknesses, a sense of humor etc... however, especially with female characters, in the mad rush to make a "Strong female lead" things like weaknesses and traits other than "She's a badass" are all forgotten, and just having her beat up 50 guys in 2 seconds doesn't make her a strong female, because she's not overcoming anything of any value as a threat, she might as well be kicking mice and saying she's tough.


I'm sorry if my "Picking on" female characters in books, movies etc... might seem hurtful or offensive, however I have noticed this trait in female characters far more often than male characters.


But don't make your characters too weak either, I have tried roleplaying with girls who make their characters a timid little sack of scared, and this makes the characters honestly repulsive, of no value, even if you want your character to start out weak and get stronger as the story progresses, they should always, always, ALWAYS have at least some kind of a backbone.


And don't give them a token fear, like a fear of spiders, so every 5 minutes they need to find some way for them to be around a spider so they can be scared for 4 minutes, make their weaknesses passive, almost everyday, for example, no matter how strong someone is, they will still be nervous when going on a date or going for a job interview, add in these simple, common things into your characters as well, make them relateable.


Also, some Cliches can be "Glanced" but not taken in entirely, for example, the cliche of the hero saving the heroine, this Cliche is common and for good reason, however, you can avoid really being caught by this cliche if they have to somehow work as a team (Eg: he has to take the key off the bad guy, and throw the key to her so she can get out of her cell while he fights the baddie, and once she's out, she stabs the baddie in the back)
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Thank you. That was a really nice insight as to how people view female characters. I agree completely. I tend to read books with strong female leads and although they are often set in different times, with different genres, all of the female leads are exactly the same. They never really seem to fear anything or they over come their fears quickly with the same outcome. In films it seems they are either the damsel or completely kick ass and someone out there needs to find the perfect formula to strike a medium. 


Quill said:
I know this isn't awfully helpful, but I'd suggest at least making it a goal to make the characters relatable. You may choose to do that realistically or unrealistically, but it will go a long way towards making the character a success. As much as I personally hate the Twilight series, part of its fame was due to a character who was so incredibly shallow millions of totally different, unique people found themselves reflected in her. Her name is literally Beautiful Swan, so it was a favorable shell to assume.
But what really is remarkable is when characters with unique backgrounds, powerful personalities, original world views and convincing, realistic faults and strengths are still relatable to millions of totally different people, without needing to resort to a void. The Song of Ice and Fire is in part so popular because, while the characters belong to a totally foreign world with an overwhelming historical theme, nearly every one is their very own person, to the point where you could imagine your own friends and acquaintances and even yourself growing up to become like some or one of them were you to live in that world and culture and family. Similarity and concord among humans in a time of great difference and disparity is always more striking and rich than resemblances found where they are obvious and expected.


And have something to say. You'd be surprised how hard it can be these days to answer the pretty simple question, "Now that you've read this work of fiction, have you discovered something new?" This is why clichés are old. And yet a book that follows a conventional formula, while adding surprises and clever twists, even satirizing the platitudes every now and then, is fresh and welcome among most readers. We don't dislike predictability itself, or traditional styles, or even something we've seen before. Well over three-fourths of all post-1950 fantasy in all mediums (including D&D) is just a blatant rip-off of Tolkien; that doesn't necessarily mean it lacks quality. What we dislike is finishing a book right where we started.


Many readers turn to authors to learn something, to find something, to see something, to feel something, that they have not experienced before. Every person and every author has the potential to be unique. If you put yourself into it and avoid following the precise footsteps of one or two inspirations, if you involve your own beliefs and interests and words, you are bound to offer the reader some nugget of wisdom or creativity or quality or beauty that sticks. Every single one of those nuggets gives your product enormous worth, and you learn a lot yourself in the process of writing them :)
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This was a very insightful and interesting read. I agree that all fantasy these days are the same. They are based on the two great epic fantasies of times passed. Lord of the Rings and The Wheel of Time. These were great landmarks for fantasy writing and all others have just stemmed off of the ideas.


When I create a character, I strive to give them rich pasts and unique character traits. When I read a book, my favourite characters are the strangest ones, the ones that don't quite fit together properly and this can lead to incredible plot twists and great interactions. It's a shame more authors don't strive to write out side of the box so to speak.
 
Lumeneire said:
So is there a favourite book of yours you would like to bring up?
Click to expand...
I personally loved Jurassic Park. Many things were changed from the movies, and you feel some sort of a special connection to some characters, even two of the raptors and a baby triceratops (SPOILER - Named Ralph). Some moments are intense, even if you know what will happen because they didn't change much in the movie. Many scenes from the book were removed and used in later movies.

Lumeneire said:
A book or film story line you hate?
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Birdemic: Shock And Terror.


Watch the JonTrons review of this movie, or CinemaSins' review.
 
Being someone who enjoys watching exceedingly gory movies I find it irking when romance is used in a story that would have no use of it. Don't get me wrong, romance can be an amazing factor in books however it makes me agitated when a character falls in love during an apocalypse or traumatic event of sorts.


Allow me to explain:


We see themes of love throughout most of the books we read and while most are relevant there are various books which would still succeed without the blatant nod towards romance and appalling usage of love triangles. I have to SCOUR libraries for a horror book that doesn't involve any sort of forbidden romance not because I despise it but because it IS NOT NEEDED. Emily is not going to fall in love with Jack if they're being chased by a psychopathic murderer, it is something that isn't realistic.


Now, if an author can execute a love story properly without the 'perfect boyfriend/girlfriend' stereotype then I certainly would not mind reading it but it seems that due to the younger demographic {with me being a part of aforementioned demographic} certain authors take the safe way out and throw in random love stories where they are not needed.
 
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Darkiplier said:
I personally loved Jurassic Park. Many things were changed from the movies, and you feel some sort of a special connection to some characters, even two of the raptors and a baby triceratops (SPOILER - Named Ralph). Some moments are intense, even if you know what will happen because they didn't change much in the movie. Many scenes from the book were removed and used in later movies.
Birdemic: Shock And Terror.


Watch the JonTrons review of this movie, or CinemaSins' review.
Click to expand...
I love CinemaSins and JonTron.


Their reviews of Birdemic were hilarious.
 
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