tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post5113268553428261118..comments2023-09-29T05:32:04.308-07:00Comments on StrangePegs: The Cliche MonsterAndrew Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-56479360040532633832011-10-29T12:08:54.867-07:002011-10-29T12:08:54.867-07:00Shannon: I'd really have to say that it doesn&...Shannon: I'd really have to say that it doesn't matter. I was well into writing House before I read any Dresden Files and finished with House before I was far enough into the Dresden series before I realized that there were similarities. More similarities in backgrounds and themes than actual story, though. Still, it was surprising but more of a curiosity than anything else. I actually did a post about that a long while ago called Common Zeitgeist.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-5268465365292979362011-10-28T23:14:47.379-07:002011-10-28T23:14:47.379-07:00I've been the one who freaked out about a simi...I've been the one who freaked out about a similar book released and gave up on it. In fact, it stymied me for a very long time. Over a decade. I was young, it scared me, and it killed that part of me for a bit. Now I look at it and think how silly I was. Yet, I still get that pang if I see something similar to something I want to write. I don't want anyone to think I was copying something else. How do you prove you were already writing this story before you found the similar one? And does it matter? No amount of rational argument can fully steel one for that sensation when at first discovering that similar story.<br /><br />Interesting post!Shannon Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00934641808195675935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-12227718247519022732011-10-27T17:23:21.858-07:002011-10-27T17:23:21.858-07:00Man - I seem to stay one post behind nowadays. I j...Man - I seem to stay one post behind nowadays. I just can't keep up. Loved the post. I suppose the differences between a cliche and say, a trope, can be pretty subtle. <br /><br />But you're right, everyone freaks out when they find similarities with their own story and other ones. I used to act like it was no big deal, until it happened to me, and then I freaked out. Can't help it.Rusty Carlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09887821877521181811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-24529418334389877772011-10-27T14:39:30.995-07:002011-10-27T14:39:30.995-07:00Holly: If you check my tab called Of Significance,...Holly: If you check my tab called Of Significance, you'll find The Belgariad mentioned again. I haven't read Eddings in a long while, but it was a great joy to introduce my younger son to the series and see his enjoyment in it.<br /><br />Nice to have you aboard :)Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-38773396941633731192011-10-27T07:43:01.768-07:002011-10-27T07:43:01.768-07:00Thoroughly enjoyed your post.
Thanks for mention...Thoroughly enjoyed your post. <br /><br />Thanks for mentioning David Eddings. I love the Belgarion and Sparhawk series. Yes, they are (to a certain extent) formulaic, but the character development and the dialogue make them fresh and brilliant. I find myself re-reading them every couple of years. For me they are my fantasy "comfort reads".Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15842154112476675271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-16833563287540442492011-10-26T13:39:04.596-07:002011-10-26T13:39:04.596-07:00Alyssia: Yeah, I know what you're talking abou...Alyssia: Yeah, I know what you're talking about. Going back to Eddings, he never did change his formula, and, eventually, I got tired of it, but other people didn't, so it was kind of just me.<br /><br />Nancy: Yeah, it doesn't work as well with movies, because, unlike with kindergarten, we don't really ever just pass through it. We're always in that world, and it gets tiring when it's the same thing over and over again. But, then, the kids don't feel that way, so, I suppose, they're hitting their audience.<br /><br />Martin: Exactly!Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-38188731205707312182011-10-26T04:21:18.555-07:002011-10-26T04:21:18.555-07:00You're spot on with this. Everything is a cli...You're spot on with this. Everything is a cliche. <br /><br />To coin a phrase (a cliche), 'It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it'.Martin Willoughbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05605554706836638988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-85823821693051741162011-10-25T18:10:49.985-07:002011-10-25T18:10:49.985-07:00The movie industry seems to have gone from cliche&...The movie industry seems to have gone from cliche' to just remaking the old ones again because like your kindergarten teacher they think, hey these new kids haven't seen this movie. A good move on her part, not a big fan of it in the theater. In the last few years, re-writing the fairy tales has been big and Alan Gratz has done a whole series on updating Shakespearean classics. I guess if you are willing to embrace it, it works.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12269660745591215804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-20990564946721256562011-10-25T16:25:14.454-07:002011-10-25T16:25:14.454-07:00As a writer, it's tough when faced with the bi...As a writer, it's tough when faced with the big bad publishing industry. They want something original, something different, and yet... something cozy and familiar, so people will buy it. Seems no win, doesn't it? So, yeah. Why not? Write what you want, the story of your dreams. If it's cliche, it's cliche; just don't drown your work in cliche, or even you will be throwing up by the third chapter. We've all read those kind of books, so I know you know what I'm talking about.<br /><br />Anyways. Sorry for rambling. Great post, Andrew. Very inspiring. :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16514163880053470414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-33392331834393535322011-10-25T12:58:21.114-07:002011-10-25T12:58:21.114-07:00Rogue: Well, yeah, that's sort of the point. I...Rogue: Well, yeah, that's sort of the point. I think we get more scared than we need to be of cliches as writers because readers -will- read the same thing over and over again. I mean, Eddings made his career on it. Everything he did after The Belgariad was still The Belgariad. He just used the same formula over and over again, but he made millions off of it.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-33680351599368360682011-10-25T09:35:19.342-07:002011-10-25T09:35:19.342-07:00Meh. Readers don't care about cliches. Other...Meh. Readers don't care about cliches. Otherwise they wouldn't keep buying books that spout the same cliches over and over again.PT Dillowayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-11013900092973204362011-10-25T08:48:41.527-07:002011-10-25T08:48:41.527-07:00Well, I don't think having your main character...Well, I don't think having your main character be an orphan is part of the plot structure, but it is cliche and completely over used. In fact, my wife really doesn't read fantasy because so much of it involves the orphan (boy) child with a heritage he hasn't discovered. She did love Harry Potter, though. What I'm talking about are elements, not structure.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-91461564723237193392011-10-25T08:38:18.241-07:002011-10-25T08:38:18.241-07:00Hmm...I don't look at plot structures as being...Hmm...I don't look at plot structures as being cliche in the same way that you do. What I find cliche are more specific things. The movie "Scream" is a great example (and perfect for Halloween) of exposing cliche things in horror films which in itself makes it brilliant. But the plot structure you point out with the Belgariad and the Harry Potter Series is just a framework. Generalizing the framework of something would be like saying we are all writing the same thing because we use twenty-six letters and punctuation marks.Michael Offutt, Phantom Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10557969104886174930noreply@blogger.com