Transformation of Clichés in Life and Writing

Cliché’s are dead metaphors. They are overused and therefor don't offer up anything authentic or original. They are everywhere of course, in life and in our writing. 

Cliché’s may be keeping you in a trap – the starving artist; no one will believe you; writing is a waste of time; I’m too old and it’s too late; family secrets should remain so.  – all these can hinder your creative flow. Identify  one from your life. One of my clichés was accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative. For me this meant: don’t speak up about the dark truth, don’t be so sensitive, and, let the shadow aspects stay in the dark.  This cliché alone gave me a lot of writing material!
 
Search and destroy clichés in your perceptions and writing. Beyond cliché lines, what perceptions, beliefs and story lines do you hold that are also cliché? Facts can be cliché, rules and formulas – but our truth, and our experiences, which are the narratives of our truths bloom with authenticity and originality.  So, take the meaning of a cliché (which is also cliché) and challenge it – question it.  Write about at least two clichéd beliefs, assumptions or formulas that have shown up in your life and/or writing -- especially around your chosen subject and theme. 

Clichés  deprive us of genuine details. And our stories are often in the detail.

Can we have our cake and eat it too?
What does it mean “to not look back?”
Do we really marry our mothers?
What does it mean to be ugly?
Why shouldn’t we bite off more than we can chew?
What does it mean to be the center of attention? (Is this a good thing?) 
What does it mean to be told to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative? 
 
What clichés both structurally (in sentences) and in theme show up in your writing project? How can you liven these up? Which ones seem to come up a lot for you? What’s a live metaphor or detail that could tell us more? Be willing to search and destroy all clichés. To write metaphors we can start with finding our clichés and transforming them into something alive. 

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OPENINGS IN MY FALL CIRCLES

Mount Horeb Morning Writing Circle (Next one begins SEPTEMBER, 2019)
Meets monthly on the 3rd Tuesday 10am - 1:00pm through Sept., 2019. This circle will be a
​smaller circle of 6.   join us.

Madison Evening Writing Circle (Next one begins SEPTEMBER, 2019)
Meets monthly on the 1st Tuesday 6-9pm.  join us.

Prairie du Sac Evening Writing Circle (Next one begins OCTOBER, 2019)
595 Water Street, Prairie du Sac Meets monthly on the 1st Wednesday 6 till 9pm. 
 I invite you to join.