Cliches in Writing

[Amorosa-Coonarra Coasts]

When we're expected to buy a stupid plot point or ignore a failed storytelling element
because 'it's made for kids'.

[Crysuko]

The Hero discovers a terrible truth and reports it to a higher authority, who then shrugs it off, requiring said Hero to fix it themselves.

[British Starsian Influence]

When the hero loses his identity somehow. That's why it took me a few reads to get into Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; Harry lost everything that made him who he is.

[Xmara]

“It’s the feel-good movie of the year!”

*movie proceeds to rip your heart out*

I hate movies that are labeled as “feel-good” movies. They never make me feel good, and I don’t find the stories to be particularly inspirational. They’re also super cliched.

Seriously, most “feel-good movies” contain at least one (but usually more than one) of these elements:

• A single mom with a kid (usually she’s widowed)
• Kid is usually “wise beyond their years”
• A dog (often some kind of shepherd or retriever)
• A love interest for the single mom (probably the one who has the dog)
• A rural-ish setting (either in the Midwest or the South)
• A tragic event
• The whole community comes together after this major event to help each other out and raise money
• A wedding or a birthday party has to take place at a critical moment
• Religious or spiritual themes
• Someone dies near the end (usually the dog, but if they really want to pull the heartstrings, it’ll be the kid)
• Regardless, the deceased will be remembered as being an inspiration to everyone around them and as “too pure for this sinful Earth”
• At least one person that the deceased impacted will be the town curmudgeon, who will be left with a softer heart and will probably cry the hardest upon learning about the person or pet’s death

[Crysuko]

“It’s the feel-good movie of the year!”

*movie proceeds to rip your heart out*

I hate movies that are labeled as “feel-good” movies. They never make me feel good, and I don’t find the stories to be particularly inspirational. They’re also super cliched.

Seriously, most “feel-good movies” contain at least one (but usually more than one) of these elements:

• A single mom with a kid (usually she’s widowed)
• Kid is usually “wise beyond their years”
• A dog (often some kind of shepherd or retriever)
• A love interest for the single mom (probably the one who has the dog)
• A rural-ish setting (either in the Midwest or the South)
• A tragic event
• The whole community comes together after this major event to help each other out and raise money
• A wedding or a birthday party has to take place at a critical moment
• Religious or spiritual themes
• Someone dies near the end (usually the dog, but if they really want to pull the heartstrings, it’ll be the kid)
• Regardless, the deceased will be remembered as being an inspiration to everyone around them and as “too pure for this sinful Earth”
• At least one person that the deceased impacted will be the town curmudgeon, who will be left with a softer heart and will probably cry the hardest upon learning about the person or pet’s death

Marley and Me traumatised my mother

[Birchland and the NAF]

Overly complex explosive devices. Why do electrically detonated explosives have so many wires and why is disarming them such a puzzle? All there needs to be is two to complete a circuit from the power source to a primary explosive, and cutting or removing either should confound the device. Also, the way movie characters fall when shot is ridiculous, and when hit in the head they don’t bleed much.

[New yugoslavaia]

Overly complex explosive devices. Why do electrically detonated explosives have so many wires and why is disarming them such a puzzle? All there needs to be is two to complete a circuit from the power source to a primary explosive, and cutting or removing either should confound the device. Also, the way movie characters fall when shot is ridiculous, and when hit in the head they don’t bleed much.

Don't forget the digital clocks the terrorists were kind enough to leave for us.

[Chan Island]

Overly complex explosive devices. Why do electrically detonated explosives have so many wires and why is disarming them such a puzzle? All there needs to be is two to complete a circuit from the power source to a primary explosive, and cutting or removing either should confound the device. Also, the way movie characters fall when shot is ridiculous, and when hit in the head they don’t bleed much.

The game Papers, Please had a good subversion of that. At one point a terrorist throws an IED into your booth and you only have 4 wires, which your guard then tells you instantly which ones to cut. All the while complaining about what a crude piece of crap that bomb is and how little he'll actually get on the black market for it.

https://youtu.be/OfM9kT1Hgzk

[Cereskia]

Broken English.

Or

R/Engrish

[New yugoslavaia]

Broken English.

Or

R/Engrish

That’s more just the result of someone not overcoming a language barrier.
Besides, it’s also really funny.

[Voxija]

A species of elves, fairies, spirits, etc. They keep themselves away from/oppose humans due to some racist reason like "humans pollute the environment" or "humans are warmongers". They are usually presented as completely in the right.

[Heaven Hieghts]

A species of elves, fairies, spirits, etc. They keep themselves away from/oppose humans due to some racist reason like "humans pollute the environment" or "humans are warmongers". They are usually presented as completely in the right.

Yeah, I find this particularly obnoxious as well. So one-note as far as depicting conflicts go.

[Crysuko]

A species of elves, fairies, spirits, etc. They keep themselves away from/oppose humans due to some racist reason like "humans pollute the environment" or "humans are warmongers". They are usually presented as completely in the right.

it's a limpwristed attempt at self awareness

[Voxija]

An historical or fantasy setting where people use anachronistic words like "sexist" or "dystopia". Whenever a character in such media uses the word "genocide", I always wonder what terrible thing happened to make people coin that word in the setting.

I feel like a doubleposter.

[Chan Island]

An historical or fantasy setting where people use anachronistic words like "sexist" or "dystopia". Whenever a character in such media uses the word "genocide", I always wonder what terrible thing happened to make people coin that word in the setting.

I feel like a doubleposter.

Political ideologies is the worst for this! Like, you'll get people in a fantasy setting talking about anarchy yet the word wouldn't be coined in our timeline for hundreds of years to come. Or Communism, fascism, dictatorship- even democracy. And, unless you're in a small handful of areas, "republic" is not going to be a viable alternative either so don't even start. Look into political philosophy from those times and the most complex you'll get is ideas about good kings vs tyrants, and about what religion the king should have. Times were simpler, the medieval era was much less complex for human societies.

