Cliché Challenge: A Rave About Writing
Earlier this month, I wrote a post about avoiding clichés “like the plague.” (And when I ran spellcheck on this post, WordPress underlined “like the plague” in blue and said “Clichés,” which made me smile. )Today, I’m serving up a way to use some of those same clichéd characters, settings, character attributes and plot devices to stretch your creative muscles.

Here’s what you need to do:
Write down your birthday in the classic __/__/____ format. For example, if you were born on July 4th, 1776, you would write 07/04/1776. Now, put another slash before the last two numbers. It should look something like this: 07/04/17/76.  These are your options for the lists below.

If the last number isn’t on a list, add those two digits for your final number.  7+6=13, so thirteen is my the fourth number.  Also, for any novel, you need at least two characters. So, use one number twice.  It’s not rocket science (though  rocket scientist is on the list).

This will give you several possibilities to work with. Such as “A librarian and a dreamy vampire indulge in a no strings affair in a consignment shop” or “A manipulative surfer dude meets a woman disguised as a duke at the library.”

The possibilities are numerous. Leave a comment and tell us what you get. If you can manage a paragraph or two to share, even better.

Have fun!

Characters

1. Jock
2. Cop
3. Plumber
4. Librarian
5. Fairy
6. Mermaid
7. Vampire
8. Zombie
9. Shapeshifter
10. Witch
11. Werewolf
12. Regency buck
13. Surfer dude
14. Hippie
15. Hipster
16. Princess
17. Duke
18. Fashion designer
19. Pro bowler
20. Ice skater
21. Antique store owner
22. Reality show star
23. Chef
24. Alien
25. Punk rocker
26. Gang member
27. Refugee
28. Bride
29. Bridesmaid
30. Groom
31. Rock star
32. Fireman
33. Professional athlete
34. Accountant
35. Teacher
36. Housewife
37. Writer
38. Vicar/minister
39. Waitress/waiter
40. Amish Man
41. Private eye
42. Doctor
43. Bartender
44. Best friend’s brother/sister
45. Bookworm/nerd
46. Bookie
47. Bad girl
48. Good boy
49. Divorce lawyer
50. Cowboy
51. Sheriff
52. Runner
53. Nurse
54. Rodeo Rider
55. Soldier (SEAL, etc)
56. Amish Woman
57. Dentist
58. Playboy/rake
59. Flirt
60. Musician
61. Assassin
62. Pirate
63. Journalist
64. Bigamist
65. Smuggler
66. Female motorcyclist
67. Ranger
68. Health nut
69. Bad boy
70. Good Girl
71. Rocket scientist

Character Attributes

1. Intelligent
2. Graceful
3. Can fix anything
4. Manipulative
5. Irascible/curmudgeonly
6. Arrogant
7. Good-natured
8. Good sense of humor
9. Dense
10. Promiscuous
11. Prim
12. Judgmental
13. Ambitious
14. Blowhard
15. Psychic
16. Romantic
17. Dreamy
18. Optimistic
19. Pessimistic
20. Flashy
21. Fastidious
22. Conservative
23. Reliable
24. Honest
25. Dishonest
26. Pathological liar
27. Flight
28. Serious
29. Lazy
30. Hardworking
31. Realistic
32. Unrealistic
33. Polished
34. Inquisitive
35. Drab
36. Unemotional
37. Loyal
38. Conventional
39. Unconventional
40. Extroverted
41. Introverted
42. Aggressive
43. Passive
44. Intuitive
45. Perfectionistic
46. Messy
47. Logical
48. Sophisticated
49. Very short
50. Very tall
51. Unsophisticated

Settings

1. Parade
2. Church
3. School
4. Library
5. Street
6. Airport
7. Olympus
8. Bookstore
9. Amusement park
10. Soccer field
11. Gym
12. Bike path
13. Consignment shop
14. Restaurant
15. Bar
16. Grocery store
17. Local market
18. Airplane
19. Train
20. Bus
21. Castle
22. Woods
23. Beach
24. Cruise ship
25. Movie cinema
26. Theater
27. Fast-food joint
28. Elevator
29. Elementary school
30. Christmas tree farm
31. College
32. Class
33. Farm
34. Big City
35. Ranch
36. Amish Community
37. Small town
38. Hospital
39. Battleground
40. Police station
41. Doctor’s Office
42. Med School
43. Bar Exam
44. Music store
45. Bookstore
46. Wedding
47. Starship
48. Scotland
49. Gretna Green
50. London Ballroom
51. Country Estate
52. City Townhouse
53. Mansion
54. A safari
55. Auction
56. Las Vegas
57. Hotel
58. Bowling Alley
59. Book Club

Plot Devices

1. Hate at first sight
2. Marriage of convenience
3. Secret baby
4. No strings affair
5. Blind date
6. Affair with someone’s spouse
7. Childhood friends
8. Childhood sweethearts
9. Childhood enemies
10. Best friend steals man/woman
11. Married/divorced/reunited
12. Revenge
13. Makeover/ugly duckling to swan
14. Makeover/Frog to prince
15. Will stipulates some action
16. Amnesia
17. Woman disguised as man
18. Man disguised as woman
19. Must put past behind him/her
20. Quest
21. Prove worthy of love
22. Evil twin
23. Heroine must rescue hero
24. Evil/nasty mother-in-law,stepmother, stepfather, guardian
25. Kidnapping
26. Fish out of water (country boy in big city, etc)
27. Time travel
28. Have to prove someone’s innocence
29. Repayment of a debt
30. Save a marriage
31. Run for office
32. On a mission
33. Blackmail
34. Mistaken identity
35. Witness a crime
36. Divorce
37. Childbirth
38. Adoption
39. Drug/alcohol addiction
40. Someone getting married
41. Runaway pet
42. Lost child
43. An heir is needed
44. Someone inherits a fortune
45. Someone loses a fortune
46. A car/train/plane/spacecraft/carriage crash
47. Passport stolen
48. Teenager runs away
49. A fall
50. A hit and run
51. Food poisoning
52. Zip-lining
53. Bungee Jump
54. Skiing/snowboarding
55. Whitewater rafting
56. Serious Illness
57. Thrown from a horse
58. Love at first sight
59. Return from war

For more fun ideas, check out the websites listed below.
http://www.lifeformz.com/cgi-bin/idea/idea.fcgi  — Random Logline Generator
http://facstaff.unca.edu/pbahls/TitleGenerator.html — Random Romance Title Generator
http://romancenovelyourself.com/ — Put yourself on a romance cover. Here’s what mine looked like: http://romancenovelyourself.com/37b38cd7b9

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