Each
post for the A to Z Challenge is the challenge I set for myself.
 |
| C is for CHALLENGES |
 |
| FOR THE KNIGHT, de MOREVILLE, ARCHERY IS A CHALLEGE |
HAL LONGLEAT AND THE TROUBLE WITH TRUTH
Hal gripped the ladder, and he dug his
fingers into the space between the blocks of stone. He held his breath. What could the knight do that was better than
Lord Courtney’s shot? “Please,” Hal whispered, even though he had no idea
what he was hoping for. “Please.” He shook his head.
Could YOU have been gifted with the ability to identify
and eliminate weak and brittle phrases from your work? To the uninitiated,
these interlopers look like quality imagery.
CLICHÉ RAIDERS: REWRITE!
• calm
before the storm
• card up
his sleeve
• cat
among the pigeons, put the
• centre
of the universe
• chalk
and cheese, as different as
• champing
at the bit
• chorus
of approval/dispproval
• cold
light of day, in the
• crack of
dawn
• crisis
of confidence
• cross
that bridge when we come to it, we’ll
FOR C, I CHOSE CHALLENGES. WHAT IS THE SUBJECT OF YOUR C POST?
Good luck with the challenge, I'm going to California today!
ReplyDeleteEvalina, This and that...
Hi EvalinaMaria
DeleteI hope you have a wonderful time in California.
Is the Trouble With Truth supposed to paste together into a longer story across the days? I hadn't thought to check for continuity...
ReplyDeleteMy 'C' post today is 'Cartography,' going over some of the difficulties in mapping my fictional world, and some of its better-known regions.
All the sections about Hal are from my wip. They are not chronological, more selected to reflect the mood of the post. Oh! *Plan: We could play the game Piece the mms back together! I like that idea ;) It may take a while - 30 days. And, you would also need to know that two excerpts are not from chapter one ;)
DeleteI loved your piece on the fictional world you've created - very much the reverse of Earth.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. As you know, "chalk art" is my topic for the day. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! Those cliches often masquerade as good writing but just end up sounding old and trite. I agree: rewrite them!
Hi Dana
DeleteThe chalk art over on your blog was amazing - hard to believe it was only drawn into the third dimension.
I think it's also the choices made how to deal with the struggle that makes it interesting rather than just grueling.
ReplyDeletemood
Moody Writing
Hi Mood
DeleteEvery word is a whole set of separate decisions ;)
Cliches on the lips of a character tell you something about the character. Cliches in the writer's prose tell you something about the writer... :) Personally, I avoid them like the plague. ;)
ReplyDeleteAll the best with the rest of the A-to-Z, Elaine. :)
*hahaha
DeleteYou should visit John Wiswell he has a magical plague - hard to be clichéd about that ;)
New follower saying hello from A to Z.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to add two more cliches to your list--how 'bout chip off the old block or chip on his/her shoulder.
My C post today is about Change, Calendar, and Customs in world building and setting.
Hi Cynthia
DeleteThank you for stopping by and following. I love new followers.
Yes, chips on, or off, blocks or shoulders should be swept away from everyone's writing ;)
The subject of my C post is Beth Cato. She's a writer I've published in Niteblade magazine a few times and someone who deserves a little extra attention now and then.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post about challenges, I enjoyed all your C cliches too.
~ Rhonda Parrish
I like the idea that your theme for the A to Z Challenge is a focus on new writers. Challenges provide the opportunity to learn the hard way ;)
DeleteI think I'm pretty good at making challenges for my characters. I usually catch my cliches and hope my editors catch any I miss.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan
DeleteExcellent, I would say. It's handy having any kind of support to clip the clichés, you have the best kind of spotters looking with you. :)
I'm good at recognising the cliches...it takes longer to rewrite them ;)
ReplyDeleteHi Lynda
DeleteI'm glad you spot the clichés... they are just sooo comfortably embedded in the psyche they slip into the writing.
So many clichés, so little space in my brain to remember them all ;)
ReplyDeleteHi Trisha
DeleteI selected five examples from much longer lists - there are lots of clichés. I find, the trouble is the brain knows them all and, without vigilance, lets them slip out and into the mms.
I enjoy reading those struggles.
ReplyDeleteI try to catch those cliches and edit them out. I never heard of "champing at the bit" and "cat among the pigeons". They're new to me.
Hi Medeia
DeleteI agree, the struggle is the absorbing part of the story. I'm glad you're finding the clichés section useful; I guess some clichés are cultural or regional - originally, they must have been products of their time and place.
An A-Z challenger just looking in.
ReplyDeleteClichés are the bane of any writer. They can act as useful place holders in a first draft but after that they're a definite no-no.
My C was Thomas COOK.
Good luck with the rest of the challenge.
I'm pretty good about catching cliches but I still find them now and again!
ReplyDeleteMy subject was Confessions
ReplyDeleteI like to use known phrases as titles (tho not with regard to Lizzy in AtoZ), they suggest the cliche and then my story (hopefully) takes them somewhere else.
But at the end of the day, when all is said and done, not to put too fine a point on it, if you use too many you'll be up the creek without a paddle.
Some people use cliches til the cows come home! :D
auntyamo
http://ficticiousamo.wordpress.com/
awww...when I read those cliches, I discover how much I enjoy them. They represent some things I really like about the English language. I guess there would be better ways to say those things though.
ReplyDelete