Cliche

[Ezrollin]

I've read dozens of stories on Literotica and see a trend toward cliche descriptions, so many that I get a feeling of deja vue. Here's mine referring to penis size: "as thick as a can of Red Bull"...if you can think of one that has been overused post it.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

'36C' has taken on its own life...

 

[Ezrollin]

36 C

Yes, as if we need to know an exact bra size.

 

[Requiax]

Yes, as if we need to know an exact bra size.

If there is one thing that makes me stop reading straight away it’s any story that opens with the phrase “first, a little about myself...” and then gives a list of measurements...

 

[Privates1stClass]

'36C' has taken on its own life...

So has 'my 9-incher.'

 

[MelissaBaby]

I believe it's best to give the reader exactly enough detail to guide them in creating their own vision the character. What turns on the author isn't going to be precisely what turns on the reader. And not everyone likes huge breasts or enormous dicks.

 

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

I believe it's best to give the reader exactly enough detail to guide them in creating their own vision the character. What turns on the author isn't going to be precisely what turns on the reader. And not everyone likes huge breasts or enormous dicks.

Agreed! Unless a physical trait is key to the story, I try to leave my main characters as physically vauge as possible and let the reader imagine their own ideals.

As to cliches though, I feel like there are an awful lot of 18th birthdays mentioned in Lit stories. That may be more a result of Lit rules than lack of creativity though.

 

[NotWise]

I struggle to describe sex without repeating descriptions. Someone who reads several different stories might feel like they're seeing the same scene again. I hope not, and no-one has ever made that comment.

 

[delicious_man]

A little cliché can be tolerable but I agree with the OP's point that it is often overdone. This becomes particularly unbearable when one cliché is added to another again and again until there is nothing new or interesting left. Sadly, a great deal of literotica's published material ends up like this. Sometimes it is the turn of phrase that is particularly surprising or new that really lifts a piece of writing. Moreover, it is often the power of leaving things unsaid that can really strengthen a story as MelissaBaby has pointed out.

The great Hemmingway was known for his Iceberg theory - the idea that the largest part of a story should be allowed to remain submerged beneath surface. It's presence is felt even though it is not explicitly visible. Here is what Hemmingway had to say on the subject...

"A few things I have found to be true. If you leave out important things or events that you know about, the story is strengthened. If you leave or skip something because you do not know it, the story will be worthless. The test of any story is how very good the stuff that you, not your editors, omit."

 

[SimonDoom]

It's difficult to avoid cliche in erotica, because stories so often finish with characters essentially doing the same thing, over and over and over again. It's tough to find new ways to describe a basic act, or to describe the anatomical parts involved in it.

Plus, the effort to avoid cliches can result in over-the-top language, which often isn't any better than the use of simple, familiar cliches.

Overall, I think readers here are fairly forgiving about this sort of thing. I try to come up with fresh ways of describing familiar activities and body parts, but I don't worry too much about it.

 

[ElectricBlue]

It's difficult to avoid cliche in erotica, because stories so often finish with characters essentially doing the same thing, over and over and over again. It's tough to find new ways to describe a basic act, or to describe the anatomical parts involved in it.

Penguins, mate.

Get Ogg to tell you about puffins .

 

[rae121452]

maybe the descriptions aren't cliches. maybe you're just reading way too much porn.

 

[lovecraft68]

Not sure it falls under cliche, but when describing sex scenes there really isn't much of a suitable replacement for moan, groan, gasp whimper, without getting stupid, so I tend to use them a lot but take solace in the fact it seems a lot of people do as well.

 

[MelissaBaby]

A little cliché can be tolerable but I agree with the OP's point that it is often overdone. This becomes particularly unbearable when one cliché is added to another again and again until there is nothing new or interesting left. Sadly, a great deal of literotica's published material ends up like this. Sometimes it is the turn of phrase that is particularly surprising or new that really lifts a piece of writing. Moreover, it is often the power of leaving things unsaid that can really strengthen a story as MelissaBaby has pointed out.

The great Hemmingway was known for his Iceberg theory - the idea that the largest part of a story should be allowed to remain submerged beneath surface. It's presence is felt even though it is not explicitly visible. Here is what Hemmingway had to say on the subject...

"A few things I have found to be true. If you leave out important things or events that you know about, the story is strengthened. If you leave or skip something because you do not know it, the story will be worthless. The test of any story is how very good the stuff that you, not your editors, omit."

I try to write the most realistic characters I can. Just as with real people, we can never truly know all there is to know about them, so should it be with fictional characters.
Sometimes I think about my characters in ways that will never show up in the story, at last not explicitly. For example, I just wrote a scene that starts with a character sitting home on Saturday night, watching TV. I didn't say what show she was watching, but I know what it was. If it mattered, I'd name it, but it doesn't, so why limit the reader's interpretation of her? Maybe you name a show the reader hates, or thinks only an idiot would watch.Why take that chance? Let the reader fill in the blank.

 

[yukonnights]

If there is one thing that makes me stop reading straight away it’s any story that opens with the phrase “first, a little about myself...” and then gives a list of measurements...

Yes! I hope many who aspire to write erotica will read what you said. It's just wrong...so very wrong.

I believe it's best to give the reader exactly enough detail to guide them in creating their own vision the character. What turns on the author isn't going to be precisely what turns on the reader. And not everyone likes huge breasts or enormous dicks.

