Overused plot devices

[Jennasis]

What, in your opinion, are some really overused (perhaps cliche') plot devices? Killing off the main character (he/she selflessly sacrifices themselves for the greater good)? Killing off the plucky sidekick or comic relief to give the hero something worth fighting for? Farmboy turns out to be the true king? Villain is the hero's dad/brother/father/mother?

What do you think has been used ad nauseum?

[novelette]

Disease of the week.

[alleycat]

The heretofore unknown twin did it.

[alleycat]

The house they're moved into just happens to be the exact house the MC lived in as a child and where something terrible happened . . . but she can't exactly remember what.

[alleycat]

Amnesia. If it were as common in real life as it is in books and movies it would be as common as the flu.

[alleycat]

It wasn't a dream after all!

[maestrowork]

The good guy/uncle/neighbor/father/etc. turns out to be the big bad wolf. It's not really a plot twist, sir -- because everyone has it figured out already.

[regdog]

The MC is dying-looks damn good doing it-finds true love with a selfish person who becomes a great person because of the dying person. Can't someone stay a selfish jerk from beginning to end?

The 'misunderstanding' that causes the true loves to be apart until one learns the truth accidentally.

[alleycat]

The device that will end life as we know it is small; very, very small . . . and can be hidden anywhere! And the MC doesn't know he's in possession of it.

Thanks to Robert McKee for that one.

[maestrowork]

The count-down. Ooh, the bomb is going off in 24 hours and we don't know where it is. Oooh, the asteroid is coming and we have 36 hours. Ooooh, you have exactly 12 hours to live unless you find the secret of the universe.

[Toothpaste]

Kickass female characters that no one can beat.

Women meeting men who are scoundrels, but then they change them.

[regdog]

The heretofore unknown twin did it.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l117/regdog/aad4f305.jpg

[regdog]

It wasn't a dream after all!

or it really was a dream

Women meeting men who are scoundrels, but then they change them.
gag

[Ciera_]

The horrible selfish b**** of a character turns out to be just scared and insecure on the inside and soon becomes nice and fluffy towards the MC

The father left when MC was a child, is now returning to complicate everyone's lives

Oh wait, those are both cliches that I've used. Those are the biggest, scariest ones, though. And isn't there an argument for a good, reusable device? *scared now, of cliches transforming my book into a hideous blob of predictable drama*

The whole 'chosen one' thing. Any time someone is any type of 'chosen one' or special force that was born to rival a great evil...wait, what am I saying? I was fine with it in Harry Potter and Buffy.

Okay, I'm out of cliches to condemn.

[Fox The Cave]

"HE WANTED TO BE CAUGHT!"

[Priene]

Ooooh, you have exactly 12 hours to live unless you find the secret of the universe.

Actually, that happened to me once.

[Karen Duvall]

Mysterious portals and quests for magical objects.

[maestrowork]

Rich girl, poor boy.

[Shar-Jan]

The good guys winning at the end

The bad guys winning at the end

[Karen Duvall]

Rich girl, poor boy.

Poor girl, rich boy. :ROFL:

[Clair Dickson]

By the time the MC figures out who has the missing information, the bad guy has already kidnapped/killed that character.

When the bad guy lays out his whole plan to the MC who finally caught up with him. "So, why'd you do it?" MC asked. "Well, since you caught me..."

The kid brought in to provide sympathy and a leverage point against the childless, loner MC.

[IdiotsRUs]

The count-down. Ooh, the bomb is going off in 24 hours and we don't know where it is. Oooh, the asteroid is coming and we have 36 hours. Ooooh, you have exactly 12 hours to live unless you find the secret of the universe.

Flash! I love you! But we only have 14 hours to save the Earth!

And the timer always ends on 0:01 a la Galaxy Quest

[Nakhlasmoke]

Yay I think I've done all of these except for two. Awesomesauce!

Do I get a medal? *grins*

Stories where some poor wench is sold off into marriage, is basically raped by the "hero" but somehow later falls in love with his Darkity Dark Broodiness.

[maestrowork]

Man and woman hate each other. Then they fall madly in love because of some really trivial reasons... like, "oh, she's HAWT!"

[Deccydiva]

Rich man gets involved with hooker but she's really a college girl in disguise... therefore acceptable and in due course - HEA.:scared:
'scuse me while I leave the room to be sick...

*guess which movie I've watched recently*

[Priene]

Oh Mr Darcy, I never realised under that rude, stilted, aristocratic demeanour you had a raging passion for clever, independent, petticoated little me. Now we can marry and then I'll be joint-controller of half of Oxfordshire.

[regdog]

Any hooker with the heart of gold

Understanding and acceptance through dance-:Wha:

Rich people are clueless working class is great

[Phaeal]

Do any of these things well, and you may have a bestseller on your hands. Good old boy meets girl aka the romance novel is still the biggest slice in the genre lit pie and constantly jumps to mainstream and even lit'ry novels.

That said, it seems like every other fantasy story I beta concerns an ordinary person who falls/slips/is sucked into an alternate reality where he or she is the only one who can save that reality (and usually his or her own reality, too.)

What I'd like to see are some more stable realities. You know, ones not about to fall to the forces of EVIL.

Those forces of EVIL kind of annoy me, too.

;)

[Phaeal]

Oh Mr Darcy, I never realised under that rude, stilted, aristocratic demeanour you had a raging passion for clever, independent, petticoated little me. Now we can marry and then I'll be joint-controller of half of Oxfordshire.

Darcy's estate of Pemberley is in Devonshire. That makes all the difference, you know.

[Priene]

Darcy's estate of Pemberley is in Devonshire. That makes all the difference, you know.

Bet he owned one in Oxfordshire as well. He just forgot to mention it.

[Priene]

I'm a cop on my last day, and all I've got to show for eighty-seven years on the job is a cheap pension and lousy gold watch. There's no chance a serial killer will turn up after lunch and start placing explosive devices around the city.

[Charlie Horse]

Father/Mother is pushing their son/daughter to live out their dreams that were squandered. However, son/daughter have an altogether different passion that is distinctly opposite from what their father/mother wants for them.

For example: Father was a boxer but lost his vision in one eye before he could fight his way to glory. Son has talent in the ring but is secretly gay and wants to be a fashion designer.

Sounds like every Disney channel movie ever made.

[maestrowork]

Maverick coach inspires a bunch of underachieving kids to victory and glory. Boohah!

[Mike Martyn]

Girl dresses up as boy to get close to man she loves

Man is attracted to "boy' and is much relieved when "boy" turns out to be girl.

Hey it worked for Shakespeare in the Merchant of Venice!

Of course back then all female parts were played by boys so it would have been a boy pretending to be a girl pretending to be a boy...

