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I know you’re waiting with bated breath with a burning question—how have I banished clichés from my writing? This post is not; in any way, shape, or form; intended to be a bone of contention for people inclined to use clichés. In fact, there have been many books which have gotten glowing reviews that I’ve had the privilege to read that have clichés scattered throughout. To make a long story short, clichés do stick out like a sore thumb and should be used with caution. Although that’s easier said than done.

Okay, I’ll stop. :) That was painful.

As I’m reading over my odious first paragraph, the clichés are obvious. But when I’m speedily typing along on my WIP, clichés may not jump out at me (Lord. Now I’ve written in so many clichés that I can’t even stop. Strike ‘jump out at me’ for ‘stand out.’)

Editors hate them unless you turn the cliché into something fresh and different. So, instead of writing ‘He couldn’t make ends meet,’ you could say something like ‘He couldn’t make ends meet….or even make beginnings meet.’ Not very clever, but you get the drift.

Or you could just reword the cliché completely.

Are clichés ever good? Actually, they can be useful if you’re coming up with a humorous title for your book. My August release is Pretty is as Pretty Dies….a takeoff on the old saying “pretty is as pretty does.”

There are a few great sites that focus on clichés. Want to look up a cliché by letter? Go to the Cliché Site. Cliché Finder is another great site. Another is a site that instructs journalists which lists commonly-used hackneyed expressions to avoid.

Writing an argument occasionally becomes necessary.

I’ve got suspects who argue with police and suspects who argue with each other.

The funny thing about writing arguments is that they’re not at all like real life confrontations.

I don’t like arguing—I’m one of those ‘stony silence’ people. Or sometimes a ‘I’m going along with the group, but really unhappy about it’ person.

But lately, I’m having a few arguments with my rising 7th grader. I suppose this is because he’s entering his teen years. The arguments go something like this (this argument we had yesterday morning while visiting my parents and my parents’ church): Me: “Hey, you can’t wear shorts to Nana and Papa’s church.” My son: “Why not?” Me: “Because then your church shoes will look silly if you’re wearing shorts.” My son: “But I’m not going to wear my church shoes. I’m going to wear my tennis shoes.” Me: “Your tennis shoes look awful! They’re covered in mud!” My son (affronted): “They look just fine. There’s not a spot on them.” Me: “No, no! You’ve got to wear khaki pants and your dressy shoes!” Him: “MOM!!! It’s 90 degrees outside!”

You get the idea. It was a stupid argument. And, actually, most arguments that I’ve observed or participated in, have been ridiculously stupid.

Ways Written Arguments are Different from their Real-Life Counterparts:

They shouldn’t have repetitive elements. Unlike the argument above, which went in circles for at least 10 minutes with both my son and myself reiterating past points about the cleanliness or filthiness of said shoes.

They shouldn’t be boring. Written arguments are there to forward the plot along. They should reveal something about a relationship between two people, give the reader information about a problem, or perhaps even (in the case of mysteries) set up a murder. At any rate, they can’t be about shoes.

They shouldn’t be formulaic. This sort of goes along with the above point. We all know how husbands and wives are supposed to argue: “I think that you’re feeling________, which I understand (validating his/her feelings). But when you do ________, it makes me feel _________.” Well, that’s all well and good for real-life arguments. In fact, it’s an excellent way to argue. It’s just incredibly boring to read. When I’m reading, I expect some fireworks during an argument.

There should be some sort of immediate outcome from the argument. I’m reading a PD James novel now (The Private Patient) and there’s a scene involving an argument between the surgeon and a nurse. The two were having a relationship, which came to an end during the argument. This fight stays in the back of the reader’s mind whenever Ms. James brings the two into a new scene. We realize they feel awkward around each other, we see the way they’re avoiding the other. Arguments could result in breakups, violence, regrets, and escalated tension. They could be used as a device to send the plot in a completely different direction.

Arguments are a great way to provide conflict and tension to a manuscript. I just make sure mine aren’t as unfocused and pointless in print as the verbal variety I’ve engaged in lately.

I think I’ve mentioned before how much easier it is for me to describe people and settings when I have pictures in front of me. I’m a pretty visual person. I like pulling articles out of the newspaper, magazines, and from the internet and keeping them near my manuscript.

