Ugly crying.). It really is annoying. I have a BA in Creative Writing/History, and I'm here to help you take your story to the next level! The chosen one/unrealized powers is one that is really killing me lately. The execution of this genre-defining cliche is frequently sloppy and tired. But I must note (because I really do love such books) that the Maze Runner was written in the early 00’s, far before the YA craze of The Hunger Games or even (ugh) Twilight. Once was enough for most of them, and some really REALLY shouldn’t have been there in the first place… like 1,4,5,6. Publishers are clamouring for this kind of diversity, but don’t be the cautionary tale that writes in a token character for the sake of it! She made you love both male characters and it wasn’t obvious who the heroine would choose in the end. The protagonist was the catalyst. I am guilty of the Trilogy cliche in a big way…I’m writing a quartet! Some of them manifest in exactly this way (I could tell you around ten of my former class mates who fell for this; it’s one reason why anorexy is so common among teens!). First off, yes – I definitely understand the idea of “overly original” being off-putting. YA novels – which touch on social inequality, sexuality, and identity – can help adolescents navigate this difficult time in their lives. I am just afraid that with my created world situation, there won’t be enough room in one book to cover everything. Your readers are already considering suicide by paper cuts. I can’t lie. I’m really grateful that writers seem to finally be drifting away from it a bit, but it is slow to die for sure. I don’t mind a love interest with a dark side but it gets on my nerves if he’s always brooding and just treats the heroine and/or other characters like crap. Boy sees girl. Which YA stereotype are you??? There is an opportunity to rush in and save the day as a tiny little wonder woman, but she actually fails at her meager attempt and gets herself into a bad situation and needs rescued. Each book gets better than the last!). I did actually throw a party EVERY time my mom left town. , You forgot the ‘monsters/demons /whatever took my younger sibling and I , big sis/brother will do anything to save him /her. Really? Your main character needs to find the Trident of Poseidon to complete the 12 Tasks of the Merovingians, aligning the Stargates and thwarting the Arachnid invasion. The Protagonist is an Outsider. As readers we often make emotional connections to characters, so as writers I thinks its important for us to create “real” 3d characters. They tend to be so shallow that I don’t even find them worth shipping. Very unique. Influenced by the gamers in her household and her love of action adventure, Elizabeth delved into the realm of science fiction and wrote her first full-length science fiction/dystopian YA novel—BEFORE DAWN. She was born, in her mother and enemy’s eyes, to do a task for them with her ability that she could only do with her blood relation to the group’s leader. She’s not done in Book 1, and the events of Books 2 and 3 will take her through the rest of that necessary evolution. You have so many great things to say. Great Expectations will make you cringe. I’m fine with Chosen Ones (if done right), but I really hate Beauty Blind! As with any genre of literature, some young adult novels could still be described as such. The key to a good story is creativity and originality. Actually, because of certain circumstances, he is unable to fight the evil. She reads Proust and only eats dry toast. Normal, happy family life doesn’t make for running around to save the world without calling home and checking in, etc. I have a high dislike of love triangles that if I see a book has one I won’t read it. Friends, lovers, nothing at all? “I’m not like the other girls” The world just doesn’t, like, get … That scene where everyone’s arriving at the upper-middle-class mansion, the protagonist not sure if he’s going to go in, and some kind of conflict ensues, has been done. However, the other character WAS. I love how you flipped that cliche about the powers around! I don’t mean to say that the orphan story is better or more exciting than a story about a kid with parents, but removing the parents/guardians definitely allows an author to tell a different story. Don’t do that. Ha! – What do you think? However, I’m semi-guilty of #8, #9, #10, and the Chosen One. I put my middle fingers up at them,” YA Protagonist…, “Oh, I’m not that beautiful. It’s an easy answer: because YA is for teens. But a strong chemical attraction will be sudden. Because heaven forbid the heroine fall in love with a man with flaws! How about the strong badass female character that is exactly the same as every other badass female out there? Take Hermione and Ron from Harry Potter, both of them came from happy family lives, and in a way it made their lives even more difficult because while Harry grew up suffering a great loss, Ron and Hermione had to live with the fear of losing the ones they loved. If you really need to use this trope (since it works so well) don’t just write another Harry Potter; come up with an interesting variation on the theme. You have a point, agents/publishers do like trends because they sell, and trying to write outside the box can be a risk. It is a bit of a personal goal of mine to break as many clichés as I can without having a super dull story. This article was awesome and very helpful, Thanks Calista, I’m glad you liked it! I’ll take a fixer-upper any day. I have seen this THOUSANDS OF TIMES. She can still fall in love, but she doesn’t. And, of course “Nice Guy A” or “Nice Guy B, who sadly already has a girlfriend”. This post is amazing!!! She’s definitely not a cheerleader and has maybe one close friend (who’s also not cool). I actually hated Cassandra Clare’s love triangle just as much as any of the others because it’s just so annoying to see two guys fighting over