Three Cliches That Should Not Drive Your Plot
Humans invented the written word five thousand, two hundred eighteen years ago, but stories have existed since long before then. The Brothers Grimm alone recorded more than two hundred folk tales in their lifetimes. With so many thousands of accounts, writing something unique is next to impossible. However, some plot devices have been used to the point of being hackneyed. And some minor plot devices have been treated as significant. Here, in no particular order, are the top three cliches that should not drive your plot. 1. Mountain Out of a Molehill You’re reaching the end of your chapter or book, and you need a cliffhanger. You need a way to guarantee your reader’s continued interest. So you throw in some conflict between two of your characters. Sometimes they’re friends, but usually, they’re lovers. This conflict is generally over something small. The main character forgets to mention something trivial. The love interest finds out. There's screaming, and