My Myrtle Clover series is set in a small town that’s very similar to the town I grew up in (Anderson, South Carolina.) Our family traveled to Anderson for the 4th of July weekend to visit my parents, and I brought my camera.

I drove around Anderson, parking the car and walking frequently, and took pictures of the places I lived or where I spent a lot of time when I was growing up. It’s funny how often these locations creep into my settings. There was a teensy bit of trespassing involved, but I zoomed in on my camera to get the pictures I wanted without really getting close to these homes. And no one called the police as I walked through their yard. A red-letter day! :) I’d also dragged my children with me (“I’m sure y’all want to see the house I grew up in. And my friends’ houses from elementary school. And the park where I fed the ducks. And…”) and so I looked especially innocuous.

I also keep a disposable camera in my car’s glove compartment now. There were a few times when I kicked myself for not having a camera nearby. Sometimes I’ll drive through some beautiful small towns on the way to other places. I’ve used my cell phone’s camera in a pinch, but it blurs everything (or maybe I just don’t understand how to use it.) So now I have a disposable camera in the car for those times when I see something I think would be helpful later on. And now, the photo developers will give you a CD of your pictures, even from a disposable, so I can keep them in a file labeled with my WIP’s name on my computer.

It’s a day of celebration for Americans…..and I think I’ll use this chance to celebrate the folks who help me out each day.

My husband. Also known as my artistic patron. Our son asked the other day, “When is it Dad’s turn to scoop out the cat litter?” (My son has been on scoop-duty quite a bit since school ended for the summer.) I said, “Well, never, really. Because we depend on Dad for our very survival.” I think it gave my son pause. But it’s true. I certainly wouldn’t be at home, watching the kids and pets, sort of making supper, sort of cleaning, and blogging and writing without my successful better-half keeping us off the streets. Thanks, sweetie.

My children. They do keep me young. And they make sure I don’t stay in the house all day writing (even if I want to.) Yes, I’d be an odd-looking recluse if it weren’t for my extremely popular children and their many play-dates.

My cats (pictured). Why? Well….hmm. I guess because they keep me on my toes. Smoke (on the right) knocks at my bedroom door at 4:00 a.m. to make sure I don’t oversleep. Shadow (left) eats my printed-out WIP and upchucks it on the floor. Everyone’s a critic, I guess….but it reminds me to make my work the very best it can be. And to put it on top of the fridge when I’m not writing on it.

My corgi, Chloe. Because she listens to everything I say. So, when I say “Ouch…did you fall down?” to my daughter, Chloe hears: “Ball” and goes wild. Her idea of a best selling book would be one with the following text: “Wanna go for a walk? Wanna play ball? Outside? Potty? Kibbles? Where’s your leash? Good girl. The End.” It’s so nice to have someone hanging on your every word…even when they’re listening for the 10 words they actually know.

My family for proofreading and doing all that other stuff that’s not fun. And….they ask all their friends to buy their books. Which really helps.

My friends who ignore the paper clutter that follows me around like the dust around Peanut’s Pigpen.

My online author friends who give me support and encouragement.

Thanks, y’all. And have a happy 4th.

I wasn’t cool in….well, ever. I was on the newspaper and literary magazine staff. I hung out with people in high school that are now architects, IT people, CPAs….but definitely not whatever the cheerleaders and football players became. (Politicians? What did those folks become? Inquiring minds want to know…)

I’m a nerd.

In my Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink, my protagonist, in some ways, is an elderly nerd. I completely relate to her. She makes funny literary references, she’s a retired English teacher….I get Myrtle.

But not all of my characters are Myrtles. I have characters that are rednecks, theologians, blue collar workers, wealthy do-gooders, etc.

How do you handle writing different personality types?

I squash my inner-nerd. Sometimes it’s a pleasure to do so. Really.

I explore different personalities by imagining what it would be like to be them. Sort of like playing dress-up when you were a kid.

When I really dislike someone, I write it down. Usually if I don’t like them, it’s because the person is 180 degrees different from me. And a wonderful character, for that very reason.

I model a character on someone I know. And, naturally, completely change the character so they’re not recognizable to the person who inspired it.

I model a character on someone I wish I could be. When we’re looking in the mirror in the morning and wish we could see someone more glamorous or more adventurous in there….well, here’s our chance.

There’s no resume required when writing characters. It’s nice to use our imaginations to fill in the blanks. And…..we’re writers. We get to make things up.