Do you think there are any cliché plots, or is it what you do with it?

Question

Witches, wizards, vampires, new kid at a school, parents dying etc. are all topics that seem to becoming taboo because so many people now use them, but should it really be considered a sin to write about them? Should all new writers steer away of any of those topics, even if it plays just a very small part, just so readers/critics don't accuse them of being unoriginal and cliché? For example someone writing about a wizard could be accused of copying Harry Potter, even if the only similarity is the fact that it involves witches and wizards. Same goes for Vampires.

My plot for example involves two of the above, so do you think that means I should give up the entire story and just come up with something I'll be unhappy with, purely to make those few picky critics happy?

What are your opinions? I'll be interested to see the responses and thoughts :)

Answer 1

It's possible to take any plot or premise that's been done to death and do something different or unexpected with it. But you should be aware that some readers will choose to avoid your story, just because it features a plot or premise that's been done to death, and the odds that you've done something with it that they haven't already seen are slight.



For instance, I won't read any book published in the last decade with the words "vampire" or "werewolf" in the summary, because the chances are it's a Twilight ripoff. Of course, I'm well aware that I'm missing out on some excellent books about vampires and/or werewolves that are nothing like Twilight, but I'm not short of other books to read...

Answer 2

I really think it depends on what you do with it. I think you could choose the most cliche plot you could think of and still put a twist on it that was so interesting it would no longer feel like a cliche.



I feel like cliches aren't really a huge problem in books. I think how the authors handle them is the problem. Writing cliches the same way everyone else does, without putting their own spin on it. I don't think a cliche should ever be taboo. There is always a way to make something overdone, interesting.



When I look at some of my most favorite books, I can find a number of cliches, but they're written so well, and in a way that makes me feel like I haven't read it one hundred times already.

Answer 3

Harry Potter was a "new kid in school" plot. The difference was it wasn't about being the new kid in school as much as it was about Harry Potter. (I don't even think the magic was the important stuff. It just made it different.) Now everyone wants to do Harry Potter with some minor twist or different magic. In that case, yes, it's cliched!



"New kid in school" isn't different. It's who the new kid is and that the story isn't just presented that it turns out to be new kid meets people and stops being new kid by the end of the school year. Gee, no kidding. How else would it turn out? There's no plot in that. Also, when the first thing that happens is the new kid goes into school feeling all small, insignificant and new, and then goes to the first class just to see the teacher and other kids in the class... I'm sorry, but why do I read such a story? That's like reading algebra homework for fun. I have to do that every day, so it's not escaping from real life.



And then there is a vampire cult in the school? For the amount of vampire stories available to me, it might as well be a cult of cheerleaders. At least that's different. I'm beginning to believe every school has vampires.



Or, how about new kid in school is really the son of a famous wizard/god/demigod/vampire hunter/vampire/or is, unbeknownst to him, a superhero in hiding? I think there are less cheerleaders in my school than books of that nature.



Or wait! How about new girl in school wanting to date bad-boy. What's wrong with normal boys? Do we offend? What possible good can come out of dating a bad-boy?



I just read a book about a gorilla stuck in captivity from the gorilla's POV. Now that's different. I just read a book about a boy dying of cancer. He died! Now that's different. I read a book about cowboys in North Philly. I didn't even know there were cowboys in Philly and I live here.



Nothing inherently wrong with writing the same stuff in different ways. Just make sure it's "in different ways." After all, Harry Potter was a new boy in school. That was different. It's no longer all that different, but it was different in its day. :D

Answer 4

Yes, a plot idea can be cliche, but it's really what you do with it that'll decide whether it follows that cliche trend or not.

Like Vampires. If I was to make a vampire story and have them follow all of the rules most vampire books have as well as other typical plot ideas, it'd be cliche. Now if I took this "vampire" thing and instead turned it into, say, something that actually weakens a person and they must be bed-ridden and fed human blood to survive.. that sounds a bit different, doesn't it? And so that'd be about the struggle of killing humans to strengthen another and how this vampire would recover. Because who knows? Maybe after a while they do recover and find themselves to be like a normal human whose only difference is their tendency to drink human blood.

I don't know, does it sound like something you've read before? The only similarity is the vampire aspect.



I think anything can be made original even if the initial idea isn't.

Write what you want, it'll be original in its own way.

Answer 5

Things can be cliché, and a lot of books are. Write out the similarities and differences, if it's too similar, you could still write it, but it would be better if it were more different.



I think if you write it well, you could pull it off!



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http://wattpad.com/story/15501268?utm_content=share_reading&utm_source=ios&utm_medium=link

Answer 6

I think it's entirely what you do with it. I've read so many books that have taken what seems like a cliche idea but the author has given an amazing new spin to the trope. New writers are more likely to use cliche ideas because they don't know they're cliche yet. I've had so many young writers talk about their amazing idea, believing it's completely original and having absolutely no idea that the idea has been done many times before. And there's nothing wrong with that. Everyone has to start somewhere.



Wizards were around long before Harry Potter and they're still around now the HP books are over. Anyone that accuses an author of being unoriginal or copying HP simply because they're writing about wizards is probably very narrow-minded and hasn't read many books. The same goes for people who accuse any vampire books of being copied from Twilight.



If your plot involves vampires and wizards then go for it. You need to write what makes you happy. There will always be picky critics out there and you can't please everyone. If you think you can bring something new to the table then good luck to you. I'll still happily read books about vampires and wizards even if people tell me they are cliche.



Write what _you_ want to write.