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Top 4 Manuscript-Murdering Clichés to Avoid in Your Novel Explained by a Professional Book Editor

Updated: Dec 4, 2021


Novel Writing Cliches to Avoid

Professional UK book editor lists the top 4 writing clichés to avoid in your manuscript!


Clichés are everywhere in fiction writing, especially amongst new writers, or even experienced writers who may need a little nudge! Certain words and phrases are fine here and there, like it's raining cats and dogs or Faith's bright yellow coat made her stick out like a sore thumb, but if you want your readers to read past page 1, you need to make sure you avoid these 4 common clichés!


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1. Opening Your Novel With Your Protagonist Waking up in the Morning


Opening your story with your main character waking up in the morning, especially to an alarm clock, is one of the biggest clichés, so try to think about where else your novel could begin to keep the narrative interesting.