[maestrowork]

Girl dresses up as boy to get close to man she loves

Man is attracted to "boy' and is much relieved when "boy" turns out to be girl.

Hey it worked for Shakespeare in the Merchant of Venice!

Of course back then all female parts were played by boys so it would have been a boy pretending to be a girl pretending to be a boy...

That's the exact plot of Victor/Victoria where James Garner was all concerned because he was attracted to Victor, only to be relieved that he was actually Victoria!

[tehuti88]

I'm pretty accepting of almost anything if it's done in an interesting way--hey!--some of my characters have amnesia, it happens!--and the good twin/bad twin archetype is straight out of mythologies all over the world! But...

TAVERN BRAWL SCENES! Seriously, there have been enough of those in fantasy and just about everywhere else. Stop the madness. I swear, writers everywhere must get stuck and then think, "I know, I'll throw in a bar fight and that'll make it more interesting!" *gag*

[Deccydiva]

TAVERN BRAWL SCENES! Seriously, there have been enough of those in fantasy and just about everywhere else. Stop the madness. I swear, writers everywhere must get stuck and then think, "I know, I'll throw in a bar fight and that'll make it more interesting!" *gag*

Visit any pub in Ireland on a Friday or Saturday night ;) It's a given.

[IdiotsRUs]

But that's what pubs are for!

[Judg]

The man off in the shadows watching his lady-love with some other man and totally misinterpreting it. I stopped reading an entire series because of that kind of scene in the first volume. Blech! Of course, that fed into the whole misunderstanding between wannabe lovers who each think the other doesn't care... More blech!

Anytime anybody says something and it's obvious immediately that the precise opposite is going to happen. Or anytime they are perfectly 100% wrong and the author wants you to know it. Unless it's campy humour.

[Queen of Swords]

The man off in the shadows watching his lady-love with some other man and totally misinterpreting it. I stopped reading an entire series because of that kind of scene in the first volume.

I was planning a scene in a future book where the protagonist sees the woman he's interested in, entwined in an embrace with his rival. She's kissing him and feeling him up and obviously really into it.

She's also the protagonist's guest at the time, so after she disentangles herself, she goes back to his house. He's not speaking to her at first, so she asks what's wrong. He tries to be calm and mature about it and says, I know you have the right to be with any man you choose, but be careful with that guy. He's not to be trusted. He also stole a certain valuable possession of mine.

I know, she says. What do you think I was pawing him for? And she holds up the guy's house keys.

...Something like that, anyway. I like subverting Big Misunderstandings.

[karo.ambrose]

I have committed two of these cliches in my last novel: the countdown (but it isn't that bad, I swearz), and the killing off of the sidekick to instill motivation for the MC. Ah well :(.

Um, about to deliver a baby in a very awkward place, aka a taxi or an elevator.

This is more of a television device, I believe, but I'm sure I've read it in books before.

[Beach Bunny]

Oh Mr Darcy, I never realised under that rude, stilted, aristocratic demeanour you had a raging passion for clever, independent, petticoated little me. Now we can marry and then I'll be joint-controller of half of Oxfordshire.

Darcy's estate of Pemberley is in Devonshire. That makes all the difference, you know.

Actually, it's in Derbyshire (It's pronounced Darbyshire, if you're American) and I am surprise one of the Brits hasn't pointed that out.

Bet he owned one in Oxfordshire as well. He just forgot to mention it.
Yep, he probably did.


To answer the op, mistaken identity and secret BS reason character can't do something which turns out to be no big deal.

[Judg]

I was planning a scene in a future book where the protagonist sees the woman he's interested in, entwined in an embrace with his rival. She's kissing him and feeling him up and obviously really into it.

She's also the protagonist's guest at the time, so after she disentangles herself, she goes back to his house. He's not speaking to her at first, so she asks what's wrong. He tries to be calm and mature about it and says, I know you have the right to be with any man you choose, but be careful with that guy. He's not to be trusted. He also stole a certain valuable possession of mine.

I know, she says. What do you think I was pawing him for? And she holds up the guy's house keys.

...Something like that, anyway. I like subverting Big Misunderstandings.
Subverting cliches is always a Good Thing. That's how I got the idea for my current WIP, as a matter of fact.

[Deccydiva]

I'm surprised nobody has come up with...
Swapped at birth! Obviously to families with very different values and circumstances - well, obvious, innit?

[Beach Bunny]

I'm surprised nobody has come up with...
Swapped at birth! Obviously to families with very different values and circumstances - well, obvious, innit?
Oh yeah and the street urchin/pauper switching roles with the prince/princess. :rolleyes:

[Judg]

Um, about to deliver a baby in a very awkward place, aka a taxi or an elevator.
In real life, I gave birth in our bathroom once, mainly because I figured it was preferable to giving birth in our van... Hubby got to play obstetrician, whether he wanted to or not. Hehehe

[kuatolives]

Aliens invade earth, defeated by something stupid. (water, germs, windows 95 viruses, open hatchways).

[IdiotsRUs]

Aliens invade earth, defeated by something stupid. (water, germs, windows 95 viruses, open hatchways).

Having Mac compatible sockets on their main computer so you can download a virus?

[Lyra Jean]

Girl dresses up as boy to get close to man she loves

Man is attracted to "boy' and is much relieved when "boy" turns out to be girl.

Hey it worked for Shakespeare in the Merchant of Venice!

Of course back then all female parts were played by boys so it would have been a boy pretending to be a girl pretending to be a boy...

Girl dresses up as boy to get close to man she loves.

Man is attracted to "boy" and then realizes he is gay.

Girl is left heartbroken.

[ccarver30]

I write regency romance so I have seen a lot of these before... LOL

[Clair Dickson]

Boy meets girl, claims he's in love with his girlfriend/fiance/wife, but has this *attraction* to the new girl. Struggles with how he feels, but then leaves girlfriend/fiance/wife to be with new girl. And the jilted partner is "okay" because at least the new couple will be happy. And the new couple is glad they found each other. (Which of course, legitmizes cheating, right? That new infatuation MUST be the true love! Movies say so!:rant::e2thud:

[Susan Lanigan]

I'm surprised at that one, Clair; I've read little conventional fiction that openly endorses cheating - usually there's a moral delivered with all the subtlety of the Ionic pillar at a Democratic Party conference.

My main bugbear is probably one more fitting in the scriptwriting section but it annoys me so much I will put it in here. I call it the Picard's Ready Room Door Manoeuvre because it's particularly virulent there, but you'll see it in every drama series at some stage.

