Lately I've noticed that I have little habits in my writings. I'll reuse the same phrases in different fictions.
Not only that but a lot of fics out there are repetive, and then you just sort of pick up a lot of their habits.
For example I use this phrase a lot. "A satement, not a question." to describe a piece of dialogue. I also use "curelean eyes" and "sun-kissed hair." I litterally have to make myself stop before I write them.
It's even worse to steer away from stereotypical fanfiction descriptions. Like Relena's honey blond hair and such.
Besides plot reuses, you get little blurbs where people focus on a specific things. Like scars or scarless skin. But when you write them they seem original to you.
How do I get out of these habits?
Fanfiction cliche
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Splintered
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trekkiexb5
- BI's Resident Sci Fi and Fantasy Expert
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Theasarus. My favorite desktop item. I would recommend buying one so you can change out the adjectives once in a while.
As for reusing a phrase or a word, Sometimes it really can't be helped. I try to rephrase the sentannce or reword it. But sometimes, you can't because, that's the best way of saying something. For example Heero always seems to say "I will kill you," He really never rephrases it. To have that repeated is fine; its part of the charater.
"Honey-kissed locks" and the sort only need to be said once, usually at the first description. The readers can get the idea the first time and automatically fill in "Honey-kissed" whenever her hair is discribed.
LIkewise about the eyes. I bring up the eyes only if a charater is focusing on the person or it is important to the storyline. Otherwise, repeating it drags the story down. For example: Saying Heero has blue eyes every chapter is a bit repetiative, not to mention, make the reader seem stupid. Every third chapter is fine, or when something comes up in the story to cause having blue eyes to be important, saying:
"Duo breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Heero's twin blue orbs staring at him around the corner."
That's fine. It is a description that is nessacary for the storyline that a) sounded better that "saw Heero looking at me" and
b) is part of an action of the story.
Does that make sense?
As for reusing a phrase or a word, Sometimes it really can't be helped. I try to rephrase the sentannce or reword it. But sometimes, you can't because, that's the best way of saying something. For example Heero always seems to say "I will kill you," He really never rephrases it. To have that repeated is fine; its part of the charater.
"Honey-kissed locks" and the sort only need to be said once, usually at the first description. The readers can get the idea the first time and automatically fill in "Honey-kissed" whenever her hair is discribed.
LIkewise about the eyes. I bring up the eyes only if a charater is focusing on the person or it is important to the storyline. Otherwise, repeating it drags the story down. For example: Saying Heero has blue eyes every chapter is a bit repetiative, not to mention, make the reader seem stupid. Every third chapter is fine, or when something comes up in the story to cause having blue eyes to be important, saying:
"Duo breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Heero's twin blue orbs staring at him around the corner."
That's fine. It is a description that is nessacary for the storyline that a) sounded better that "saw Heero looking at me" and
b) is part of an action of the story.
Does that make sense?
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Lover of 20 ft. long scarves, jelly babies, and police call boxes. AND DAVID TENNANT!!! <swoons>
"I don't want to die. I want to live. Or, a cowboy."
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Tomorrow
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Cliches are, indeed, difficult to avoid, and I'm constantly trying to find new words and phrases to replace hackneyed ones. However, as trekkiexb5 said: sometimes it can't be helped - especially when one is describing the color of something.
Yes: 'honey-blonde' is constantly used to depict Relena's hair, as are 'sun-kissed' and 'golden.' But think about it: there are only so many synonyms for 'blonde" - and brown and Prussian blue and any other hue. Authors have almost no choice but to repeat them, at least if they're intending to be concrete and succinct. That's why I like to use similes and metaphors in my writing, because they give me more room to play with and the wording and structure can vary so drastically. Even a cliched simile or metaphor can be intriguing and have an original impact on the reader if the writer brings it across in a different way - with novel diction, or a new spin, so to speak.
As for the plotlines: yes, many are repetitive, but who cares? Two people will tell the same story differently, and they can both be entertaining. I've read so many GW stories, and many of them have similar plots. Still, they're all a delightful read because the author makes their particular version interesting and original. They show the characters in a new light or twist the situation slightly, so that it changes the story's mood and tone. So, personally, I have no problem with "overused" plots.
I hope this helps. ^_^
~Tomorrow
Yes: 'honey-blonde' is constantly used to depict Relena's hair, as are 'sun-kissed' and 'golden.' But think about it: there are only so many synonyms for 'blonde" - and brown and Prussian blue and any other hue. Authors have almost no choice but to repeat them, at least if they're intending to be concrete and succinct. That's why I like to use similes and metaphors in my writing, because they give me more room to play with and the wording and structure can vary so drastically. Even a cliched simile or metaphor can be intriguing and have an original impact on the reader if the writer brings it across in a different way - with novel diction, or a new spin, so to speak.
As for the plotlines: yes, many are repetitive, but who cares? Two people will tell the same story differently, and they can both be entertaining. I've read so many GW stories, and many of them have similar plots. Still, they're all a delightful read because the author makes their particular version interesting and original. They show the characters in a new light or twist the situation slightly, so that it changes the story's mood and tone. So, personally, I have no problem with "overused" plots.
I hope this helps. ^_^
~Tomorrow
The Importance of Tomorrow:
The clarity of the hindsight we obtain from a new day may be 20/20, but it provides us with biased knowledge of the experiences and emotions that were-- Not what could have been, if only we had the chance to look through those premonitory eyes.
The clarity of the hindsight we obtain from a new day may be 20/20, but it provides us with biased knowledge of the experiences and emotions that were-- Not what could have been, if only we had the chance to look through those premonitory eyes.
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Beer-monster
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Word of advice about thesauruses (should that be thesauri 
)
Once you notice that you are repeating a word or phrase too much (especially in one paragraph) you might pull and thesaurus and end up using obscure words or words that people just don't use in that sentence or situation.
From pain or hurt you might go to torture or pangs which might not be appropriate in that situation (without a good metaphor)
)Once you notice that you are repeating a word or phrase too much (especially in one paragraph) you might pull and thesaurus and end up using obscure words or words that people just don't use in that sentence or situation.
From pain or hurt you might go to torture or pangs which might not be appropriate in that situation (without a good metaphor)
Have you had your recommended daily allowance of ravishing? 
I believe in love stories but despise romances.
I want to write fics that slap all the standard fanfiction conventions around the face with
a wet fish and call them Betsy ~ me to Wicked.
Cupid's arrow is really a nuclear warhead...it leaves total devastion in it wake.
http://www.fanfiction.net/~beermonster
http://www.rakhal.com/florestica/beermonster/index.html
I believe in love stories but despise romances.
I want to write fics that slap all the standard fanfiction conventions around the face with
a wet fish and call them Betsy ~ me to Wicked.
Cupid's arrow is really a nuclear warhead...it leaves total devastion in it wake.
http://www.fanfiction.net/~beermonster
http://www.rakhal.com/florestica/beermonster/index.html