But ultimately that's something that takes conscious effort to wrap your head around. The modern human is aware of concepts like dystopia, sexism, racism, the abhorrent nature of slavery and would be sure to call attention to them- but humans within these medieval fantasy worlds would not. Even the victim group's members.

[Destyntine]

Normally in a fantasy genre the mentor who provides the hero with what they need always ends up dying despite being the most powerful one in the story. The mentor in this situation is normally a mystical character, who acts almost as a father figure to the hero.

[Xmara]

A species of elves, fairies, spirits, etc. They keep themselves away from/oppose humans due to some racist reason like "humans pollute the environment" or "humans are warmongers". They are usually presented as completely in the right.

Ah yes, the Mary Sue Race.

[Xmara]

I think someone said this one but I’ll just go ahead and say it again.

Male and female character who aren’t on the best of terms are forced to work together to stop the antagonist. Oftentimes, the female character will be super serious and so hyper competent that she’s bordering on being a Mary Sue, while the male character will be decidedly less serious and an all around bumbling oaf. During the course of their mission, they become more and more friendly. This will inevitably lead to romance and they will either be dating or married by the end of the movie/series.

Show me a story where a male and female character are forced to work together to stop the antagonist. Along the way, their feelings for each other grow warmer to the point where they deeply care about each other and would die for each other. But in the end, they remain “just friends,” and not once does it escalate beyond this. No romance. No sex. Just best buddies and nothing more.

[Voxija]

I think someone said this one but I’ll just go ahead and say it again.

Male and female character who aren’t on the best of terms are forced to work together to stop the antagonist. Oftentimes, the female character will be super serious and so hyper competent that she’s bordering on being a Mary Sue, while the male character will be decidedly less serious and an all around bumbling oaf. During the course of their mission, they become more and more friendly. This will inevitably lead to romance and they will either be dating or married by the end of the movie/series.

Show me a story where a male and female character are forced to work together to stop the antagonist. Along the way, their feelings for each other grow warmer to the point where they deeply care about each other and would die for each other. But in the end, they remain “just friends,” and not once does it escalate beyond this. No romance. No sex. Just best buddies and nothing more.

That's why I like The Pelican Brief. The main characters go through life and limb and share a platonic hug at the end.

[Amorosa-Coonarra Coasts]

I think someone said this one but I’ll just go ahead and say it again.

Male and female character who aren’t on the best of terms are forced to work together to stop the antagonist. Oftentimes, the female character will be super serious and so hyper competent that she’s bordering on being a Mary Sue, while the male character will be decidedly less serious and an all around bumbling oaf. During the course of their mission, they become more and more friendly. This will inevitably lead to romance and they will either be dating or married by the end of the movie/series.

Show me a story where a male and female character are forced to work together to stop the antagonist. Along the way, their feelings for each other grow warmer to the point where they deeply care about each other and would die for each other. But in the end, they remain “just friends,” and not once does it escalate beyond this. No romance. No sex. Just best buddies and nothing more.

That's why I like The Pelican Brief. The main characters go through life and limb and share a platonic hug at the end.

Spiderverse did this too.

[Stellar Colonies]

I think someone said this one but I’ll just go ahead and say it again.

Male and female character who aren’t on the best of terms are forced to work together to stop the antagonist. Oftentimes, the female character will be super serious and so hyper competent that she’s bordering on being a Mary Sue, while the male character will be decidedly less serious and an all around bumbling oaf. During the course of their mission, they become more and more friendly. This will inevitably lead to romance and they will either be dating or married by the end of the movie/series.

Show me a story where a male and female character are forced to work together to stop the antagonist. Along the way, their feelings for each other grow warmer to the point where they deeply care about each other and would die for each other. But in the end, they remain “just friends,” and not once does it escalate beyond this. No romance. No sex. Just best buddies and nothing more.

Both tropes are annoying, especially when I can see it coming.

[Mun Slleackst]

I hate it when writers feel the need to pander to SJWs and moral guardians who complain incessantly about anything or anyone they don't like.

Just make a good story, goddammit.

I know right, people should make whatever they want without the SJWs cracking down on everything. I can’t escape movies or TV shows without a forced political message being shoved down my throat or some LGBTQ+ representation thrown into it from completely nowhere

[Cannot think of a name]

Technically not a cliche, but I generally dislike romance in fiction. Idk why, but any time I reach a part in a book or a movie that involves romance, all I can think is "when will they get back to the actual story?" And love triangles are the worst.

Good lord, every time you get coverage or notes on a script that has a male and female character that spends any amount of time together but don't hook up there's a pile of notes about 'why aren't they getting together?' At this point I practically have a practiced speech about how platonic relationships between men and women happen and need to be shown more often and the conceit of When Harry Met Sally has been poison.

[Chan Island]

I hate it when writers feel the need to pander to SJWs and moral guardians who complain incessantly about anything or anyone they don't like.

Just make a good story, goddammit.

I know right, people should make whatever they want without the SJWs cracking down on everything. I can’t escape movies or TV shows without a forced political message being shoved down my throat or some LGBTQ+ representation thrown into it from completely nowhere

Eh, this is something that could spark a whole discussion of its own. But virtually all media has some kind of message and that is unescapable.

The trick is in doing it well. Great writing makes you feel like you have learned something, even if you disagree. A lot of movies right now, not so much.

[Marionsburgh]

- Love Traingles

- Toxic behaviors in relationships are justified as being protective/possessive

- and although it isn't common in foreign media, Romantic-Comedies that ends up being a full on Action flick.