Picard calls Riker/Data/Troi/Obstreperous Alien into his ready room and they have a discussion where nothing really is talked about at all. Then the following dialogue always ensues:

Picard: Thank you Number One. That will be all.
Riker: Sir!
::: one step towards the door:::
:::two steps towards the door:::
:::third step to the door:::
:::doors open with a special-effecty schhh:::
Picard: Oh and Commander -
:::Riker turns around and doors schhhh shut again
Picard: [makes a remark that is of primary importance and puts the rest of the conversation in context]

WHY DID HE HAVE TO WAIT TILL RIKER WAS AT THE BLOODY DOOR?

OK, carry on...

[dgiharris]

The wise old mage/wizard from wherever visits some peasant village.

sees unremarkable (but likeable) boy who is well known. The boy has 'the gift' and will be the most powerful wizard ever.

Boy goes with wizard, learns the craft, becomes the most powerful wizard ever, and saves the day.

Very tried and true formula. Probably 80% of the Fantasy books out there.

Must have read this story a hundred times.

Mel...

[Judg]

Mel, care to name a few? I must be reading the wrong books. Star Wars for sure, but I don't think of them as books. And in the first/second iteration, we get Darth Vader instead of a Day Saver.

Of course, this really bothers me because it resembles some elements in my book. Not quite the same, but close enough... (Biggest difference is that mine saves the day by rejecting the craft, but still...)

[BenPanced]

Boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl marry, boy and girl have babies.

Ugh. Stick a fork in it.

[Cato]

Okay, so I came to post my "Teh Orphuns that find their father/mother to be evil" as my hated plot device, and then I realized my MC has no family. But I assure you his father/relative doesn't magically end up being someone else in the story. So I guess I'm alright. I've managed to stay away from the rest of the cliches mentioned so far.

[Lyra Jean]

I don't think my WIP has any of these cliches in it.

Colonists arrive at planet. Group A wants to finish the mission and colonize the planet. Group B says screw the mission and let's keep doing what we're doing. Why try and fix what ain't broke. MC must choose which side he is going join.

That's the main plot. I'll just let the subplots come in later as I write it. Otherwise nothing is planned in the subplot area of the WIP.

[emeraldcite]

People love cliches, if they're done well.

There really are no new twists left. Just ones that are orchestrated so you don't expect them.

You can't avoid them.

What are you supposed to do with a thriller? The good cop is a cliche, the bad cop is a cliche, the cop seeking redemption is cliche...and so on and so forth.

But when people like a certain kind of book, they go search out others just like it.

Really, everything after Tolkien is practically a cliche, but that doesn't stop people from hunting down the next Tolkien clone.

I don't think having cliches is nearly as important as how you pull them off. There's nothing new under the sun...

[Don]

Otherwise clueless journalist/scientist/programmer gets sucked into some government project to save the world because they have that one special skill or bit of knowledge. Meets attractive sex object to fall in lust with during the mission, generally endangering the mission.

[Priene]

Hero sneaks into lab and starts copying a computer file. All you can see on the screen is

FILE DOWNLOADING

in 268 pixel font.

[Lyra Jean]

Otherwise clueless journalist/scientist/programmer gets sucked into some government project to save the world because they have that one special skill or bit of knowledge. Meets attractive sex object to fall in lust with during the mission, generally endangering the mission.

Stargate. Did I get it right? Do I get a prize?

[emeraldcite]

Stargate. Did I get it right? Do I get a prize?

Isn't every episode of Stargate a cliche? I think that's why I love it so much...

[Donkey]

Serial killers who kill just because they can.

Something happened in this town 50 years ago, and now it's come back to haunt us all, or a 40 year old murder gets solved.

Private eye that's a comedian, is very lazy, never excercises, etc., but can kick the bad guy's ass in three moves.

[Blondchen]

Darcy's estate of Pemberley is in Devonshire. That makes all the difference, you know.

Pemberly is in Derbyshire. Northern. More brooding.

[Blondchen]

Girl dresses up as boy to get close to man she loves.

Man is attracted to "boy" and then realizes he is gay.

Girl is left heartbroken.

If I had a dime for every time that's happened to me....

[Ciera_]

I've been trying to think whether my basic plot is a cliche...
Human meets vampire(s), vampire(s) is/are good, but bad vampire(s) threaten(s) human and relationship(s).
I don't think I want to answer this question.
BUT I also have subplottage of vague government conspiracies (more on that in book 3) and entirely human drama (more on THIS in book 2) and general teen angstiness and uh...I'm NOT really helping kill the cliche-factor.
I pray that I can do it well enough to mean it doesn't matter.
People ARE looking for something to fill their Twilight void! Really!

[Blondchen]

A group of plucky Brits must [raise a mountain, sell a nudie calendar, swim the channel, do a strip tease] in order to [save a town, build morale, pay someone's medical bills, send an orphan to college.]

[Judg]

So change them to Canadians. Problem solved. ;)

[Blondchen]

But then it would be more like "a group of non-commital Canadians need to drink some beer so they can cheer really hard for the Oilers, eh."

*ducks and runs as a hockey puck comes flying at her head*

[Judg]

can't think of a single novel with that for a plot... :D

[Priene]

So change them to Canadians. Problem solved. ;)

The word plucky is reserved solely for the use of outmatched, undertrained, overenthusiasic UK nationals.

[Deccydiva]

... and prior to 1960.
BTW Devonshire doen't exist. It's Devon.
Another cliche - books to film where the book wasn't very good in the first place.

[Raphee]

Agreed with Emeraldcite.
Most examples given seem like peeves rather than true cliches. Eventually, it is how you pull it off.

[Telstar]

Rich girl, poor boy.

Rich man, poor pretty woman

[Telstar]

The horrible selfish b**** of a character turns out to be just scared and insecure on the inside and soon becomes nice and fluffy towards the MC

The father left when MC was a child, is now returning to complicate everyone's lives

Oh wait, those are both cliches that I've used.


I used the second one too.
It doesn't scare me, because I think I didn't plot in a very conventional way (he's not the big villain, for instance, but he is kind of 60% gray).

[Telstar]

Anytime anybody says something and it's obvious immediately that the precise opposite is going to happen.

hate it...

[HeronW]

I use triplets, not twins and then there's a sort of a 4th who's a Fey queen-changes her appearance, all trying to kill the Demon Monarch--whose daughter is even more of a pill. :}

[IdiotsRUs]

A group of plucky Brits must [raise a mountain, sell a nudie calendar, swim the channel, do a strip tease] in order to [save a town, build morale, pay someone's medical bills, send an orphan to college.]

The world is in danger and only a US citizen can save it because no one else is cool enough.

Oh wait we had this discussion in the movies fourm :)

[Tocotin]

There are two sides: one is good, the other is evil. They have to fight. One has to win.

I know it sometimes works, but... DO NOT WANT

[Metaphor]

A group of plucky Brits must [raise a mountain, sell a nudie calendar, swim the channel, do a strip tease] in order to [save a town, build morale, pay someone's medical bills, send an orphan to college.]

