Many people, especially those who write for a living, use clichés in their writing. They are tired and overused words that have lost all meaning because they’ve been used too often. Clichés make your writing sound boring, which is the opposite of what you want when trying to engage readers.
In this blog post we’ll discuss 8 clichés to avoid-and what to say instead!
There are many substitutes and alternatives that you can use to replace clichés in your writing. By using these, readers will be more engaged with your content because it won’t sound like every other article they’ve read before. Hang on tight for a few minutes while we share our secrets! Let’s go over them now. They’re all different but each one is still just as true and unique as any of the others when used properly. When was the last time you saw someone do something “left field”? or heard someone say “I’m taking this ball and going home”.
When someone asks for advice and you want to tell them what they’re asking for, it’s easy to say “You asked for it!” But that doesn’t make the listener feel good. Make a promise or offer of help instead. A typical example would be when your boss wants feedback on their presentation: “Great idea you know I’ve been working with our team leader about making sure we are all getting enough time at the podium. Let me think about this more and get back in touch.
This way, even if there is no follow-through, the person still feels engaged and valued; as well as reassured that they can come back again later with new ideas Clichés are the bane of existence. They’re tired, they’re overused and most importantly, they make you sound like a boring hunk of cheese in need of some flavor. Luckily for us, there are plenty of clichés to avoid when trying to be good at writing and with these hacks it’s easy!
Quit being such an ostrich about things:
This one might not be as bad as other cliches on this list but I know that personally speaking (pun intended) I’ve been guilty more than once or twice before where I do nothing because it seems too difficult, complicated or overwhelming. Instead, try taking small steps by asking questions along the way that will help guide your path forward.