In this case, I can see that “busy as a bee” is a way to describe the state of being busy. Determine what the clichéd phrase is trying to say.I will take the cliché “as busy as a bee” and show how you can express the same idea without cliché.
If they do not stop to think about your poem, they will never encounter the deeper meanings that mark the work of an accomplished poet. If they don’t bother to read your poem, they certainly won’t stop to think about it. Because clichéd writing sounds so familiar, people can finish whole lines without even reading them.
#CAT URDU POEM FULL#
(In case you hadn’t noticed, this paragraph is chock full of clichés… I’ll bet you were bored to tears.)Ĭlichés dull meaning. When they see a work full to the brim with clichés, they feel that the writer is not showing them anything above the ordinary. When they see a work without clichés, they know the writer has worked his or her tail off, doing whatever it takes to be original. They want to see work that rises above the norm. For example, the “Lone Ranger” cowboy is a cliché because it has been used so many times that people no longer find it original.Ī work full of clichés is like a plate of old food: unappetizing.Ĭlichés work against original communication. Clichés can be overused themes, character types, or plots. “Familiar plot patterns and stock characters are clichés on a big scale” (Minot 148). It provides neither the vividness of a fresh metaphor nor the strength of a single unmodified word….The word is also used to describe overused but nonmetaphorical expressions such as ‘tried and true’ and ‘each and every'” ( Three Genres: The Writing of Poetry, Fiction and Drama, 405).Ĭliché also describes other overused literary elements.
Stephen Minot defines a cliché as: “A metaphor or simile that has become so familiar from overuse that the vehicle … no longer contributes any meaning whatever to the tenor. Take each main element in your poem and make it serve the main purpose of the poem. Writing a poem is no exception.īefore you begin, ask yourself what you want your poem to “do.” Do you want your poem to explore a personal experience, protest a social injustice, describe the beauty of nature, or play with language in a certain way? Once your know the goal of your poem, you can conform your writing to that goal. You need to know what you are trying to accomplish before you begin any project. If you don’t know where you’re going, how can you get there?
Only you experienced the feeling that you want to express, so only you will know whether your poem succeeds. If you are writing a poem because you want to capture a feeling that you experienced, then you don’t need these tips. Jerz > Writing > General Creative Writing Tips