Your Guide to Writing the Perfect Story

Stereotypes, Archetypes, and Clichés

I know I've talked about stereotypes and clichés briefly in some of my previous chapters, but I want to go a bit more into detail about them and also talk about archetypes. The thing is, they're hard to avoid. Like, really hard. Sometimes we don't even realize that we're doing it. The thing is our brain has been exposed to all three of these so many times that it just seems natural to include them in our stories. But there's a problem with that and I'm going to explain why. I'll also help you figure out a way to use them effectively. It is possible, you know.

Part One: Stereotypes

1. Definition

A stereotype is a widely held and oversimplified image of a person or a thing. For example, I talked about the stereotype of a nerd in my chapter on developing characters. The stereotype is that they are anti-social, a teachers pet, super smart, and dress in ties and vests complete with huge glasses that magnify their eyes. In actuality, nerds aren't really like that, but that is the image that comes to mind. It is a stereotype.

2. The Problem

The problem with stereotypes is mainly the following. The first is that stereotypes are predictable. We have seen them already so many times that we already know exactly how they are going to react to situations and how they might cause conflict. The next reason they don't work is because they aren't unique. Like I said, every stereotype has been seen before. There is nothing that would separate one stereotypical slut from one in another book.

The last reason is that stereotypes can often be offensive to readers, even if you don't intend for it to be that way. Especially religious or racial stereotypes. Try to avoid this as much as possible unless you are looking for some backlash and negative remarks.

3. How to Fix This

How I see it, there are a few solutions to this problem.

a) Just don't have stereotypes. Make all of your characters unique.

b) Make your story a satire. Satires are meant to poke fun at aspects of humanity. They tend to be so ridiculous and over-exaggerated that they aren't even taken seriously. However, usually only literary geniuses like Shakespeare can pull this off. Romeo and Juliet, anyone?

c) Start off your story with stereotypes but then as the characters get fleshed out and their backstory is revealed, you realize that they aren't really who you thought they were at the beginning. Give them a reason to be the person they are. Reveal something about them that readers never would guess.

d) Give them other characteristics that aren't associated with their stereotype. For example, I made Nina the Nerd a party girl in my stereotype example in my chapter about developing characters. You could make a so-called "slut" best friends with the most religious kid in school, or have them come from a very religious family. Get creative!

e) Have the stereotypical character trying to change. For example, the goth wants to change her ways and tries to ditch her satanic rituals to go to church. This is also another way you can use stereotypes to your advantage.

Part Two: Archetypes

1. Definition

An archetype is a character that is continuously seen in books and movies. For example, the knight in shining armour that comes and rescues the princess or the evil stepmother.

2. The Problem

Much like stereotypes, these characters are predictable. They are seen time and time again in stories. The reader doesn't care about the ending of the story because it's blatantly obvious. Again, archetypes are not unique.

3. How to Fix This

I'll list some ways you can do this.

a) Just don't have them.

b) Create a satire out of them.

c) Make them turn out to be disastrously different from their first impression or surprise the reader in some way. For instance, when the knight takes off his helmet, they are revealed to be a girl that escaped from her old life. Or the story is told from the evil stepmother's perspective and it reveals that she isn't really evil at all; it was the stepdaughter the entire time.

d) Make their role in the story entirely coincidental. For example, the knight wasn't trying to save the princess, he was on another mission and just happened to stumble in her path. Say he killed the dragon guarding the princesses cell. He was actually there to avenge his fathers death (because the dragon killed him) but the princess misinterpreted his intentions and thought he had come to win her heart. This could create some quite humorous situations.

e) Give the archetype an impression as one thing at first, but completely turn it around later. For the sake of contrasting archetypes, I'll use the knight again. At some point in the story it is revealed that the knight was actually working with the enemy and only "saved" the princess in order to gain her trust. Never let your readers guess what will happen in your story.

Part Three: Clichés

1. Definition

A cliché is a character, plot-line, or idea that is often overused in literature. Bad boys are a super common cliché right now.

2. The Problem

Are you noticing a trend? Just like I have already said, clichés can be offensive, they are uncreative and they are predictable. I don't feel any need to elaborate because I already have.

3. How to Fix This

The following are ways you can fix clichés.

a) Honestly, when it comes to clichés, the best thing you can do is to just not use them. You can make stereotypes and archetypes clever and funny but clichés pretty much suck all across the board.

b) So I guess you must be stubborn and refuse to get rid of your clichés. Create a satire out of them. Nothing new here.

c) Like a stereotype and an archetype, you can reveal your cliché to be something else entirely. Except there is a problem with this. A lot of time people can't find a good enough reason to explain why their bad boy is so bad so it ends up sucking. A lot.

That's everything I want to say about stereotypes, archetypes, and clichés. If you insist on using stereotypes/archetypes, fine, but I highly, highly suggest you eliminate all clichés. 99% of the time they will be your stories downfall. Don't do it! Let the creative juices flow! Don't take the cop-out.

I have also noticed that some people have found this chapter to be offensive. Please realize that every single stereotype, archetype, and cliché I have up here is a very generalized version of reality! No one is that black and white. Some people found the term "slut" to be derogatory. In fact, I have to agree that it is very insulting for anyone to use that term. However, that is the actual name of the stereotype so for the sake of my examples I had to use it. I am sincerely sorry to those people who found this chapter to be offensive. Every single stereotype are things I have seen time and again in stories and I only used them to make a point about not using them. I hope that makes sense.