Linsey Lanier
Sally Kilpatrick
Sia Huff
Romily Bernard
Darcy Crowder
Marilyn Baron
Tami Brothers
Sandra Elzie
Carol Burnside
Debbie Kaufman
Maxine Davis
Tammy Schubert
Susan Carlisle
Pam Asberry
Lindy Chaffin StartThinking Outside the Boxes
By Nicki Salcedo
I dislike clichés and when I read them I feel insulted. It makes me think the author believes I’ve never read another book before. Don’t get me wrong, I still write about dark and stormy nights and chiseled-chinned heroes, but I delete those clichés during the editing process. Good writing is never predictable writing. Surprise your readers and yourself. When I write I don’t just think outside the box, I think outside ALL of the boxes.
It was a dark and stormy what? What do you think of when you think of rain? A funeral? A precursor to a dramatic first kiss? Why can’t rain signify something happy? Lightening could mean something exciting is happening instead of something frightening.
What you talking about, Willis? Do not say I love you. It’s wrong. I’m sorry. Think about memorable movies lines that didn’t say I love you. “You had me at hello.” “Ditto,” and “I can’t quit you.” In response to Princess Leia’s I love you, Han responds, “I know.” Classic. But in that moment you know he loves her too. He doesn’t have to say it.
I’m too sexy. Some of us are looking in all of the wrong place to find sexy descriptions of our characters. He’s seven feet tall and got a chest like a barrel. His face is so angular, I’m afraid he’s going to cut me. Forget his eyes, chest, and thighs. Tell me about his hands, feet, shoulder blades, the dimple in his chin, the scar on his forearm. I don’t need to know about how much hair he’s got or how much he’s lacking. What I do need to know is why he’s different from the thousands of other heroes I’ve read before. Why can’t he be a good cook? Why can’t we fall in love with him because of the way he takes care of beloved dog or horse?
We love a story because of the unexpected parts.
In Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera, the hero considers a red rose, but then deliberates. His thoughts and actions speak more of his love than a simple I love you:
“A red rose, symbol of flaming passion, might offend her mourning. Yellow roses, which in another language were the flowers of good fortune, were an expression of jealousy in the common vocabulary. He had heard of the black roses of Turkey, which were perhaps the most appropriate, but he had not been able to obtain any for acclimatization in his patio. After much thought he risked a white rose, which he liked less than the others because it was insipid and mute: it did not say anything.”
Try some writing exercises.
1) She sees him across the crowded room (I know a cliché) and the first thing she notices is . . .
2) He catches her before she boards the midnight train to Georgia (yes, another cliché) and tells her that he . . .
3) She had never been so afraid in her life. It was bright and sunny and she could clearly see the . . .
Finish the sentences with something unique and post them in the comment section below. Happy writing! Want more exercises?
Tags: craft, dialog, fiction writing, Nicki Salcedo, romance writing, writing, writing craft
About the author
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Nicki Salcedo | http://www.8headedhydra.com Nicki Salcedo is a hot tamale. She isn’t curious, but the world is and this is why she writes. She is someone’s friend, daughter, sister, aunt, mother, and wife. She writes upmarket fiction that focuses about how you become one of the nouns on that previous list. The short answer is with some laughter, some fits of rage, and some moments of pause. She prefers laughter in real life, but her writing is all about the moments of pause. Nicki received the Maggie Award of Excellence in the Unpublished Single Title Category for her manuscript, Pine.
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March 12th, 2010 at 8:55 am
Hi Nicki,
Oh no, homework! Actually, I love it. Good exercise to try and complete these with entirely new thoughts.
Good post, Nickie
March 12th, 2010 at 11:40 am
Ohhhhh! Fun. I’m not the most creative person but I will definitely give it a try.
She had never been so afraid in her life. It was bright and sunny and she could clearly see the red slime oozing up between the cracks in sidewalk. What the hell was going on?
Hmmm. Now I’m wondering what that slime is and how it got there. Toxic waste? Demons from hell? Red clay from Georgia? What do you think?
When you get a chance, check out some of the starters that Dianna Love, Steve Almond and Kelly L. Stone came up with at Wrtiers’s Digest. I might try a few of them myself.
Thanks Nicki! This was fun.
Tami
March 12th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Maxine, I love homework. Born a nerd and will die a nerd. Hope you come up with something interesting! Come back and share.
March 12th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Tami, we’ve got to work on your ego! Can’t be a writer without being creative. Love the red ooze and the possibilities. You tell us what it is. I’m partial to red clay or blood or toxic waste induced demon!
March 12th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
I’ve been traveling and am perpetually behind on everything. As a thank you to those of you who’ll stop this weekend, I’ll choose a winner from those who comment to receive a free book. Try one of the three writing exercises on this blog or from the link posted by Tami. You have until Monday at midnight to find your muse. The book might just might be my favorite book on writing… Happy thinking outside the boxes weekend!
March 12th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Nicki – I love writing exercises, but I’m bagging out on you today. My brain’s on overload. I’m guest blogging somewhere and just finished a load of writing. I would be pressed to write a decent cliche. But I do love reading everyone else’s attempts.
And I won’t let any of you bag when I give you a writing prompt in April.
Tami – Thanks for noting the WD blog. That’s what got me thinking of doing something along that idea here in April.
