YA (urban) fantasy clichés

All cliches need to die, but I don't think that's what you meant. A cliche, by definition, implies that a trope has been done badly. We should avoid these at all costs.

But I can't say there are any particular tropes that should die. As long as the author handles it in a way that feels fresh, it's fine. There are very few tropes I don't enjoy when they're done well. The trick is doing them well. That being said, there are some tropes that have become so common that you'll have to work harder to put a fresh twist on them.

rwm4768 said:

All cliches need to die, but I don't think that's what you meant. A cliche, by definition, implies that a trope has been done badly. We should avoid these at all costs.

But I can't say there are any particular tropes that should die. As long as the author handles it in a way that feels fresh, it's fine. There are very few tropes I don't enjoy when they're done well. The trick is doing them well. That being said, there are some tropes that have become so common that you'll have to work harder to put a fresh twist on them.

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Pretty much this.

Maybe it's just me, but the, "Hey, tell me what you DO NOT LIKE in X_Genre" threads are kind of getting old. By the end, a person may as well toss in the writing towel because everything is bad. To someone.

I'd be happy if each writer just wrote the story they wanted to write. If it manages to get published, it will please someone somewhere.

Some people like the same old thing--they find it comforting. Others like lots of different things, they find it exciting. Either is a valid perspective.

Liosse de Velishaf said:

I'd be happy if each writer just wrote the story they wanted to write. If it manages to get published, it will please someone somewhere.

Some people like the same old thing--they find it comforting. Others like lots of different things, they find it exciting. Either is a valid perspective.

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Some also like to see the same old thing, but with a fresh twist.

I find myself in all three camps depending on my mood.

CrastersBabies said:

Maybe it's just me, but the, "Hey, tell me what you DO NOT LIKE in X_Genre" threads are kind of getting old. By the end, a person may as well toss in the writing towel because everything is bad. To someone.

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This. I've been holding my tongue (or, typing fingers, I suppose) and keeping myself from actually saying this on certain "what do you hate in X-Genre" threads on here, keeping my head down, and not starting fights, but YES, these sorts of threads are really debilitating when you happen to be writing something that often isn't liked because it's notorious for being handled in cliched way. Doesn't matter that your particular thing could be the most inspired, original, and captivating story ever, reading faceless, anonymous people talking about how much they hate your thing without ever reading a word is incredibly hurtful. Just saying.

And to the OP, I'm really sorry for highjacking your thread for this complaint. It's just that someone else opened the door and, in a way I suppose, gave me permission to speak on it. As for your original question, I'm afraid I can't weigh in too much. I don't read a lot of YA, UF or otherwise. I'm mostly in the adult UF section and, sure, there's stuff that irritates me, but I don't think there's a particular trope that needs to die. Cliches, though, should be fleshed out so they're not cliches anymore, imo.

Hobbits and anything Tolkien-related.

I have been playing fantasy rolegames (Dungeons&Dragons, etc...) way before Peter Jackson made "Lord of the Rings". Nobody gave a flying fuck about fantasy, and then suddenly everybody went crazy for it. The Tolkien-books had been around for so long, but the masses didn't care until the movies came out.

Of course, this is how mainstream works, no point to complain, but it still feels ridiculous...

So please no hungry hobbits and the likes...!

As far as YA Urban fantasy, I can't say I even know that many stories. Most YA with a contemporary Earth setting and magic tends towards paranormal romance rather than true UF.

I'd also note that we have specific forums for both Urban Fantasy (at the top of the main sff forum) and Young Adult (in a separate section of AW). You might get more of what you're looking for if you asked the mods to move the thread to one of those sections.

BPhilip said:

A simple solution to the problem then is to simply glance past the post, wouldn't you say? I came here to start a conversation, not ask you what I should or shouldn't include in my writing. Y'all do an excellent job in making somebody feel welcomed here.

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I'm sorry BPhilip. Didn't mean to hijack the thread. I've been here a few years and lately, there are a lot of these threads. And they all pretty much look the same. Here's a super long list of things people dislike and it's so long that there's nothing safe. And it's not that we all have to check things off a list here and then write the most perfect, precious unique story that ever was. I think most of us are confident enough to know that just because someone writes a trope in a really poor/cliche manner, that we CAN do something fresh and wondrous with it.

But, when you have posters who say things like, "I just hate prologues" instead of, "I hate prologues that specifically do X, Y and Z," then it's just a long thread of discouragement.

Nothing personal meant toward you. I don't pay much attention to who's new or who has been here a while (unless they're a regular that I recognize and I'm pretty bad with names). You're very welcome here! But, sometimes people will hit a note that has been hit over and over again, and while your intention might be honorable and pure, the dogpiling with "here's a list of things that suck" can take the wind out of creative sails.

Not to say that everyone feels that way. I wouldn't say that I was a person who gets discouraged, but after 4-5-6 of these threads, I can feel it coming on. I opened the thread thinking, "Okay, get ready to be reminded of all the things people don't want you to do...."

Not your problem, I know, and I'm sorry if it made you feel unwelcome.

(Backs away from ninja derail)

As for the topic, I don't read a lot of urban fantasy. The only thing I can think of is maybe no more arched-back leather-wearing heroines on the front covers. I'm okay with vampires, werewolves, etc..

Well, I'm not sure if I'd call it a cliche, but something that's bothered me in a few YA series I've read is incomplete worlds. Worlds that, if you stop to think about what daily life in them would be or how history would affect them, crumble. The premise may be there, but the backbone of the story is weak and makes it less believable.

Ride the Pen said:

Hobbits and anything Tolkien-related.

I have been playing fantasy rolegames (Dungeons&Dragons, etc...) way before Peter Jackson made "Lord of the Rings". Nobody gave a flying fuck about fantasy, and then suddenly everybody went crazy for it. The Tolkien-books had been around for so long, but the masses didn't care until the movies came out.

Of course, this is how mainstream works, no point to complain, but it still feels ridiculous...

So please no hungry hobbits and the likes...!

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You're in the German speaking world, so that may be the case. But in the English speaking world, The Hobbit has been popular for 70 years, even before Peter Jackson got his hands on it. When I was 13 years old, it was on the prescribed reading list at school.