‍Last August, I was at When Words Collide in Calgary. It’s hosted by the Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society. Check them out. They do cool stuff. I love attending their slush pile sessions even when I’m not presenting any pages. There’s so much to learn from the brave authors wanting feedback! I was inspired to write this post (originally posted on my Substack) after hearing some of the panelists talk about cliches.

‍They mentioned if there’s too many cliches in the first page, they worry if the whole manuscript is going to be full of cliches. And you know what? That’s a fair point. The thing is, sometimes it feels like the whole world is a cliché!

‍In writing, when I talk about cliches, I mean overused plots, character types, or phrases. “But Kim,” you say, “there’s only so many plots, character types, or phrases in the world!” You’re right. So, it’s how you present them.

‍The goal for this post is to help you identify and avoid those common first-chapter cliches which will then grab your reader’s attention (and hopefully get your manuscript out of a slush pile!)

‍Character and Setting Cliches

‍Erin: Robert California. Let’s have a conversation.

Robert: Describe your day so far.

Erin: Well, I woke up. And I hit the snooze-

Robert: And when you recount your day, never say you woke up. It’s a waste of your time. That’s how every day’s begun, for everyone, since the dawn of man.

‍-The Office, Season 8; Episode 1.

This quote of Robert California lives rent-free in my mind. Why is it a weak opening? It’s passive. It doesn’t move the plot forward. Just like Robert California (Or Bob Kazamakis—iykyk) said, it’s how every day starts for everyone. Instead of just waking your character put, put them in the middle of something. That’s in media res (Latin for “in the midst of things.”) Drop the character (and the reader) right into the action.

One of my biggest character description pet peeves is having them look in the mirror and describing what they see. In fact, I am of two minds regarding character description. Here are my two minds:

Mind #1. I don’t necessarily think a character needs to be described unless that description is paramount to the plot. In Shakespeare, Othello had to be a different race than the other characters and that race had to be a visible minority. If things are left to the imagination, then the reader can put whoever they want in their mind’s eye.

Mind #2. Thanks to white supremacy, the default description for a lot of readers is white. That means there is a lack of diversity in books. So in order for there to be diversity of characters, there needs to be a description of characters. But one can’t just describe the visual minorities without tokenizing them.

Whatever you choose be mindful, and for the love of all the writing gods, don’t use food to describe anyone, especially racialized people!

‍Another cliché in terms of character and setting is opening with a dream. Not only is it confusing and disorienting for the reader, it’s a cheap way to provide exposition right at the very beginning. Now, I’m not opposed to dream sequences, but it’s best to use them sparingly and with intention. They should be used to move the story forward, not as a cheap thrill.

Plot and Narrative Cliches

Life happens, even in a book, but readers aren’t escaping reality to learn about the way the characters brush their teeth or make coffee. Unless of course it’s in the course of making coffee that a bullet breaks the coffee pot and piping hot coffee water splashes on their white blouse. The first chapter must introduce a key element of the story and brushing one’s teeth or French braiding hair probably isn’t it.

I talked about tropes when I talked about character motivation. I like tropes. We need tropes. But we have to be careful because tropes can become synonymous with cliché. Then those tropes become unoriginal. Stale.

I watched LOST as it aired. I’m that old. I waited with bated breath (cliché) each week and each summer. “We have to go back!”? What does that mean, Jack? I am no stranger to flashbacks and I don’t hate flashbacks. Just as you don’t want to start with a dream sequence, you don’t want to start with a flashback (or a flash sideways). Save it for when the reader is invested and when the information you reveal will have a bigger hit.

‍Dialogue and Exposition Cliches

My friends, avoid exposition where two characters explain things to each other that they should already know. I say this with love: it’s a rookie mistake. You want to weave all that information through action and dialogue. It should serve a purpose beyond just informing the reader.

“It was a dark and stormy night” had its time in the sun (ha!), but it’s time to move on. The mood should be earned. There can be subtle ways to build atmosphere. How can the shadows dance on the wall? Could they be moving in a macabre dance?

Similar to the dialogue exposition, you’ll want to avoid info dumping in the narrative. This includes world-building information, or history/character backstory. Just as you’ll be weaving information through action and dialogue, you’ll do the same with world-building info, and history/character backstory.

Craft a Strong Opening

I briefly talked about in media res. That starts the reader in the middle of the action, or a significant event. Think, “Yup, that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I got here.” (Risky Business, 1987) But don’t say that, because that’s become a cliché!

Leave the readers with a question that makes them want to turn the page. What does the character (and through the character, the reader) need to learn?

And of course, don’t forget the emotion! Emotion makes the character relatable from the start. As you explore emotion, remember to show, don’t tell. What does emotion look like in the body?

Your first chapter should invite the reader into the unique world you’ve created. Start strong!