Why Brits? :P What did we do!!!

And BTW, in Britain we have the NHS, so you don't pay someone's medical bills. They're free. And the government are trying to get everyone into higher education, so if an orphan wants to go to college the government is going to be showering them with scholarships, benefits and huge interest-free loans. All paid for by tax :P

[waylander]

Why Brits? :P What did we do!!!

And BTW, in Britain we have the NHS, so you don't pay someone's medical bills. They're free. And the government are trying to get everyone into higher education, so if an orphan wants to go to college the government is going to be showering them with scholarships, benefits and huge interest-free loans. All paid for by tax :P

The loans have to be paid back and half the degrees aren't worth having

[Deccydiva]

How true. I'm a qualified accountant with a Masters in Finance (all done in the UK) 32 years experience including having my own firm for 7 years and I can't even get a job in Macdonalds!
I reckon it's easier to get my novel published - that's how hard it is to get a job now!

[BenPanced]

Okay, so I came to post my "Teh Orphuns that find their father/mother to be evil" as my hated plot device, and then I realized my MC has no family. But I assure you his father/relative doesn't magically end up being someone else in the story. So I guess I'm alright. I've managed to stay away from the rest of the cliches mentioned so far.

The word plucky is reserved solely for the use of outmatched, undertrained, overenthusiasic UK nationals.
And orphans. Always, always, always.

[Grrarrgh]

Amnesia. If it were as common in real life as it is in books and movies it would be as common as the flu.

Damn! Another vaccine to ask my doctor about!! ;)

[Fox The Cave]

Guy raises baby this is secretly his best friends.

IS ANYONE ON NIP/TUCK RAISING THEIR OWN FUCKING CHILDREN???

[Deccydiva]

Alcoholic loser gives up the booze so he can dig out his trusty old Jeep/helicopter/stun gun/whatever and save the world. From what, is never that clear.

[Blondchen]

Why Brits? :P What did we do!!!

And BTW, in Britain we have the NHS, so you don't pay someone's medical bills. They're free. And the government are trying to get everyone into higher education, so if an orphan wants to go to college the government is going to be showering them with scholarships, benefits and huge interest-free loans. All paid for by tax :P

I guess you didn't see Calendar Girls?

[Blondchen]

Alcoholic loser gives up the booze so he can dig out his trusty old Jeep/helicopter/stun gun/whatever and save the world. From what, is never that clear.

Ah, 80's television was grand.

[CCE]

thanks for the chuckles.
It was said to me a long time ago that there are only so many stories and it's all in the delivery, so at least I don't feel so bad about how many of these plots I have (over)used myself.

[seun]

The beautiful woman who is also a genius. Why can't ugly women be smart?

[GeorgieB]

I think I'll take a contrarian view to this subject -- there are no bad/overused plot lines, there are only stories using them told badly. Any one of the mentioned plots can be told well and be enjoyable.

And that's my thought for today.

[Metaphor]

The loans have to be paid back and half the degrees aren't worth having

Exactly. Stupid world we live in :P

I guess you didn't see Calendar Girls?

Ooh, I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the pointer :D

[Blondchen]

The beautiful woman who is also a genius. Why can't ugly women be smart?

We are, but no one cares. :P

[Phaeal]

Something happened in this town 50 years ago, and now it's come back to haunt us all, or a 40 year old murder gets solved.

Heh, related to this: A terrible event or series of events occurs every 13 (or 37 or 51 or whatever) years. The reporter/detective/amateur sleuth/FBI agent discovers through research into old newspapers/police records/family journals that THERE IS A RECURRING CYCLE TO THE EVENT!!!

Just happened to watch, practically back to back, episodes of Kolchak and The X-Files in which this happened.

[NeuroFizz]

People love cliches, if they're done well.

There really are no new twists left. Just ones that are orchestrated so you don't expect them.

You can't avoid them.


Agreed with Emeraldcite.
Most examples given seem like peeves rather than true cliches. Eventually, it is how you pull it off.

I sit here as well. In answer to the original question: NOTHING. If you pick anything listed here and write a clever, interesting and unique story around it, it will do well. If ever there was a workhorse plot device, it would be vampires. Yet vampire stories continue to be a popular subgenre within the horror umbrella.

Boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl marry, boy and girl have babies.

Well, maybe not anything...

[J C Coy]

I know, she says. What do you think I was pawing him for? And she holds up the guy's house keys.



I love it. ;)

[alleycat]

Any hardened criminal will immediately confess if he's glowered at by a detective who threatens to get mad. If the criminal has a lawyer present, the lawyer will only tell his client once to be quiet and will then let his client confess to killing six women. The suspect will then explain in full detail how he killed the six women and where he hid the murder weapon.

[J C Coy]

And orphans. Always, always, always.
Hey now, my demon slayer is an orphan! :tongue

[Melenka]

Huh. I may have avoided most of these. The MC is not a nice person - and meeting the heroine doesn't make him a nice person. They come to terms with mutual attraction, then walk away, because sometimes that IS the happy ending. Shooting at people results in them shooting back, and sometimes hitting. Drug addicts remain drug addicts, whether or not they also remain clean. And for all that, everyone gets what they asked for in the end, even if it's not what they want.

Yeah, it's never gonna sell.

[Lyra Jean]

I don't know what to categorize this under but it mostly happens in movies.

Whenever a girl who has to wear glasses falls in love all of a sudden she doesn't have to wear glasses anymore.

i.e. The Mummy is the first movie comes to mind but a lot of movies are like that.

I fell in love. Why do I have to keep wearing glasses.

[Phaeal]

I don't know what to categorize this under but it mostly happens in movies.

Whenever a girl who has to wear glasses falls in love all of a sudden she doesn't have to wear glasses anymore.

i.e. The Mummy is the first movie comes to mind but a lot of movies are like that.

I fell in love. Why do I have to keep wearing glasses.

True love creates super-mega-endorphins that cure shortsightedness.

[kuwisdelu]

True love creates super-mega-endorphins that cure shortsightedness.

It's true. I nicknamed my endorphins "Acuvue."

[Nymtoc]

This is probably more common in films than in prose. Anyway:

A conversation takes place between X and Y. The conversation is either:

(a) fraught with conflict or

(b) deceptively friendly.

The moment X walks out the door, Y picks up the phone. He/she is going to call...well, we don't know, because that's the end of the scene.

It's so incredibly suspenseful, isn't it? I mean, it's supposed to be incredibly suspenseful, isn't it? I mean...excuse me, I have to make a phone call.

:D

[HelloKiddo]

Girl has to choose between a street-wise poor boy who makes her laugh and a rich handsome charmer.

The bad guy turns out to be a good guy when a series of events the protagonist was unaware of unfolds at the end. Often the good guy also turns out to be bad.

