Clichés to Avoid

 

 

It was a dark and stormy night...

Clichés are boring. Writing is supposed to be a creative process, and there’s nothing creative in overused phrasing. We’re all guilty of falling back on them. Here are a few clichés I’ve caught in my own drafts:

1)      A chill ran up her spine.

2)      His blood turned to ice.

3)      Thoughts raced in her head.

4)      His gut twisted.

5)      He/she released the breath they didn't know they'd been holding.

6)      His eyes swung to her.

7)      It's a nightmare.

It's okay to write your first draft with clichés as long as you go back and change them in revisions. Then you won't stall your writing looking for the perfect word(s).

For more examples try BBC's list of  20 most hated cliches or this list of 681 Clichés to Avoid in Your Creative Writing.

What clichés would you like to see disappear? Which ones have you caught yourself using?