Comments on: Cliches and some things to do with them http://pcwrede.com/blog/cliches-and-some-things-to-do-with-them/ Patricia C. Wrede talks about writing Sat, 18 May 2013 06:13:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4 By: Cara http://pcwrede.com/blog/cliches-and-some-things-to-do-with-them/comment-page-1/#comment-2446 Cara Sat, 17 Jul 2010 22:59:26 +0000 http://pcwrede.com/blog/?p=717#comment-2446 A book dealer is pretty heroic. My father suggested a member of a barbershop quartet, perhaps the base, which might offer some interesting drama. Now if I can work a c. 1920s newsboy baseball league into the picture, I might have a story! A book dealer is pretty heroic. My father suggested a member of a barbershop quartet, perhaps the base, which might offer some interesting drama. Now if I can work a c. 1920s newsboy baseball league into the picture, I might have a story!

]]> By: filkferengi http://pcwrede.com/blog/cliches-and-some-things-to-do-with-them/comment-page-1/#comment-2444 filkferengi Sat, 17 Jul 2010 17:54:49 +0000 http://pcwrede.com/blog/?p=717#comment-2444 Well, there is a book dealer who regularly shows up at WorldCons who sports a resplendent handlebar mustache, with the ends curled up & everything. Both Hercule Poirot & my baseball-history-loving spouse would approve. Being a book dealer is hero enough for anyone. Well, there is a book dealer who regularly shows up at WorldCons who sports a resplendent handlebar mustache, with the ends curled up & everything. Both Hercule Poirot & my baseball-history-loving spouse would approve. Being a book dealer is hero enough for anyone.

]]> By: Chicory http://pcwrede.com/blog/cliches-and-some-things-to-do-with-them/comment-page-1/#comment-2429 Chicory Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:59:23 +0000 http://pcwrede.com/blog/?p=717#comment-2429 heroic-handlebars. :) I like it. heroic-handlebars. :) I like it.

]]> By: Cara http://pcwrede.com/blog/cliches-and-some-things-to-do-with-them/comment-page-1/#comment-2424 Cara Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:52:29 +0000 http://pcwrede.com/blog/?p=717#comment-2424 To add to what Red said, It really sucks if that person is someone who thinks he has a right to evaluate your work. When I was angsting about my novel, trying to figure out where things went wrong, my dad decided to tell me, "I know where you went wrong, it was when aliens landed on the beach." As there were no aliens in my story, what he meant was 'You screwed up when you decided to write genre fiction.' I didn't kill him, but it was a close thing. But genre fiction is no more cliche than so-called 'literary fiction.' Non-genre fiction is kind of like non-accented english. It doesn't exist, but powerful groups claim that one kind is 'educated' and 'respectable' and the other kind should be 'fixed', when all it does is reinforce hegemony and build more cliches and stereotypes. Chicory, I'm still waiting for the story where the hero has a handlebar mustache. Perhaps he gets mistaken for a villain often, but by the end he starts a new fad of heroic-handlebars! To add to what Red said, It really sucks if that person is someone who thinks he has a right to evaluate your work. When I was angsting about my novel, trying to figure out where things went wrong, my dad decided to tell me, “I know where you went wrong, it was when aliens landed on the beach.” As there were no aliens in my story, what he meant was ‘You screwed up when you decided to write genre fiction.’ I didn’t kill him, but it was a close thing.

But genre fiction is no more cliche than so-called ‘literary fiction.’ Non-genre fiction is kind of like non-accented english. It doesn’t exist, but powerful groups claim that one kind is ‘educated’ and ‘respectable’ and the other kind should be ‘fixed’, when all it does is reinforce hegemony and build more cliches and stereotypes.

Chicory, I’m still waiting for the story where the hero has a handlebar mustache. Perhaps he gets mistaken for a villain often, but by the end he starts a new fad of heroic-handlebars!

]]> By: Chicory http://pcwrede.com/blog/cliches-and-some-things-to-do-with-them/comment-page-1/#comment-2420 Chicory Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:34:16 +0000 http://pcwrede.com/blog/?p=717#comment-2420 I think you're right that the important thing is how you handle cliches -not whether you have them. :) Just to be funny once, I gave the villain in one story a handlebar mustache. It turned out that as my heroine grew and changed, her opinion of the mustache did too -from thinking it looked debonair to recognizing it (on him, at least) as a sign of pretension. I think you’re right that the important thing is how you handle cliches -not whether you have them. :) Just to be funny once, I gave the villain in one story a handlebar mustache. It turned out that as my heroine grew and changed, her opinion of the mustache did too -from thinking it looked debonair to recognizing it (on him, at least) as a sign of pretension.

]]> By: pcwrede http://pcwrede.com/blog/cliches-and-some-things-to-do-with-them/comment-page-1/#comment-2387 pcwrede Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:40:05 +0000 http://pcwrede.com/blog/?p=717#comment-2387 Alex - It's always good to know where your critics are coming from. And it's a rare and useful critic who can do that kind of analysis on him/herself, and point out that X is a problem point for them and so their comments about X should be taken with a large boulder of salt! Red - There certainly are people like that, but when people get that far away from what is reasonable and rational, it's a lot easier to ignore them, IME. Alex – It’s always good to know where your critics are coming from. And it’s a rare and useful critic who can do that kind of analysis on him/herself, and point out that X is a problem point for them and so their comments about X should be taken with a large boulder of salt!

Red – There certainly are people like that, but when people get that far away from what is reasonable and rational, it’s a lot easier to ignore them, IME.

]]> By: Red http://pcwrede.com/blog/cliches-and-some-things-to-do-with-them/comment-page-1/#comment-2381 Red Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:26:46 +0000 http://pcwrede.com/blog/?p=717#comment-2381 There are people who will say that any fantasy story that contains magic is a cliché, or that any science fiction story set in the future is a cliché. There are people who will say that any fantasy story that contains magic is a cliché, or that any science fiction story set in the future is a cliché.

]]> By: Alex Fayle http://pcwrede.com/blog/cliches-and-some-things-to-do-with-them/comment-page-1/#comment-2380 Alex Fayle Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:56:13 +0000 http://pcwrede.com/blog/?p=717#comment-2380 Re the last point - about people complaining. I've learned to figure out the complainers worldview (motivation) and then reinterpret the complaint from my worldview and then evaluate it. For example, a friend of a friend is a music producer and he played a new song for me recently. I said that I didn't like it at all, but that was an amazing thing because given the style of the music and comparing this dislike to the same level of dislike of other songs in the same style he was sure to have a hit on his hands! Because what I loathe in this particular style of music, the general public seems to adore. ;) Re the last point – about people complaining. I’ve learned to figure out the complainers worldview (motivation) and then reinterpret the complaint from my worldview and then evaluate it.

For example, a friend of a friend is a music producer and he played a new song for me recently. I said that I didn’t like it at all, but that was an amazing thing because given the style of the music and comparing this dislike to the same level of dislike of other songs in the same style he was sure to have a hit on his hands! Because what I loathe in this particular style of music, the general public seems to adore. ;)

]]>