the main character. The hero suddenly discovers powers he never knew he had, usually when he comes of age. Or, dad skipped town, and mom works late at 3 jobs, 7 nights a week. Fabiola … I also think having no parents or guardians can sometimes untether the protagonist and free them to do things that a parent or guardian wouldn’t allow. If anything, her kind was trying to keep her away. Let’s see some adult characters with agency for a change. The love triangle thing just irks me, because it is around in so many things besides just YA. On the royalty one, I once read a ya where that was reversed and it turned out she was false royalty. It’s a real dilemma and actually harder than you’d think to avoid cliches. Blaming bad behavior on bad parenting. If the heroine’s parents are lucky enough to be alive, they’re often negligent or clueless. As far as missing parents, it’s a defining theme of YA. “hi i’m y/n and i have bEauTifUl dark brown hair not brown hair tHerEs a DifFeReNce and i have such borING brown eyes. One should always allow their characters time to get to know one another – it gives the reader time to get to know them too. To have boy or not to have boy. But (I think?) Mother is dead by execution has something to do with the plot, but I might change this later on. War. Perfect can tell her how to feel. Almost there! All I ask is that writers please consider whether sequels to their story are even necessary before they hop on the series bandwagon haha. So, I may just change it to depression from her relationship with her parents, because there a major plot points that go along with her actions in the past and how she’s treated at school because of it. Most trilogies/quartets can, and should, be summarized to one or two books, even if they’re longer than conventional standalones. It’s an instant turn off for me. Boy sees girl. In those cases, the adults are oblivious and just “don’t get it.” YA books tend to have missing adults, I imagine because it’s harder to convince the reading audience that adults are stupid and oblivious (but it does hasten occasionally – The Selection did it, and I didn’t really buy how out of touch both sets of parents were). And do you wonder who all the goodreads’ fans ship the most? This government sucks bad, gotta start a rebellion. No one cares about that….The one cliche I can not stand however is the Snarky, Sassy, teenage girl who can kick ass of large burly adult Marines. haha I’m also a sucker for a good love triangle. I can’t remember the name of the novel for the life of me but I can remember the cover art. Sure, he’ll sneer and glare at her, make her … We oldies (lol) who love this genre sometimes forget we aren’t the target audience. . It doesn’t work that way. I’m also a writer too. I mean, does he really care more about her than his family, friends, and religion combined? The ‘Flawed’ protagonist. I have two reasons why. I also have a serious pet peeve with the protagonist being new kid in class, or falling for the dark and brooding new kid in class with a painful backstory with a soft side. Any advice to try and seem more original with what seem to be clichés? Get creative. EVERY. Never heard that one before. Click here. The dead parent thing is pretty simple; If you want your child hero to be able tom act, the parents can not be around and vigilant. But she’s modest. Or “Guy my age” or “that older brother of my friend, who’s already working and has his own car”. Your main character’s an orphan? Oooh I wish you could remember the name, I would love to read it! Actually, it’s almost worse if she has a favorite…. Join 1,027+ subscribers for publishing opportunities, books, motivation, training videos, giveaways, & more—in your inbox every Friday. Girl sees boy. Don’t force it. And plus, one of them is going to be the best friend who (surprise!) I’ve also been trying to stay away from the blind beauty cliché so hard. Some YA books have done it really well recently (I think Red Queen gets a pass because of how it was introduced for example) but in general it has become the cookie-cutter beginning to nearly every YA fantasy novel. I hate the bitchy queen bee or mean girls trope because the majority of the time, it isn’t necessary. But, seriously, amazing article! Get the story out of the parents’ liquor cabinet. You don’t need to read it to understand the novel at all; it’s only there as a bonus.. My upcoming young adult novel Shining Tomorrow will be released in May of this year on Amazon. “There’s something about the way your abs are glistening that makes me want to have your babies”. Enter your e-mail below to sign up for the reminder! These are a staple in YA. I want to write what I guess you could call a spoof of a Gothic romance for my second book (nothing official yet, just playing around with ideas), and I’m going to be using all those traditional characters like the dark, mysterious bad-boy character, so hopefully people won’t hate me for using that ‘cliché’. And he didn’t fall in love with her until a few years later. – Her mother has always been off to her, but the protagonist was conceived for a purpose in the future (her father originally thought she was an accident); and her mother finds her inferior and only sees her as a tool. I’m not even sure if my love triangle can be called a love triangle because my heroine doesn’t ever have any romantic feelings for the other guy. So nice to see a succinct listing of YA cliches. Presently there are many books written by Get Your FREE Archery Facts Cheat Sheets! But the problem was, the first love interest… he had no flaws. Of Course. A cliche I have utilised is that the main character in my fantasy novel is a Princess. /The couple with flaws./ Because it WASN’T perfect, never WOULD be perfect, and everything in that romance would take WORK on both sides of the equation. Everything else I can tolerate and enjoy. 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