|
Post by scintor on Mar 21, 2008 21:09:26 GMT -5
My latest effort couldn't be more cliche in concept: Aliens are invading the earth!
My hope is that making the charactors and world around full and life like I can transcend the cliche and make the story iconic and even epic in its scope.
Scincerely,
Scintor@aol.com
|
|
|
Post by Divides the Waters on Mar 23, 2008 23:37:36 GMT -5
The Princess Bride is a good example of taking a number of "classic" elements and spinning them into an original, yet wholly tongue-in-cheek tale.
I think an alien invasion tale need not be cliche or unoriginal any more than any war story need be. The mode of storytelling simply shifts the focus, and puts a lot of issues into a global forum rather than a local one. Sometimes that's one of the best ways of distancing ourselves from themes enough to actually think about them clearly.
|
|
|
Post by themantheycallcris on Jun 20, 2008 2:18:42 GMT -5
so i just hit preview on my post that took the last 10 minutes to put together, and it said i wasn't logged in... i lost it all it's probably for the best, too many words. the short of it though... i looked up cliche', since i've never done that before, and i found some interesting definitions the ones that stood out the most to me spoke of a thing that has been used so much that it no longer has an impact. that leads me to believe it's largely the opinion of the reader that decides if a thing is cliche'. you could rehash a tale that's been done a million times, and have your characters use sayings that have been said in every fantasy book ever written. but if the reader has never encounter a fantasy story before, then they're likely to think your elements to be fresh and exciting. unfortunately we can't know what our readers have read (although knowing a target audience would probably help with that a little bit). so it's hard to say if they'll think something cliche'. to counter that we can think of how we (in our actual real lives) would think/say/do/perceive something. or how our pov character would. what word in our character's vocabulary best exemplifies what they're trying to say? to go further on that... it's our goal to endear our reader to our hero, right? and usually our hero will be our pov character, right? so we could also think "would this be cliche from our hero's pov? i don't know that this would always be usable, but i'm guessing it would often come in handy. i'd agree with everyone who brought up the Scripture saying "there's nothing new underneath the sun." but we, in the likeness of our Creator, can breathe new life into old elements if He is with us! Jesus lets the sinner die, and raises him up into something new, something beyond what we can really think of. so those are my unauthoratative thoughts, i hope this topic doesn't die
|
|
|
Post by mongoose on Jun 21, 2008 16:41:26 GMT -5
I love these lines in Stargate, particularly by Colonel O'Neil, about the cliche (He claims to hate it). To the extent that I recall it, one time he says, "You know, he's the cliche, over-the-top bad guy in the big black cloak and hood?"
Or in most SG1 episodes the team gets captured, and hear a speech from the bad guy's henchman. So O'Neil says, "Let me guess. This is the part where you tell me how I will be punished for my insolence?"
It makes it fun when it would, otherwise be so repetitive as to be boring.
|
|
|
Post by torainfor on Jun 21, 2008 19:19:31 GMT -5
That reminds me of The Incredibles when Syndrome says to Mr. Incredible, "You sly dog, you got me monologuing!"
|
|
|
Post by Spokane Flyboy on Jun 22, 2008 13:17:32 GMT -5
It's fun to play with awareness of clichés like that. Sort of like in Austin Powers with Scott saying they should just off Austin and Vanessa so they don't escape from an elaborate and flawed plan.
|
|
|
Post by JC Lamont on Jul 31, 2008 23:04:08 GMT -5
You should check out the book The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones.
It could also be titled Dictionary of Fantasy Cliche's. It's a riot and very informative.
Here's a few excerpts:
Dark Lord: There is always one of these in the background, attempting to ruin everything and take over the world. he will be so sinister that he will be seen by you only once or twice, probably near the end. Generally he will attack you through minions (forces of terror, bound to his will) of which he will have large numbers. When you do get to see him at last, you will not be surprised to find he is black and shadowy and probably not wholly human. He will make you feel very cold and small. Actually, when it comes down to it, that is probably all he will do, having almost certainly exhausted his other resources earlier on. You should be able to defeat him, with a little help from your companions, without too much effort. However, the Rules state that at this stage you will be exhausted yourself and possibly wounded by magic. So be careful.
Names: Names are very potent in Fantasyland. People with no Names always get killed (unless they are powerfully EVIL and have a Name That Must Not Be Spoken, in which case they get killed anyway, but a lot later). Of those who have Names, almost nobody tells anyone else what their Name really is. Many folk -- Elves and Demons particularly -- are given hugely long Names so that they be conveniently shorted in this way.
The exceptions are Swords, who seem very proud of being know to be really Excalibur or Widowmaker.
Common Cold: This is one of the many viral nuisances not present. You can get as wet, cold, and tired as you like, and you will still not catch cold. But see PLAGUE.
Capital Letters: At the beginnings of words are used liberally by the Management (of fantasyland) according to Rules that transcend human understanding and may under no circumstances be questioned.
|
|
|
Post by Divides the Waters on Aug 2, 2008 10:08:48 GMT -5
Had to snicker at this one. I try not to be guilty on those, but it is funny to notice how many of those creep in at times anyway. Did you check out that link on page 2? Very much in the same vein.
Here's another thought to ponder. When does homage or inspiration become outright theft?
|
|
CastleLyons
Junior Member
Virtute et Fidelitate
Posts: 83
|
Post by CastleLyons on Aug 6, 2008 14:11:53 GMT -5
Here's a link to a list of "Rules for Writing a Fantasy Novel" written in much the same vein as what crimsonmoon had quoted. Hilarious! I plead guilty to some of that myself. www.kaila.pl/rpg/books.htmAlso written much like "How to Write Good," which I see was posted elsewhere on The Anomaly. (You remember: "Verbs has to agree with their nouns," etc.)
|
|
|
Post by Jeff Gerke on Aug 6, 2008 18:08:02 GMT -5
You guys are going to love Hero, Second Class.
Jeff
|
|
|
Post by Divides the Waters on Aug 9, 2008 1:13:31 GMT -5
What I read was very fun. The first few lines regarding Dawn were terrific.
|
|
|
Post by reyldan on Sept 29, 2008 12:57:02 GMT -5
Fantasy tends to be inherently cliche. It's always clear good vs. clear evil. Which is why in my book I want to make my characters more anti-heroish in which the circumstances change their concept of right and wrong. Far too often I read books in which the heroes, though flawed, always cling to their higher ideals. It gets old. Furthermore, a villain with twistedly good intentions, though also used in the past, is still rare enough to be refreshing. (btw, how do i put an avatar on here...yes I'm a noob)
|
|
|
Post by myrthman on Sept 29, 2008 18:22:57 GMT -5
You can modify your profile by clicking the "profile" link at the top of any thread. There are several default images to choose from or you can link to your own image stored on the web.
|
|
|
Post by mongoose on Sept 30, 2008 21:32:19 GMT -5
Is there some kind of rule we should pay attention to concerning a size limit for avatars, signatures, and the like? I thought I saw something once, but it would be good to be reminded, I suspect.
|
|
|
Post by Spokane Flyboy on Sept 30, 2008 22:57:07 GMT -5
From the dialog box that you use to upload avatars: "Avatars must be no more than 100x100 pixels."
|
|