101 Writing Tips from an Exhausted Reviewer

Quiz Time: Is Your Story Cliché?

Now, now, now. We have the dreaded topic - the cliché-ness of your story. This is a moment of truth - this is the moment you find out whether your story is cliché, or not.

But what exactly is cliché? If your story has werewolves in it, does that automatically make it cliché?

No. Absolutely not. It's not the werewolves that make the story cliché - it is what you do with the werewolves.

So, without any further ado, here is the test! Take note of your answers somewhere, because at the end, there will be a scale that tells you how to work out your final score and your final judgement.

Question 1: Is your protagonist the 'Chosen One'?

a) Yes! She is born with the ability to control every single element with no repercussions at all. She's going to be the queen of all dogs and cats in the entirety of the universe, and nothing can stop her!

b) Yes, but she doesn't exactly know it - she just thinks that her magical abilities are just random. Then, one day, a hot guy/old wizard tells her otherwise.

c) Yes, but she has a lot to learn before she can truly fill the role. She has powers to harness that she is yet to master. She spends her life growing up trying to learn this.

d) Nope.

Question 2: Is your protagonist an orphan?

a) Yes, but only because parents were such a hassle to write about. We need our protagonist to be able to run away with boys at night without any interference!

b) Yes, but that's because I need my protagonist to be sad and upset and emotionally unstable throughout the story.

c) Yes, but it's because the death of the parents play a key role in the plot and character development - maybe the protagonist is trying to solve the mystery of the murder of their parents.

d) Parents are alive and cooking up spaghetti at the moment!

Question 3: Is there a love triangle?

a) Don't be silly! My protagonist has 20 love interests - all who are very attractive (except for that one guy, but she won't pick him, don't worry).

b) Yes, there's a love triangle. Not for any reason, really. The protagonist is just hot.

c) Yes, but this is something that the protagonist grapples with because they like her for different reasons and she likes them for different reasons. The love triangle is actually used to further the plot.

d) There's... yeah, no love triangle.

Question 4: Is there 'love at first sight'?

a) Oh, hell yes! Soul mates in one sentence!

b) It sort of is love at first sight, but they don't realise that what they feel is love until their friendship develops.

c) They see each other as friends/allies/enemies/acquaintances. Over the course of the story, they learn more about each other and find themselves drawn to each other. Now it's love.

d) No love interests in my story!

Question 5: Is your protagonist or their love interest a brooding bad boy?

a) Oh, yes, they make me week at the knees! They look like a super-model, they are oh, so tragically flawed, he has a dark and secretive past, and he treats the love interest horribly but they are inexplicably drawn to it.