novel Knowledge

[Ainz_Sama_1234]

I don't know if it's only me or if it is a common occurrence.

when I start writing my novel and reread it I always think that what I write is a typical cliche and most people will know about this so I try to re-write it but it stays the same...

is it because I am the author of the story so I already know all of it or do I just suck? :(

do you guys feel the same while rereading your novel or is it just me?

 

[NotaNuffian]

Rather be a common cliche than cringeass unreadable wank.

Tropes happen. You can learn how to subvert, avert or go ham by reading more works.

Even bad ones are good, they can tell you what not to do.

As for reading my own work, I cringe at my inner sixteen yo all the time.

 

[Deleted member 58005]

Cliches are fun

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Don't focus on originality; focus on quality.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

I don't know if it's only me or if it is a common occurrence.

when I start writing my novel and reread it I always think that what I write is a typical cliche and most people will know about this so I try to re-write it but it stays the same...

is it because I am the author of the story so I already know all of it or do I just suck? :(

do you guys feel the same while rereading your novel or is it just me?

look man, all my novels are cliches...but i just add QUALITY WRITING and a few twists. i take some genres and tropes and improve upon upon them in my own personal tastes. Thats usually enough. Im a reader, i know what i want out of a story. Hence, i know how to WRITE a story...not everyone will approve but i think a majority will.

If not, fuck em, i do things how i enjoy them. All authors should do the same unless the goal is money

Don't focus on originality; focus on quality.

exactly. Only people like brandon sanderson can do originality, and even he is just improving on previous ideas. People like us, we just gotta make sure our prose captures the average reader. Me, i uphold a certain level of writing. Im not the best, (tho if you ask later i will of course say i AM the best) but i keep a certain quality of writing in which readers can pretty much get absorbed into it fairly well. Characters, setting, plot...all those aside, i focus on prose itself. I'm a kinda writer heavily affected by his own reading, and I've only read jap and Korean works for several years so im sure i forgot how western writers do it...but even then, they write well enough and i learn from them. Copy from them.

It ain't for everyone, but if people can forgive certain storytelling standards, they'd probably enjoy my stories. They're mainly tailored for anime enthusiasts, so i got some leeway and i like that

 

[VeganMaster]

I mean, cliches are cliches for a reason.

They work and are engaging to some extent(when done well at least). As long as you are able to keep a reader engaged with your writing, then they won't really care about it. As Cupcake said, just focus on quality and put in a few twists here and there.

I mean, as an example, if you make your character interesting and compelling enough and place them in interesting situations, no one will care about cliches.

Regardless, the advice I'd give is to just write whatever you know you'd like to read. It's also more enjoyable for you that way.

Good luck on your novel mate ;)

 

[LilRora]

It depends which of my stories I'm actually reading. If they are older, I see really many cliches, if they are newer, there is considerably smaller amount of them, but they still are there. Some cliches are simply unavoidable, because even original stories need some familiarity, or they will be unreadable.

If you try to write a story using only your original ideas, you will burn your brain on all the new concepts you need. The proper way to write (normally) is to choose a theme of your story and go along with the ideas you are familiar with, then add some novelties of your own.

If we're talking about events in the story, like character's actions or cliche circumstances, you shouldn't avoid unoriginal ones, but add something to a well known trope that would make it stand out.

 

[Deleted member 68927]

I don't know if it's only me or if it is a common occurrence.

when I start writing my novel and reread it I always think that what I write is a typical cliche and most people will know about this so I try to re-write it but it stays the same...

is it because I am the author of the story so I already know all of it or do I just suck? :(

do you guys feel the same while rereading your novel or is it just me?

I reread my stories when I have forgotten the plot. You should try to do the same. It usually takes about 2 months to forget.
(I do read after writing the chapters, to edit, but that doesn't count.)

Chin up. You should read Never Say You Can't Survive by Charlie Jane Anders, and Writing Into The Dark by Dean Smith. Those two books will teach you how to shut off your critical voice, and enjoy the creative process.

It may be a cliché, by now. Many people on the forums have said it already, but here is my advice for you:

Write for a single reader.
Know that the reader in question is you, yourself.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

Even bad ones are good, they can tell you what not to do.

Get your hammer and smash the tropes!

 

[Theirl]

troupes arent bad per say... i love getting a novel to listen in youtube and the first thing that happen is the mc saving an noble from an bandit attack

 

[CarburetorThompson]

If you keep rewriting a story before you finish it, you may get better at writing the beginnin, but you’ll never get any practice writing the end. Even if you think it’s bad I think it’s better to keep writing than to rewrite in order to get that experience.

 

[Vnator]

I don't know if it's only me or if it is a common occurrence.

when I start writing my novel and reread it I always think that what I write is a typical cliche and most people will know about this so I try to re-write it but it stays the same...

is it because I am the author of the story so I already know all of it or do I just suck? :(

do you guys feel the same while rereading your novel or is it just me?

I feel the exact same! I figured that being the author and knowing what will happen spoils what a lot of people will find to be fun, but it's hard for me to tell what parts of the story that applies to. Or how to tell if they'd be fun if I didn't know it already.

 

[Ainz_Sama_1234]

I feel the exact same! I figured that being the author and knowing what will happen spoils what a lot of people will find to be fun, but it's hard for me to tell what parts of the story that applies to. Or how to tell if they'd be fun if I didn't know it already.

yep same...i just read it over and over from other people's perspectives but it's difficult for me to tell that apart..

 

[WinterTimeCrime]

I think people only get that type of reasoning when that specific trope is all they read/watch, and when they start to write then they see continuous occurrences from their favorite books/shows. That's why it's always good to spread out your influences by reading in different genres and giving books you normally wouldn't a chance.

 

[edgy_chuuni]

The whole 'being isekaid' thingy is a cliche with the goddess, the truck, the game or the 'I woke up and it's a different world!' but no one thinks of them as cliche but as normal. So if you tuly want your novel to be unique... You can't, there's bound to be a lot of cliches

 

[TheEldritchGod]

do you guys feel the same while rereading your novel or is it just me?

Nope. Just you.

I love rereading my novels. Every time i find another error or think of a better way to phrase something so I am constantly tweaking them. So they get better with every reading.
You do know nothing you do is original, right?

 

[SamTolan]

I don't know if it's only me or if it is a common occurrence.

when I start writing my novel and reread it I always think that what I write is a typical cliche and most people will know about this so I try to re-write it but it stays the same...

is it because I am the author of the story so I already know all of it or do I just suck? :(

do you guys feel the same while rereading your novel or is it just me?

It's a perfectly normal occurance. As we become better writers, we look back on our previous work and see what could be improved or changed and how far we have come.

There is nothing original other than our interpretation of it and how we modify it. That being said, looking back and seeing how far we came to understanding story structure, editing, prose, characters, world, and plot is a wonderful, if vexxing feeling.

I know I looked back at books even a year ago frustrated at what I wrote and how I could do better now.

So yes, I believe everyone has experienced this at least once.

My advice is to write what you enjoy. There is nothing wrong with cliches or tropes, as it all comes down to execution.