An imaginary force the character can't see and doesn't understand compells them to take an action.

The first 400 pages of the novel are uneventful and then eveything comes out in the last 30 pages.

A character who knows everything and/or is untouchable.

A psychic who is mentally retarded, disabled, a child, or an ethnic minority.

To the people who said cliches can sometimes work if you give them a new spin: yeah, true! Some of them can, particularly in comedy.

[TTCleveland]

Thousands of years of human civilization have passed, millions of books have been written...now a-days, isn't everything a cliche'? :)

[Michael Parks]

Yes, most everything is cliche to some degree. What's left of interest is the mixture and delivery.

[AmusingMuse]

In romance writing, all the women are beautiful and all the men are rich, and handsome and desired.

I'm tempted to write a story about a really ugly woman, falling for a street person who has warts all over his face and smells. The twist: he's blind. :D

[vrabinec]

Thousands of years of human civilization have passed, millions of books have been written...now a-days, isn't everything a cliche'? :)

Have you read about the duck who sucks politicians' brains out of their heads through a straw and complains about ear wax?

[Michael Parks]

Have you read about the duck who sucks politicians' brains out of their heads through a straw and complains about ear wax?

But would I want to? ;)

[RainyDayNinja]

Sucking out politicians brains? I don't think that story would last very long.

*rimshot*

[vrabinec]

Sucking out politicians brains? I don't think that story would last very long.

*rimshot*

A ha, you've stumbled on a key sub-plot, these politicians actually have brains. They're a mutant strain.

The sequel's about an honest used car salesman.

[HelloKiddo]

In romance writing, all the women are beautiful and all the men are rich, and handsome and desired.

I'm tempted to write a story about a really ugly woman, falling for a street person who has warts all over his face and smells. The twist: he's blind. :D

I'm all about that. You write that book and one copy is as good as sold! ;)

Have you read about the duck who sucks politicians' brains out of their heads through a straw and complains about ear wax?

Can't say as I have, but I'd like to.

[TTCleveland]

Have you read about the duck who sucks politicians' brains out of their heads through a straw and complains about ear wax?

Read it. It was also a lifetime movie, called "Political Quack."

[sharla]

[quote=I'm tempted to write a story about a really ugly woman, falling for a street person who has warts all over his face and smells. The twist: he's blind. :D[/quote]

You've just sold another copy. I'm all over that!!!


And your comment about the pretty people romance books....I used to own a bookstore years ago and I had a couple that would come in and make fun of the "naked people books". They were ruthless...it was hysterical.
Talked about how the men on the covers always wear ruffled shirts that are falling off...can they not find the right size? And women are always wearing ball gowns in a swamp or field or something. And they always have alabaster skin. No one ever has freckles or dry skin or fat rolls or less than average boobs. And the women are always virgins at age 25, and are stunned speechless and whimpering when they see a naked man for the first time...because of course the men are always hung like horses.

[sharla]

Male / Female best friends with underlying love that they don't realize but all their friends do. They finally figure it out.

And twins with opposite personalities.

Um...that's my book. Hopefully I pull it off!

[Thomas White]

Main character: I'm stubborn and unable to express my feelings.
Pretty girl: I don't like you. You don't tell me I'm pretty.
Main character: I don't care, I have no feelings.
Pretty girl: Oh, then I find you attractive after all.
Main character: Then let's have sex a few times, and I'll slowly share some of myself. Along the way you'll be annoyed that you can't change me, but then I'll reveal a bit more about myself, then we'll have sex some more and live happily ever after.

[C A Winters]

Baby stolen at birth for illegal adoption, mother told that baby is dead, mother not convinced and everyone thinks she's nuts for thinking baby is alive. Mother single-handedly goes on quest to find baby. Baby was adopted by loving unaware couple, who are left heartbroken, but understanding that mother has right to baby OR mother loves child so much she sacrifices her need so that loving couple and child can stay together.

[Shamisen]

BTW Devonshire doen't exist. It's Devon.

I disagree. Devonshire might be an unofficial name but it's totally acceptable to use it as a name and most Devonians use it in preference to plain old Devon.

So sayeth the Devonshire Dumplin', born and bred.

*pushes thread back on topic*
Please, continue :)

[kimb68]

No one mentioned this cliche:

POLICE COMMISSIONER: These are serious allegations. Who else have you told about this?

CLUELESS DETECTIVE: No one, sir. I came straight to you.

POLICE COMMISSIONER: Good. <BLAM!>

[treehugger]

Girl meets boy. Girl meets girl. Girl experiences angst and turmoil. Girl dumps boy for girl. Girl become loud and proud.

Heck, that's the plot of my first novel. And about a kerjillion other coming-out stories.

[bison]

Man! Thanks, guys. You've just given me a ton of new plot lines!
Hey, they've all been done so many times you can't count them.
How many stories (movies) have been made of Romeo & Juliet?
There are only about twenty major-plots anyway.
You know they re-market hoola-hoops about every seven years. A new group of kids comes along. They'll add bb's and call it Swoosh Hoop, or make it glow in the dark or whatever. But, it sells and sells and sells...
Don't worry about it. If your new version of R & J is good enough, it will sell!

[PeekABooWriter]

Here I thought politicians were brainless, mafia kingpin, androgenous, Y-chromosone deteriorating, people haters.
http://dingo.care2.com/c2c/emoticons/laugh.gif

[Teriann]

Seems to me a plot is different from a plot device. One of my writing professors said there are only two plots: Someone new comes to town and someone goes on a journey. I think there are probably more than that, including R & J, boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl, etc. Those are timeless and can't really be used too often.

But I think a plot device, as the word "device" implies, is different, a transparent device, like having the story end when the character wakes up. I think that's a plot "device" in that it has been used too many times and is really cheating in that it's an easy way to resolve the conflict.

Am I being too academic/scholarly (i.e. annoying) here?

[Mad Queen]

In romance writing, all the women are beautiful and all the men are rich, and handsome and desired.
Everyone knows that in fiction all women are beautiful. Ugly women or even ordinary looking women are always villains or secondary characters. The female protagonist might be the opposite of every quality traditionally associated with women, but she has to look good. Always. :rolleyes:

[MelodyO]

Seems to me a plot is different from a plot device. One of my writing professors said there are only two plots: Someone new comes to town and someone goes on a journey. I think there are probably more than that, including R & J, boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl, etc. Those are timeless and can't really be used too often.

But I think a plot device, as the word "device" implies, is different, a transparent device, like having the story end when the character wakes up. I think that's a plot "device" in that it has been used too many times and is really cheating in that it's an easy way to resolve the conflict.

Am I being too academic/scholarly (i.e. annoying) here?

