Cliché Scenes or Plots and Tips!
— jsi, Kaciee Shamier Rivamonte
Objectives:
• To know and be aware on what are the common used cliché scenes or plots.
• To share tips on how to avoid it (though you can't easily avoid it) and how to get fresh new ideas away from common stories.
Note: This post is not intended to give you doubts about your story. Continue to write and if ever I mentioned some of your plots/scenes, don't be mad at me. Honestly, I have references so let's spread love and peace.
Every masterpiece has great creator behind it.
— First, what is cliché scene or plot?
A plot or action sequence in a film or novel can also be called a cliche, if it has become dull and predictable through overuse. (ctto)
— Let's get started!
Cliché Scenes & Plots In Teen Fiction
1. Alarm clock with ringing sound
2. Late (protagonist/s)
3. Conversation with author
4. Transferee/s
5. Campus Heart Throb/Sweetheart/Prince/King/Queen/Princess/Btch/Nerd/Bully and whatsoever related to that.
6. Bully (especially if the lead girl/boy bullied his/her target, which would be his/her future gf/bf)
7. Groups of teenager
8. Angry teachers
9. Love at First Sight and etc.
10. Bumping each other (protagonists)
11. They started being friends (prota.)
12. Teacher x Student
13. Girl is a damsel in distress
14. Strict mom or dad of your protagonist/s
15. Clash between students which involves your prota.
16. Boy is a jerk lazy ass who fell for a girl who is a nerd/nobody/stranger/nothing/introvert and etc.
17. Common courses in college
18. First date is in a restaurant
19. Girl and boy are enemies then later on, bulaga! Sila na.
20. Student loves a "dangerous" guy
21. Proms
22. Bad girl/boy
23. Screams of fangirls/fanboys
24. Illnesses
25. SSGs
26. Love triangle between the bbf, lead boy/girl and a special character to our protagonist.
27. Common sports
28. Casanova/playboy/womanizer and etc.
29. The power of "ex"
In Romance
1. Fiancé and Fiancée
2. Boss x secretary
3. Boss x employee
4. Accidentally pregnant
5. Too much bed scenes
6. Deals
7. Famous blank into unpopular blank
8. Fck buddy/mate/partner and etc.
9. Incest alert or Pedophilia alert
10. Arrange marriage
11. Abs
12. Revenge! Revenge!
13. Abusive husband and a martyr wife
14. Chasing someone she/he liked
15. Slavery
16. "Let's break up. I need to find myself first." Lol.
17. The "no strings attached" thing.
In Fantasy
1. Elemental power & other common power
2. Schools/Universities/Academies/High/Institution
3. Weakling kuno loves the strongest/powerful one
4. Less fight scenes
5. Senior x junior
6. The transferee again
7. Secrets behind the characters which can lead to protagonist to stay away
8. Ghosts/dwarves/fairies/goddesses/god and etc. fell for a human/mortal one
9. Setting is on the belly of forest
10. Lost princess/queen/king/heir/heiress and etc.
11. Lead fell for the lead from the book
In Action
1. Gangs, and etc.
2. Rebellion between the protagonist/s
3. Bad boy/girl
4. Secret agents fell for their target
5. Less action scenes
6. Trainer into student
7. Immortal protagonist/s
8. Cross-eye snipers/foes that can't even shoot the target
9. Less action description
10. Protagonists are fighters
In Mystery/Thriller
1. Crimes that are common
2. Detectives
3. Schools/High and etc.
4. Another weak kuno fell for the powerful
5. Anonymous opponent
6. Deadly games
7. Stranded
8. Less clues and thriller feels
9. Common psychological problems
10. House is the setting
11. Common codes
12. A knife behind someone's back
13. "Don't trust everyone."
14. Unknown message (for epistolary)
15. Mask to hide face
In Horror
1. Group of teenager
2. Schools, and etc.
3. Possession
4. Psychopath
5. Less terror feels
6. Weak characters/protagonist
7. Carnivores
8. Paranormal creatures such as ghost and etc.
9. Dumb character who forgot to run
In Vampires and Werewolves
1. Mates
2. An event during full moon
3. Vampire/Werewolf likes human
4. A rule that should avoid humans/vampires/werewolves
5. Vampire/werewolf with power and abs
In Historical Fiction
1. Time travel
2. Fell for a guy/girl from the past
3. Reincarnation
In Science Fiction
1. Dystopia era
2. Aliens and such
3. End of the world
4. Common technologies
5. False information about Science
6. Less research
7. Spies/Agents
8. New world (esp. Mars)
In Epistolary
1. For dating or killing apps
2. Unknown messages
3. Boring diary entries
4. Texting your crush/wrong send
5. Epistolary with only diary entries and text messages. Explore more about this.
— Tips on how to overcome those scenes or plot listed above:
1. Merge
Merge one or more plot/scene into another one. Kumbaga, kumuha ka ng paborito mong shanghai't carbonara at nilagay mo sa iisang plato mo. Hindi ka lang mag-focus sa isang plot, mas maganda kung may kaniya-kaniya kang pinaghuhugutan na ideya.
Ihalo-halo mo at mag-alis ka ng mga sa tinging mong fillers o hindi masyadong kailangan sa istorya mo. Mix it up!
2. Explore
Explore beyond your limitations. Huwag kang aasa sa mga cliché o mga common na scene/plot. Maglibot ka. Gayahin mo si Dora, the explorer na kung saan-saang naglalakbay. Think out of the box. Kung ano ang naiisip mong sa tingin mo ay maganda, ay ilagay mo sa story mo, but don't forget to bring the essence of your story. Lawakan mo ang imahinasyon mo. Umalis ka sa isang ideya lang, maglibot ka hanggang sa ma-satisfy ka sa sarili mong gawa.
