The End of Cliches
January 15, 2013 Leave a comment
via thoughtsfromtheterrace.wordpress.com
Avoid them.
It’s easier said then done. Your editors will thank you for it.
The problem with clichés is that they are everywhere and new ones are “formed” everyday. To be honest, it’s hard to keep up.
An overused expression, a cliché deadens what you are writing and says loud and clear to the reader that you are lazy and can’t be creative. One of my editors told me that when I first started and it scared me pretty good.
By getting away from clichés, you are working to better yourself, not just as a journalist, but as a writer. We don’t usually see ourselves as writers, but we are. We need to be remain consistent with retelling our “stories,” but we need to ensure we are doing it so that people will keep reading it. Basically, we need to entertain the reader without dull articles.
As journalists, we need to have an ear for them, while also having the courage and discipline to stay away from them. Trust me on this, your editors will laugh at you if you continuously use them.
The editors I’ve had for the past year make it a point to call me out. I think they do it for fun, but I know they want me to push myself a bit and just get rid of all the clichés. It’s something I found insanely frustrating, but I liked the challenge.
For all I know, I’ve used them throughout this post. I really couldn’t be sure. I’m still getting my head around them, over a year into this job.
I found a web site dedicated to finding and pinpointing overused phrases here.
There is no easy way with this. I write everyday and sometimes I just don’t have the time to be completely original with all of my wording. Some idioms and phrases become tools to speed up the writing process to ensure you have your stories done on deadline.
If you ever need help, go here or here. Don’t forget to Google if you really get into trouble.
Jonathan