On the contrary, I think your comment is most interesting. For what it's worth, each of my novels uses those two basic plots. By jove, your professor might be on to something! :D

[Teriann]

Thanks MelodyO. I'm a definite newby (only 5 posts). My AW goal for today was to do my first posts, so I did. Now I'm encouraged to do more! I think the plots "someone new comes to town" and "someone goes on a journey" always work because there is a change, and a change forces the writer to think hard about how to handle the change. On the other hand, a plot device lets the writer get out of thinking too hard. So I think a plot device can only be used once, if that. Maybe the first time a device is new and interesting and surprising, but I'd think any device would get old fast. On the other hand, who can get tired of trying to figure out whodunnit?

So I guess the answer to the question, which plot devices have been over used, is "all of them." But the answer to the question, "which plots have been over used, is "none of them."

[Josie]

"I'm tempted to write a story about a really ugly woman, falling for a street person who has warts all over his face and smells. The twist: he's blind."


I read that one years ago. :)

Yes, Teriann!!!!

Cheers.

[Shweta]

Everyone knows that in fiction all women are beautiful. Ugly women or even ordinary looking women are always villains or secondary characters. The female protagonist might be the opposite of every quality traditionally associated with women, but she has to look good. Always. :rolleyes:

Then I'm in trouble :D

[Kenzie]

Me too! My female protagonist isn't ugly, I don't think, but she is definitely ordinary looking.

[sharla]

My mc is cute enough that men look at her, but still ordinary enough to have bad hair, pms, and the occasional zit.

The male mc is good looking but scruffy. Doesn't care what he looks like. Maybe because I'm a woman I just couldn't make him ugly. ;)

[gracietwin]

Man and woman hate each other. Then they fall madly in love because of some really trivial reasons... like, "oh, she's HAWT!"


You just described every Harlequin Romance that ever I panted over as a teenager. Even at naive 15 I recognized that they had to hate each other before they could hook up. Oh, and the word "cynical" should be the primary adjective for the male half of all this angst.

[Salis]

You just described every Harlequin Romance that ever I panted over as a teenager. Even at naive 15 I recognized that they had to hate each other before they could hook up. Oh, and the word "cynical" should be the primary adjective for the male half of all this angst.

The real progression is of course the opposite.

"She's hot, I like her."

(after a month)

"Fuck, she is so irritating."

(relationship ends)

[mlazzer]

What, in your opinion, are some really overused (perhaps cliche') plot devices? Killing off the main character (he/she selflessly sacrifices themselves for the greater good)? Killing off the plucky sidekick or comic relief to give the hero something worth fighting for? Farmboy turns out to be the true king? Villain is the hero's dad/brother/father/mother?

What do you think has been used ad nauseum?
I keep hearing these stories that every story that gets written is somehow a re-invention of something that has been written before... Obviously what you're mentioning above sounds all really cliche yes, but I'm pretty sure those tales still get written and read and sold.

[keekum]

The whole 'chosen one' thing. Any time someone is any type of 'chosen one' or special force that was born to rival a great evil...wait, what am I saying? I was fine with it in Harry Potter and Buffy.



what if everyone thinks she is the "chosen one", but it turns out she isn't? i mean REALLY isn't, i'm not talking matrix fake-out here. still cliche? :)

[RunawayScribe]

Stupid, clueless parents. Parents are people too, and often not as brain-dead as they're painted. The apocalypse is impending? You little liar! Eat your broccoli and go upstairs. (MC will proceed to sneak out a three-story-window and climb down a drainpipe to save the world. They never fall and break limbs. Everyone can shimmy down a drainpipe.)

I'm also sort of sick of reading about orphans. I know it can be and has been done well. It just puts me off these days.

[katiemac]

what if everyone thinks she is the "chosen one", but it turns out she isn't? i mean REALLY isn't, i'm not talking matrix fake-out here. still cliche? :)

I'm not as familiar with that one, although there have been twists on it like Potter. Go for it.

[AJ Clare]

Boy meets girl.

Boy kidnaps girl and is generally fairly awful to girl.

Girl comes down with Stockholm Syndrome and has hot monkey sex with boy thus determining that it must be true love.

Girl marries boy and has gazillion babies.

This was fairly standard romance novel stuff for many many years, but I'm sick of seeing it in the 21st Century.

[motormind]

My pet peeve is when an author puts of lots of romantic tension between two female characters, only to have them hook up with guys after all--or, worse, kill one of them off.

[aadams73]

I'm sick to death of amnesia plots. If I get even a whiff of amnesia from the jacket cover, it goes back on the shelf.

[RJK]

The Evil Overlord's list of plot devices (http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html)to avoid is an enjoyable read, even if you've seen it a dozen times before

[M.W. Palmer]

"Extremely Powerful Villain":


Never takes advantage of his opportunities to kill the teenage hero.
Thus allowing the teenage hero to quickly progress and become more powerful.Simply so the "Extremely Powerful Villain" could have the battle of a lifetime in the end and be killed by a worthy opponent.

Well, I guess that happens more in manga/anime, but I still hate it.

[IdiotsRUs]

*reads thread*

*scraps half a dozen ideas*

:(

[The Lonely One]

I think character overcomes overwhelming obstacles and grows emotionally/mentally/etc. is really played out.

It's like, in literally every book!

[10er]

"Extremely Powerful Villain":

Never takes advantage of his opportunities to kill the teenage hero.
Thus allowing the teenage hero to quickly progress and become more powerful.Simply so the "Extremely Powerful Villain" could have the battle of a lifetime in the end and be killed by a worthy opponent.


Don't forget the villain who spares the hero "because such a weakling could never possibly threaten him".
And on the flipside: the hero who spares the villain to take the moral high road and show how much better of a person he is (often conveniently forgetting the dozens of faceless goons he has killed to get that far).

Edit: Oh and a variation of the hero/villain showdown I loathe even more than either of the two I mentioned: after the villain is "vanquished", the heroes don't check up on him to shoot him in the head or anything prudent like that, only to be shot or otherwise wounded in the villain's final act of defiance. It's so horrible and predictable, yet I still see that crap in at least 3/5 works containing such a scene!

[Elven_Fforestydd]

The problem is though that there are only so many plots out there. I don't think it has to do with what the plot is, but how it is presented. Sure Harry Potter was the same story as Star Wars, but they were both given in an unique way that it didn't matter. Just as the world's myth have been used time after time again. Though on a side point I can't stand helphish princess stories. They should just fly away on the dragon before Prince Charming even bothers to show up.

[Charlie Horse]

Opposites attract ensuing in hilarity as they proceed to piss each other off, then romance, then breakup, then finally back together and happily ever after.

FYI - opposites don't attract. Why the hell would they? I mean would you be interested in someone who shares none of your ideals, likes, dislikes, and general views on society?

Neither would I.