Another yes! This can get a little trickier though, since in order for it to be arousing there needs to be at least some information shared. I think this becomes less of a no-no when the entire story is more than a 'stroker'. I can read though a particular physical characteristic that might not be my type if I'm invested in the characters and their problems.
****

The biggest 'Cliche" seems to be the overall style of the story. The "stroker" is very reliant on these "little cliches" since there is no story in the first place. More like a scene, in many of them. And that's fine too because it's precisely what many readers are looking for (as the ratings on some show). So, perhaps it's not so much that the "little cliches" are pervasive overall...but seem to be because of the number of less developed stories?

I dunno, but I don't like them either. But as has been said; It can become difficult to be unique in describing things that are pretty basic and universal. Still, we try

ETA: I wanted to add; I think the use of 'third person' narration is helpful in minimizing such cliches. This is because feelings, emotions, thoughts can also be used to describe certain physical characteristics. Ex: It had finally happened, she was in Eric's bed and now the sensation of being pierced and opened was more intense than she had ever experienced! To my mind Eric was at least a little bigger than average, etc.

 

[delicious_man]

Not sure it falls under cliche, but when describing sex scenes there really isn't much of a suitable replacement for moan, groan, gasp whimper, without getting stupid, so I tend to use them a lot but take solace in the fact it seems a lot of people do as well.

'Moan', 'groan', 'gasp' and 'whimper' ... already four different words. These are perfectly fine words and as long as you are not too repetitive with them they can be used effectively. Add to that the likes of 'cry', 'scream', 'shout', 'sigh', 'grunt', 'murmur' (I could go on) and you have plenty of different ways to portray sounds of pleasure.

You can also be more creative in how you describe your characters' exclamations ...

"Looking at her with the eyes of a lion, he rumbled with desire."
"Her voice came out all shivering, torn into pieces by the touch of his tongue."
"She expressed her exquisite pleasure like a soprano reaching the climactic peak of a solo aria."

Perhaps these are a bit too flowery, I don't know. I'm just illustrating the point. It's not too difficult to avoid clichés if you so wish.

 

[MelissaBaby]

'Moan', 'groan', 'gasp' and 'whimper' ... already four different words. These are perfectly fine words and as long as you are not too repetitive with them they can be used effectively. Add to that the likes of 'cry', 'scream', 'shout', 'sigh', 'grunt', 'murmur' (I could go on) and you have plenty of different ways to portray sounds of pleasure.

You can also be more creative in how you describe your characters' exclamations ...

"Looking at her with the eyes of a lion, he rumbled with desire."
"Her voice came out all shivering, torn into pieces by the touch of his tongue."
"She expressed her exquisite pleasure like a soprano reaching the climactic peak of a solo aria."

Perhaps these are a bit too flowery, I don't know. I'm just illustrating the point. It's not too difficult to avoid clichés if you so wish.

I'm partial to "shuddered".

 

[Hypoxia]

Strokers are clichéd fantasies by their very nature. This ain't deathless prose here.

 

[rae121452]

Strokers are clichéd fantasies by their very nature. This ain't deathless prose here.

AMEN!

 

[Charmolypi]

The tropes in characters are headache-inducing. The cup size will be inversely proportionate to her intellect. And the length or girth will pace the amount of cash in his bank account.

 

[Hypoxia]

Strokers are clichéd fantasies by their very nature. This ain't deathless prose here.

AMEN!

That said, I try to write catchy, eyeball-grabbing tales when I do write. I try to craft them as best I can, playing whatever tricks I can, making slyly literate allusions, but based in as much reality as I can handle. I don't try to churn out trash except as satire.

But I'm not averse to inserting clichés for fun and fulfillment. I love throwing in absurd euphemisms found in a pr0n thesaurus. I'll grab stock ('clichéd') sex positions and misdirections and twist them a bit. Mutant clichés are run.

 

[Ezrollin]

Here's another cliche that has been overused: She turned the heads of every man in the room and a few women too. I can think of a half dozen more but I want to see if yours are the same as mine.

 

[Hypoxia]

Here's another cliche that has been overused: She turned the heads of every man in the room and a few women too.

Mutate the cliché.
"She turned the wry heads of every vampire in the room, and a few werewolves and selkies, too."
"Every anxious nostril twitched madly as she passed."
"She twisted the heads off of everyone in the room."
"Her raw signal overwhelmed the local cell tower."

 

[ElectricBlue]

Here's another cliche that has been overused: She turned the heads of every man in the room and a few women too. I can think of a half dozen more but I want to see if yours are the same as mine.

This is how I wrote that cliche:

"She walks down the centre aisle of the dining room, dragging eyes behind her, and I can almost see the smoke in the air as she passes those that look, a slow combustion of the air they breathe."

 

[Handley_Page]

Yes, as if we need to know an exact bra size.

I once raised exactly that same point and one Lit member advised me that some readers actually DO like to have that kind of detail.

I'm partial to "shuddered".

I can only recall one lady who did that as we were making out (like a pair of rampant bunnies).

This is how I wrote that cliche:

"She walks down the centre aisle of the dining room, dragging eyes behind her, and I can almost see the smoke in the air as she passes those that look, a slow combustion of the air they breathe."

I've been in a place where this actually happened. It was a training course!
She was full o'curves (I later found out they were very real).