Keeping It Real

Cliches.

We know we're supposed to avoid them.

Yet I still see them in writing I critique. And I most especially, and unfortunately, see them in romances. When was the last time you described a man in your life as having "sinewy" thighs? Um . . . not me.

What about all of the other cliches that seem to creep into love scenes? Romances? Mysteries? Whatever the genre.

Here's what I think. To avoid cliche, don't focus on writing. I know that sounds odd. But focus on keeping it real. Suppose, for instance, you have just met the most wonderful new person. Think of how you would describe him or her to your friends. Now think about ways to decribe him or her to a blind person. Then someone from another culture. Focus on the traits that seem most important. Focus on what you would really say. Focus on, the way when you're in love, you notice something cute or special--pick one trait, one aspect and make that really stand out. You've just called your brother who lives across the globe to tell him you're getting married--what do you tell him about your intended? How do you make him or her come alive for your brother even though he's not going to meet this person until the wedding day? You get the idea. If someone is special, they deserve more than a cliche.

Villains deserve no less. I have a villain or two in my own life, and trust me, I don't have to fall back on cliche. I can make them come alive with one or two very precise stories. In ONE story . . . one single moment in time, I can tell you ALL you need to know about someone who is a villain in my life. In one moment, one story, you would get the idea. I don't have to fall back on overused adjectives.

How about you? How do you keep it real?