[SPMiller]

Boy meets girl.

Boy kidnaps girl and is generally fairly awful to girl.

Girl comes down with Stockholm Syndrome and has hot monkey sex with boy thus determining that it must be true love.

Girl marries boy and has gazillion babies.

This was fairly standard romance novel stuff for many many years, but I'm sick of seeing it in the 21st Century.See also: Neil Gaiman's Stardust.

[Charlie Horse]

See also: Neil Gaiman's Stardust.

I don't see how that fits into the scenario being described. Besides, even if it did, it's a wonderful book and a perfect example of how in the right hands even old plotlines can be reworked with stellar results.

[SPMiller]

Odd. I thought it was a good example of how even a talented writer can't save a horribly cliched plot. YMMV, apparently.

[10er]

Odd. I thought it was a good example of how even a talented writer can't save a horribly cliched plot. YMMV, apparently.

I'm with you here. It's well written... but felt so trite, so utterly banal to me I couldn't finish it.
Watched the movie: still banal.
But hey, there are enough people around who adore everything Gaiman, so why should Stardust be an exception?

[Dave Shaddow]

Vampire-Romance... Need I say more...?

[Karen Junker]

And yet, people are still writing it and reading it.

[Dave Shaddow]

Boy meets girl.

Boy kidnaps girl and is generally fairly awful to girl.

Girl comes down with Stockholm Syndrome and has hot monkey sex with boy thus determining that it must be true love.

Girl marries boy and has gazillion babies.

This was fairly standard romance novel stuff for many many years, but I'm sick of seeing it in the 21st Century.

Yea, cause the more sex, the "truer" the love is...
But seriously, overuse of sex in novels is just a sad device used by talentless losers who have not the skill or heart to incorporate the true elements of a good romance within their stories. It seems that everything nowadays is "sex, sex, SEX!" and it's stupid. I'm glad you pointed this out, cause this has been bugging me for awhile now.

Overuse of sex: it's getting old...

[Salis]

I think character overcomes overwhelming obstacles and grows emotionally/mentally/etc. is really played out.

It's like, in literally every book!

I'm actually not being sarcastic when I say that. I mean, it works, but it's a little boring after so many times. I really, really like the books that do the opposite thing (character falls apart) well.

[Dave Shaddow]

And yet, people are still writing it and reading it.

And that is why I fear for the future authors of the world...

[Karen Junker]

I hear you. It's like you want the characters to make the smart choice just once to see what happens, as opposed to the stupid choice that creates more drama.

[TrickyFiction]

I don't see how that fits into the scenario being described. Besides, even if it did, it's a wonderful book and a perfect example of how in the right hands even old plotlines can be reworked with stellar results.

Pun intended?

[TrickyFiction]

"sex, sex, SEX!"

What on earth are you reading?

[Dave Shaddow]

What on earth are you reading?

A contemporary romance... it doesn't matter which, just pick one up and see for yourself.

[TrickyFiction]

A contemporary romance... it doesn't matter which, just pick one up and see for yourself.

Lots of people like reading about sex. Obviously, you and I are not among them (although a tryst or too in a good story can be fun). So just try another genre if it bugs you. Hmmm... I do remember that American Gods had THE creepiest sex scene ever, though, and it was no romance. But creepy is awesome. Right? Okay, so I'm weird.

[MGraybosch]

Hero sneaks into lab and starts copying a computer file. All you can see on the screen is

FILE DOWNLOADING

in 268 pixel font.

And it never occurs to any of these people to ALT+TAB so that something innocuous like a YouTube cat video is at the foreground of the screen.

[MGraybosch]

Simply so the "Extremely Powerful Villain" could have the battle of a lifetime in the end and be killed by a worthy opponent.

It was funny in Disgaea 3 because the teenage hero was desperate to be seen as the quintessential badass demon. Otherwise, I agree with you. Also, teenage heroes need to lined up against a wall and put to the gatling gun.

[MGraybosch]

True love creates super-mega-endorphins that cure shortsightedness.

My wife will be terribly disappointed, 'cos I still have to wear glasses.

[Madison]

Yea, cause the more sex, the "truer" the love is...
But seriously, overuse of sex in novels is just a sad device used by talentless losers who have not the skill or heart to incorporate the true elements of a good romance within their stories. It seems that everything nowadays is "sex, sex, SEX!" and it's stupid. I'm glad you pointed this out, cause this has been bugging me for awhile now.

Overuse of sex: it's getting old...

YES. I agree. Isn't there something to love besides the physical?

[Poetic_Justice]

That's why I want to write a story in which the main characters are asexual, and romp around, holding hands, but never ever wanting to have sex with one another....


:P


A cliche I hate is the long lost brother/sister (or worse yet, Twin) is evil, and trying to destroy your life.

[Subcreator]

Has anyone mentioned Farm Boy inherits a magical sword and finds out he's the son of Important Powerful Backstory Character and must save the world?

[MGraybosch]

Has anyone mentioned Farm Boy inherits a magical sword and finds out he's the son of Important Powerful Backstory Character and must save the world?

You just did. Though recently I wrote a silly little story where a farm boy finds a magical sword. The sword turns out to be intelligent, and the first thing it says is, "Oh, great. Another fucking farm boy. What did I do to deserve this?"

[sleepsheep]

Yea, cause the more sex, the "truer" the love is...
But seriously, overuse of sex in novels is just a sad device used by talentless losers who have not the skill or heart to incorporate the true elements of a good romance within their stories. It seems that everything nowadays is "sex, sex, SEX!" and it's stupid. I'm glad you pointed this out, cause this has been bugging me for awhile now.

Overuse of sex: it's getting old...

As is under-use of sex. Romance stories where everything boils down to the physical act are trite, but so are romance stories where the couple is content discussing their emotions and feelings and pure intentions, blah blah blah. There has to be a bit of both - romance and sex - to make for a good love story.

[sleepsheep]

The return of a long-lost love is a bit overdone, I think. Honestly, with the possible exception of the Princess Bride, I don't think there's been a good variation on the theme since Alexander Dumas.

[Libbie]

I'm actually not being sarcastic when I say that. I mean, it works, but it's a little boring after so many times. I really, really like the books that do the opposite thing (character falls apart) well.

You should like my book, then.

[MGraybosch]

here has to be a bit of both - romance and sex - to make for a good love story.