March 12th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Hi, Nicki–I do that, too, the going back and weeding out the usual, trying to ramp it up a little. One of my favorite questions to ask myself is “How can I make this worse for the character?”
I noticed you said in a comment that you’re perpetually behind on everything. I’m so glad someone else has that issue!
March 12th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
I know I’ve said this before, but the first time I realized you were a truly gifted writer was when we took Nancy’s class and she asked us to read our work out loud. Your descriptions, your world building, the sheer pleasure of hearing the lyrical sentences flow from your page were not only enlightening to me as a writer, but a joy to hear as well.
So in reading this post I have no doubt you know exactly what you’re talking about.
“Good writing is never predictable writing. Surprise your readers and yourself,” says so much to me. What an excellent suggestion!
I’m in a hotel room right now in Savannah(soccer tournament tomorrow) But I have time right now to do your homework assignment. What a fabulous way to brush up on much needed writing skills.
Thanks so much for the words of wisdom.
I always enjoy your posts.
Have a lovely evening and a productive weekend,
Tamara
March 12th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
Don’t forget to visit Dianna Love today at http://www.romconinc.com/index.php/conversations/post/276!
March 12th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
Great advice, Nicki. I love your creativity.
Here’s my attempt: He catches her before she boards the midnight train to Georgia and tells her that he can’t stop it. If she gets on that train, she’ll be okay, but everyone else will die.
Sounds like a thriller! LOL.
March 12th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Nicki,
Here I am fighting all day to add more words to my manuscriptand now I’m going to have to go back and take out all the cliches. Kidding.
March 12th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
#1 – that he was bowlegged. That made the cowboy hat and plate-sized belt buckle legit…not just wannabe props.
#2 – Don’t go. The fridge is empty.
#3 – Her car was rolling down the driveway, straight toward her husband’s 1966 Camaro.
That was fun!
March 12th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
Wait! ’67 was the first year the Camaro was out. They were TWO years behind the Mustang.
March 12th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
Wow, Nicki. Don’t mean to be cliched, but you’ve blown me away. About like that gust of wind outside my window, LOL.
I love freewriting. You think you can’t possibly do something and then it just happens. I was about to say I’d come back and try an exercise another time, but my mind grabbed onto one and I had to run with it. This is what came out:
She looked across the room and saw a tall man, outrageously handsome, who looked as if he were trying to hide his nerves. Was that the motivational speaker for tonight?
Thanks for raising the bar.
March 12th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Nicki,
I was waiting for you to add…
She sees him as he’s leaving on a jet plane…
March 13th, 2010 at 9:40 am
Oh, I see you caught the fever of assigning homework. Yes, I totally agree that giving somebody a jumping off point stimulates creativity, especially if they’re stuck. The challenge is to take an ordinary event and make it extraordinary. Excellent blog.
March 13th, 2010 at 9:54 am
Dianna, you get the free pass to not have to ever do writing homework again. I think you are busy enough as it is!
Nancy, “How can I make this worse for the character?” is a great exercise. No one wants to ready about shiny happy people.
March 13th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Tamara, you are the kindest person I know. Hope you get some writing time in while watching soccer. (Ours got rained out today). Come back and post your homework assignment. I know you are an excellent student.
March 13th, 2010 at 9:59 am
Darcy, I love it! “If she gets on that train, she’ll be okay, but everyone else will die.” Thriller, suspense, something exciting is about to happen. So glad he didn’t say “I love you.”
This is so much more fun.
March 13th, 2010 at 10:02 am
Susan, you are funny. Sometimes I’d rather write a cliche to keep the story moving that struggle to force creativity into every word. Revisions, revisions.
March 13th, 2010 at 10:03 am
Anna, how could I not fall in love with #1? A legit bowlegged cowboy is basically saying “You had me at hello.”
March 13th, 2010 at 10:06 am
Linsey, what fun. Nervous and handsome? Why is he nervous? What’s going on? I like!
March 13th, 2010 at 10:16 am
Walt, I sense a challenge
“She sees him as he’s leaving on a jet plane…ever so glad she’d stolen the 5K emerald from his coat pocket the night before.”
March 13th, 2010 at 10:17 am
Nancy, I love homework. I particular loved all the homework I’ve gotten from you through the years. Keeps the mind fresh. Okay good students listen to Nancy Knight: “The challenge is to take an ordinary event and make it extraordinary.” True in life and writing! Thanks for stopping by Nancy.
March 13th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Sorry to be so late! As they say,
a day late and a dollar short.
I was on the road driving to Florida so didn’t get to stop in yesterday.
I hate homework, but I enjoyed your post.
I speak in cliches and too often they show up in my writing but I try to avoid them.
Marilyn
March 13th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Marilyn, I’m always tardy to the party. Hope you get a lot of writing in while you’re in FL. Your writing is so witty and fresh. I haven’t noticed a cliche once. From your loving critique partner!
March 14th, 2010 at 10:05 am
Just wanted to hop back over here and say thanks for posting the blog I was visiting and for letting me out of homework this week.
I wanted to read what everyone wrote. I agree with Tamara – Nicki’s writing is a unusual and distinctive. Hope you’re all having a great weekend. I’m going back to the writing cave.
March 17th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Okay, so I’m several days late. Sorry! But here’s mine:
She sees him across the crowded room (I know a cliché) and the first thing she notices is . . .his courteous, respectful manner toward the elderly custodian mopping up the mess the teenagers made.