Cliche

It is something that all serious writers despise and condemn. It is something you are taught not to use in creative writing class. It is the great evil. The temptation of the dark side. The easy way out. The cliche.

So I am about to say something very unpopular. Cliches aren't bad... if. Yes, that's right, I said it.

A cliche is defined as an overused phrase. Something that was once original, but isn't anymore. So your teacher tells you to come up with something more original. But there are times when a cliche is appropriate. After all, cliches have stood the test of time (test of time, I'm pretty sure that's a cliche). They work, so it would be a shame to waste them. And the problem with originality is that it doesn't always work. How many sayings were discarded and never became cliches? If you're trying to express a point and won't to drive it through, risking originality could risk the loss of the entire piece.

I'm not saying we shouldn't be original. That should be the goal of all writing. But writers should use the cliche as they would any other literary tool. It has its place.