I agree with you, and hope that I am doing it right in my own WIP's romantic subplot. My wife hasn't complained yet. :)

[Freelancer]

1. The great evil whose intention is to destroy the world to rule on a pile of ash later. :) That's my favorite cliche.
2. Remote explosive device with a counter (Great red letters just to tell anyone how much time do they have.).
3. "The red or the blue wire" effect.
4. Great fights, where thousands are participate, but when the MC faces with the main evil, the others are just jumping in the background and watching.
5. MC without any conscious (The MC killing everyone, but not feels anything at all.).
6. The young MC who is beating his master under training, even in the first round.
7. Boring, useless, but "funny" sidekicks (Funny for the writer, not funny for the reader.).
8. Saving the world in the VERY-VERY-VERY-VERY last moment.
9. Last breath monologue, even if a helicopter, or a complete building fallen to the poor guy.
10. Useless love triangles. Everyone falls to love into the MC, like there would be no one else on the planet.
11. Talking friendly dragon
12. Taverns, where something must! happen.
13. Shooting two or even three arrows at once into one or multiple target.
14. Evil is evil, has no real reason for their actions.
15. Evil is killing his minions for anything, even if they need every man in battle.
16. The evil is not thinking, just pushing forward. The evil is never using tactics, just mass power. The evil is unstoppable without reason.
17. The evil and the MC always must speak with each other when they're facing for the first or the last time. Long boring dialogue, where the evil feels the necessity to explain his evil deeds and all the twist there.
19. Everyone is beautiful and perfect. If not, that one is evil.
20. Useless, beautiful shiny artifacts (Usually glowing at the middle of a hall.).
21. The brave knight swims in the river in full battle armor, just like a mermaid.
22. No one eats, just in tavern. No one drinks, just in tavern. No one changing cloths.
23. No MC had a childhood. They only have a present. They knows everything, they fight better then anyone else. No one is forcing them to the ground, just the main evil (The main evil is usually twice or three times.).
24. The MC never make mistakes. If yes, no one dies for that decision.
25. Teenage hero, who has great dreams... and always fulfilling that without a glitch.
26. Prophecies are always telling the truth. No mistakes every occur.
27. Dwarves, elves, etc, etc... ala LOTR.
28. Sci-Fi must centering around the U.S. (With the exception of District 9).
29. Aliens are always attacking the U.S., no other continents.
30. Climate change touches only the U.S.. That continent is somehow calls for trouble. Favorite place for asteroid showers.
31. When the MC makes the first kill, he just shrugs without conscious, then kills further in the name of adventuring (If that's not evil, what is evil?)
32. Walker robots, mechwarriors.
33. Unlimited arrow, unlimited bullet, no bullet can touch the MC (Did anyone ever shot with an assault rifle? You're surely not going to jump away from that one.).
34. Treasure. Everyone searches, no one finds. With the exception of the MC and Co. adventure company.
35. The main evil is always main evil. Never changes, just when the deadly blade touched his body, he reconsiders his entire life and regrets everything.
36. The action happens only where the MC and Co. is present. Outside their radius, the world is peaceful, even in the bloodiest battle. Nothing happens outside.
37. Worlds are not evolving, they're just living the same life in the last thousand years.
38. No world has real past, just in the last thousand years.
39. No MC ever fails. If yes, only for five seconds until he stands up in the last battle and strikes back.
40. The MC always can change his star and reach his goal.
41. The longest journeys are taking weeks, with the exception when the MC must hurry. In this case, that journey is taking until it must, usually one or two days and the MC arrives at nightfall.
42. Every castle has hidden pathways what no one knew before, just the architecture who built it and died centuries ago and the MC or the useless sidekick who accidentally discovers it.
43. No machinery exists on the world, with the exception of traps, hidden doors which are working with the most advanced technology of the world... but the MC is able to disarm them quickly or use them almost immediately.
44. Hidden treasure always in the most hidden room of the building, which is usually booby trapped three-four times with the most high-tech weaponry.
45. Wall booby traps that are shooting endless darts to the opposite side (Who is reloading them?).
46. Ancient traps that are working efficiently even after centuries.
47. Star Trek's red shirt effect, even in fantasy. You have a red shirt, you goes to the first line to die.
48. Someone always must make a sacrifice, usually the useless coward sidekick.
49. When file deletion is in progress on the evil's computer / laptop to erase his evil plans, no one is simply turning that damned computer off to stop the deletion, but rather try to hack the impossible code (Even without hacking skills.).
50. The evil has no real goal. If there is one, back to #1.

Well, only these few flashed into my mind now. :)

[Subcreator]

Just remembered this: http://www.rinkworks.com/fnovel/ The Fantasy Novelist's exam.

One of my favorites: Do you not realize it takes hours to make a good stew, making it a poor choice for an "on the road" meal?

[ccv707]

EVERYTHING has been used ad nauseam. Ideas are forever. It's the writer's job to inject new life into these ideas, to explore it from their own perspective or a completely radical one, to make it their own.

[neotank]

Brooding, vampire romance...Yuck!

[kaitie]

You just did. Though recently I wrote a silly little story where a farm boy finds a magical sword. The sword turns out to be intelligent, and the first thing it says is, "Oh, great. Another fucking farm boy. What did I do to deserve this?"

There's a Japanese manga that my students all love with a parody of the Excalibur story in it (not that any of them get the reference lol). In that one the sword is also intelligent, but incredibly annoying and the farm boys are the ones who end up saying, "What did I do to deserve this?" It's cute. :P

My personal addition would be the evil bad merciless murderer villains who appear in stories and then always seem to wait to kill the MC for one reason or another. I can think of so many times when I'm saying to myself, "but why didn't he just SHOOT him?"

The evil overlord list is fantastic.

[Lady Ice]

The 'Yes yes yes! No no no!' romance. (AKA Catholic guilt)
The 'Oh I really would except you murdered someone. Oh wait, you didn't! Now you're perfect!' romance.
The 'We grew up together like siblings but now I really want to' romance.

[Elegy]

Kickass female characters that no one can beat.

Women meeting men who are scoundrels, but then they change them.

I haven't seen a lot of these so-called "kickass" female characters. Sounds like a turn for the better to me. I'm fairly tired of the common fictional female.

I agree with you on the second point, though. You can't change people.

Then again... it IS fiction...

[MGraybosch]

The evil overlord list is fantastic.

My villain has read it. :)

[James D. Macdonald]

I haven't seen a lot of these so-called "kickass" female characters. Sounds like a turn for the better to me. I'm fairly tired of the common fictional female.


Honor Harrington.

[MGraybosch]

Honor Harrington.

Has she degenerated into a Mary-Sue yet? :)

[Lady Ice]

I haven't seen a lot of these so-called "kickass" female characters. Sounds like a turn for the better to me. I'm fairly tired of the common fictional female.


It's in loads of YA books. Also the bitch you love to hate.

[Kaiser-Kun]

"I'm the main badguy and my goal is to achieve eternal life."
"...And what's the point of that?"
"Uh... eternal life?"

[naimas]

An orphan male child who finds out that he is very, very important and gets invited to go to a school for other important people.

Or, an orphan GIRL who.......