Comments on: Cliches and How to Avoid Them https://www.jackieashenden.com/cliches-and-how-to-avoid-them/ Sun, 24 May 2009 22:59:58 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 By: Jackie Ashenden https://www.jackieashenden.com/cliches-and-how-to-avoid-them/#comment-547 Sun, 24 May 2009 22:59:58 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=548#comment-547 Romy, I’ve just emailed you. Send away!

]]> By: Romy https://www.jackieashenden.com/cliches-and-how-to-avoid-them/#comment-546 Sun, 24 May 2009 10:30:57 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=548#comment-546 Completely unrelated, but I was wondering, since you’re NTAI and have already 3 completed novel drafts, if you have the time / inclination to read the opening chapters of my new novel.

If you’re willing and able, please send me your email address. It was one of the many things I lost when my laptop crashed.

]]> By: Jackie Ashenden https://www.jackieashenden.com/cliches-and-how-to-avoid-them/#comment-545 Sun, 24 May 2009 06:38:10 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=548#comment-545 Lacey, that’s absolutely it re the obsessiveness. I felt it might be a bit of a cliche but having read heaps of mountain climbing books I found out that they ARE actually like that! Yep, my poor old hero is faced with giving up his climbing for love. Awwww. Do you think he actually will go through with it?? 😉
My story? Well, if you’re lucky M&B might accept it and it’ll be published and I’ll send you a copy. If not…well, send me lots of good quality 70% cocoa chocolate and I’ll give it to you. 😉

]]> By: Lacey Devlin https://www.jackieashenden.com/cliches-and-how-to-avoid-them/#comment-544 Sat, 23 May 2009 06:34:50 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=548#comment-544 Great post Jackie! I love the sound of your latest WIP, obsessed mountain climber and all 😉 because let’s face it some athletes really are like that, it’s how they identify themselves (been there 😉 ). They are a mountain climber, dancer, race car driver, period. They devote their lives to training and being THAT good. If you take that away with an injury etc they’re forced to change their whole life, because the one thing that took up every waking hour is suddenly gone and they’re going to resist that with a disgusting amount of stubbornness and irrationality. Who do I have to bribe to get my hands on your story?

]]> By: Jackie Ashenden https://www.jackieashenden.com/cliches-and-how-to-avoid-them/#comment-543 Thu, 21 May 2009 20:55:13 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=548#comment-543 Joanne, thanks! *blushes*. 🙂 Yeah, layers do maketh the character. But they’re hard to do. Speaking of Kate Walker, she made a lovely quote on her blog about category romance being like a sonnet to write – elegant, disciplined and difficult. Cool eh?

]]> By: Joanne Cleary https://www.jackieashenden.com/cliches-and-how-to-avoid-them/#comment-542 Thu, 21 May 2009 14:25:20 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=548#comment-542 You do such good writerly posts!

I’m thinking this is another example of why it is so important for characters to have layers. I think we previously decided it was Kate Walker, and not Shrek, who came up with this analogy.

It’s the layers that stop characters from being cliched and cardboard cut-out.

]]> By: Jackie Ashenden https://www.jackieashenden.com/cliches-and-how-to-avoid-them/#comment-541 Thu, 21 May 2009 05:11:59 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=548#comment-541 No, no, Rach, she’s not a cardboard cut-out at all! In fact, she’s a great example of a character who feels like a proper person. If you want a cardboard cut-out, my poor old mountain climber is in danger of becoming one. But that’s because he’s obsessed with climbing and doesn’t have anything else in his life. At least, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

]]> By: Rachael Johns https://www.jackieashenden.com/cliches-and-how-to-avoid-them/#comment-540 Thu, 21 May 2009 01:43:02 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=548#comment-540 Great post Jackie – you do put it all so clearly! I’m slightly worried that my current heroine is a bit of a cut-out though… note-to-self… must add a few quirks!

]]> By: Jackie Ashenden https://www.jackieashenden.com/cliches-and-how-to-avoid-them/#comment-539 Wed, 20 May 2009 20:09:51 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=548#comment-539 It is difficult Suzanne but if you’re subtle about it, it doesn’t have to feel like a pointless detail.

BTW, thanks. I don’t think she’s a cliche either.

]]> By: Suzanne https://www.jackieashenden.com/cliches-and-how-to-avoid-them/#comment-538 Wed, 20 May 2009 16:16:01 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=548#comment-538 She doesn’t sound like a cliche to me.

I find it hard to factor in facets that have nothing to do with the story – but these facets are so important in creating a well-rouded character.

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