An expression, idea, or plot device that has been used so often it has lost its original impact and feels stale.
A cliche is any element of writing - a phrase, a character type, a plot beat - that has been recycled so many times it no longer surprises or moves the reader. 'It was a dark and stormy night,' 'her heart skipped a beat,' 'he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.' These were all vivid and original once. The problem isn't the idea itself but the fact that readers have encountered it so many times that it slides right past their attention instead of landing. Cliches are the writing equivalent of elevator music - technically present, but nobody's really listening.
Learning to spot cliches in your own work is one of the fastest ways to level up your writing. Every cliche is a missed opportunity to say something in your own voice. When you catch yourself reaching for a familiar phrase, that's your signal to dig deeper and find an image, metaphor, or plot move that's genuinely yours. The goal isn't to be weird for the sake of it - it's to make readers actually see what you're describing instead of glazing over.
Orwell's essay argues that cliches don't just make writing dull - they make thinking lazy, because reaching for a prefab phrase lets you avoid actually figuring out what you mean.
Egan takes the cliched 'rock star' archetype and dismantles it from multiple angles across time, showing real people beneath the stock image.
Deadpool weaponizes cliche awareness as comedy, calling out overused superhero tropes as they happen.
First drafts are supposed to be messy. Use cliches as placeholders, then hunt them down in revision when you have the energy to find better alternatives.
The fix for a cliche doesn't have to be fancy - sometimes simple, specific, and honest beats both the cliche and the overwrought replacement.
Real people do use cliches in speech. But fictional dialogue needs to feel real while being more precise - find the specific cliche your character would use.
Write down ten cliches you catch yourself using (in writing or speech). For each one, write an original replacement that captures the same feeling but in a way only you would phrase it. Try to draw your replacements from your own specific life experience and sensory memories.