Recipe For Success

Barbara
Venkataraman

You've brainstormed an original plot, created memorable characters and sprinkled intrigue, romance, and humor through your story like it was a delicious ice cream sundae, but if you want a truly delectable confection, you should follow this recipe for success: Step 1. Can the clichés.  It's so unfair that Shakespeare could use clichés and we can't, but "to give the devil his due", Shakespeare's clichés were original when he coined them. We're the ones who made them into clichés through overuse. In fact, Shakespeare's descriptions are so ingrained in the English language that you're probably unaware you're using them. Thus, if your character is tongue-tied or in a pickle, knitting his brows or not sleeping a wink because of green-eyed jealousy, if he stands on ceremony and insists on fair play, refusing to budge an inch, if he is a tower of strength, or a laughingstock, or sends someone packing and tells them to clear out bag and baggage, he is quoting Shakespeare—and you are relying on clichés too much. That's not to say you must avoid clichés altogether, but you should use them sparingly, like a dash of salt.

Read the entire article in the October 2017 issue of InD'Tale magazine.

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