How to Edit Out the Clichés in a Manuscript

Don't let overused phrases and tired-out plot lines land your manuscript submission at the top of an editor's rejection pile. Before you send your manuscript to an editor, read through it very carefully to eliminate as many clichéd terms and storylines as you can.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Manuscript
• Highlighting or underlining tool
• Objectivity

Edit Your Manuscript for Plot Clichés and Overused Storylines

1. Make a mental summary of your story's overarching plot.
2. Be objective, and notice whether this plot reminds you of the plot of a movie you've seen or a book you've read. Notice whether this plot feels overly familiar, lackluster or just plain tired.
3. Think about the minor subplots of your story.
4. Be objective, and note whether you have encountered these plots before in other works.
5. Change any clichéd plots you discover.
6. Alter the expected outcome of a clichéd plot. Think about different and surprising outcomes that can make the plot feel new again.
7. Add a surprising and unexpected twist in the middle of your plot.
8. Determine whether your characters have made your plot feel clichéd. Swap stock characters with quirky personalities to add life to your story.

Edit Your Manuscript for Clichés and Overused Words

9. Study a list of commonly overused words and clichés.
10. Read through your entire manuscript word by word.
11. Highlight or underline any clichés you encounter, but do not stop to change them yet.
12. Reread the entire manuscript, this time stopping at each underlined or highlighted spot.
13. Consider whether the cliché has any literary or informative merit. If you have used it merely as a shorthand, replace it with a more original and descriptive word or phrase.

Tips & Warnings

• Some plots are as old as human history and are well worth revisiting. These are not clichéd plots and can be treated inventively by new writers.
• You will know when your plot is overused, because it will feel dull and uninspired when you consider it objectively.
• You need not read every word of your manuscript at this point. In fact, it is more helpful if you think about your manuscript's plot trajectories in general terms and consider whether you have encountered any of these plots in the past.
• Don't despair if you realize that you have used a clichéd plot. It may need only minor reworking in order to become fresh and new.