3. Research
Search and search! Kakampi natin si Google rito. Kung hindi mo alam ang isang bagay ay mag-search ka. Magsaliksik ka! Kung walang pang-google, meron sa mga libro. Libro niyo ngayon na hindi pa naisasauli, tignan mo. May makukuha kang ideya.
Halimbawa na lang kapag wala kang maisip na lugar kung saan pwedeng mag-date ang mga character mo, search ka sa internet! Lalabas na iyon atomatiko. Pwedeng sa beach, restaurant, sa isawan, ihawan, sa dagat, sa langit at sa kung saan-saan pa. 'Yong mga lugar na hindi mo kadalasang makikita sa ibang story. Mawawala ka sa tinatawag nilang "cliché".
4. Creativeness
Be creative on choosing your scene or plot. Be creative enough to discover ideas more than you thought. 'Wag kang mag-stay sa iisa lang. Explore, research and merge! Repeat the cycle! Lahat tayo ay may creativeness na tinatawag, all you have to do is to seek it and live with it. That would make our life more colorful than yesterdays.
You could be a creative writer with the use of dictionaries. Seek unfamiliar words and familiar yourself with its synonyms and antonyms. It could help your story more worth reading, and not flat and boring.
Another thing is to explore in your area. Tingin-tingin ka lang sa paligid mo, may makakalap kang ideya na pwede mong magamit sa story mo. Halimbawa, may nahulog na piso. Bigyan mo 'yon ng magandang koneksyon sa character mo na magpapadaloy ng kwento.
Sabihin nating ang piso na 'yon ay may halagang libo at dahil kailangan mo ng pera ay tumungo ka sa coin collector. Bigyan mo ng exciting na ganap sa part na 'to. Let's say that the coin collector is your ex and your story will be continue... so on and so forth. Haha!
5. BOOM!
Boom! Give your readers a big blast and boom! Give them a jaw-dropping twist that would make them to reread your story always. The remarkable one and astonishing one.
Oo, cliché ang plot mo o 'yong mga scene mo pero come to think of it, your story will be more prominent if you spice it up or give a massive blow that will make them feel the excitement while reading.
Always do a twist within the twist. The end twist is your climax of the story. Hype it up! Spice it up. 'Wag mong hahayaang sabihin nila na boring ang gawa mo. Bigyan mo sila ng sampal na itong story ko ay hindi katulad ng ibang story. Patunayan mong mali sila o kung tatamatamad ka, let your story fade away. Say bye.
Offer your readers a small box containing the most valuable thing on the inside.
6. Nevermind
Today's generation literally has been making my head ache. The rude audacity of some readers out there makes our world, Wattpad, become toxic and polluted. So, some of the writers are experiencing self-doubt about themselves.
First, nevermind them, writer. Do not mind them, let's mind our own craft. Let them roar. Let them bark. But don't let yourself be affected by it. You're a tough writer, don't easily provoked to it.
We don't talk to trashes.
7. Worth
You are a writer but you've been experiencing tough problems such as self-doubt, lack of inspiration, lack of knowledge about writing, being envious to other authors, hugging procrastination, thinking they might not like your story because it has a cliché plot, scared from feedbacks and from the unpurified world.
Manunula(t), you are amazing. Know your worth as a writer. Don't give them satisfaction. Don't give up on writing because someday, you will become like your favorite authors out there.
Find your worth and after that, you will be free from your worries. Promise, you're worth it having pens as your gun, your books as your vest and your words as your bullets. Kill them in silence.
Someday, you will sign your own book. You're worth it!
8. copy
Hindi copy na plagiarism or something. Copy some pieces of someone's masterpiece but not the whole book. You are a writer, not a copycat wannabe writer.
Why? To help you to have more ideas. 'Wag 'yong kinopya mo na ang main plot ng istoryang pinagpaguran ng iba. Chill lang. Kumuha ka lang ng pwedeng ilagay sa story mo. 'Wag kang manguha o mang-angkin. Bad 'yon. Kahit simpleng lines lang o kung paano sila magsulat. Mga techniques, gan'on but not the whole and main plot of it. Please, remember!
9. Be...
• Be thoughtful, creative, curious and tactful.
• Be aware that some cliché plots are not always required to be put in to your story. Widen your imagination. There are unique pieces left so, seek for it.
• Be loyal to your focal genre. Though you have a lot of subgenre, be sure to focus on your main.
• Be different. Make difference.
• Be yourself. Being yourself inside of the story could make you continue writing without worries you might take. Just be you and you don't need to be somebody to feel satisfaction. Put yourself in to your story. Feel your story. Live with your story.
10. Write
How to stop your worries in writing? Just write. Rest until you regain your energy and urge to write. Just write, kamanunula(t)!
All of your wishes will be come true, if you are willing to fight for it 'til to the end. Don't lose hope. Fight for your words. Chase your dreams and never run away from it. Reach it until you achieve and never forget to look back on your first portrait.
Splash life through your books, make life with your pen and give life to the audiences.
And having cliché scenes or plots are not the hinder to stop you from writing. It became cliché because they were used by some authors back then but before, they are already a unique piece to someone. Huwag niyong isipin na baguhin ang istorya niyo dahil lang sa common ito. Laging may mga seasonings ang magpapabago rito. Make them unique. Cliché is inevitable but it is editable.
Again, don't feel bad because you have a common plot. Try to wear the simple mannequin a dress of elegance, and let the customers buy it by its look.
Don't lose hope, writers!
Hold your dreams, never let it sealed.
PS. Grammatical errors, typos and etcetera above. Sorry, I'm still learning. Thank you.