Good stories from bad cliches?

[DirtyJJ]

As I am going about my daily life, my dirty mind is fairly active and turns mundane situations into sexual scenarios. Often I will think "maybe that could be a story", but many times the situation is sort of a bad cliche - like when I am getting my oil changed by two hot guys who I would like to service ME. There are others... like the nice girl who sees a bad boy in the grocery store, or the 30-something woman who goes to the pool and is turned on by the teenage (18 year old ) boys, etc. etc.

The question is, can such cliches be made into good stories? Or is it best to leave them be? Have you written a story around a situation that could be considered a bad cliche by some, and has it worked?

Curiously,
DirtyJJ

 

[Colleen Thomas]

As I am going about my daily life, my dirty mind is fairly active and turns mundane situations into sexual scenarios. Often I will think "maybe that could be a story", but many times the situation is sort of a bad cliche - like when I am getting my oil changed by two hot guys who I would like to service ME. There are others... like the nice girl who sees a bad boy in the grocery store, or the 30-something woman who goes to the pool and is turned on by the teenage (18 year old ) boys, etc. etc.

The question is, can such cliches be made into good stories? Or is it best to leave them be? Have you written a story around a situation that could be considered a bad cliche by some, and has it worked?

Curiously,
DirtyJJ

Many of my stories are cliche. The married woman seduced by her neighbor, co worker, etc. being one of my favs. Can a cliche be made into a good story? You bet it can. They didn't become cliche or over used for no reason, they did so becuase they are the most "real" of stories. That is, you aren't the only one checking out the guys changing your oil or the boys at the pool. Because they are cliche, they have resonance, most every reader has been in those cliche situations before and can relate.

The key to writing a good story with a cliched premise is the same as the most original idea you can have. Good characters, good plot and hot sex will overcome the slightly hackneyed situation you are writing around. Your skill as an author is challeneged more, in that yourplot is known and thus you need to be able to make the characters more engaging, but it can be done.

-Colly

 

[Guest]

I have one story here about a repairman going to a woman's house and being seduced by her. Very cliche, some might say, but I enjoyed writing it. It's also had some very good feedback.

I think any idea that could be perceived as "cliche" can work, provided it's well written and hot. There's always original slants to put on things, too. Just assert your style on it and give it your "signature". There are very few stories (if any) that haven't been done before.

Lou

 

[DirtyJJ]

Really great points Colly and Lou - I think you are right that things that can be considered cliche can be done if you put your own spin on it and write it well. I enjoy thinking about or reading about those scenarios, so I would imagine that a wider audience would too. I think the fact that a lot of people can relate to certain situations helps.

 

[pop_54]

Life's a cliche JJ dear... so why not... I met my wife at a party, we were both quite legless on the booze... we wound up bonking like bunnies in the back of my car... Cliche or what!!! We've been married 26 yrs now so maybe not quite so cliche'd.

Read any erotic story... and no matter how well done it is... you will read into it a cliche if you try.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

A cliché is basically a phrase or situation is that’s devoid of any depth of feeling or meaning. You can turn any situation into a cliché. It’s a failure of the writer’s imagination and powers of description.

If a story is only about gonads, it’s a cliché, no matter how original the idea is. (Men seem to write a lot of these Clash of the Gonads stories: I was horny, I got laid, it was great.) In my opinion, a good story is always about people, no matter what its ostensible subject matter is. It’s about their feelings and thoughts and perceptions. It’s not so much about what people do, it’s about how what they do affects them and says about them. Inasmuch as a story deals with these things and does it well, it’ll have depth and resonance and originality, because all people all different. Inasmuch as it ignores these things, it’ll be thin and trite: just another cliched formula story.

---dr.M.

 

[R. Richard]

Originally posted by DirtyJJ The question is, can such cliches be made into good stories? Or is it best to leave them be? Have you written a story around a situation that could be considered a bad cliche by some, and has it worked?

A good writer should be able to take a 'bad cliche' and turn it into at least an acceptable story. However, a bad writer wil take a 'bad cliche' and turn it into a total piece of crap. It would seem that there are a lot more bad writers than good writers.