Stereotypes and Cliches

We've all read books that have amazing characters in them. We've all been so struck that we quickly copy that character. Then we get discouraged when the character just doesn't seem as good--flatter, like a copy.

That's how we get cliched or stereotyped characters. They start out as brilliant ideas...so brilliant, in fact, that people start copying it. Before long, the idea loses originality and becomes duller and flatter. Because it's now been reduced to a copy.

On one of my other blogs, someone asked me my opinion about these such characters. Here is the answer I gave her:

First off, what are the different kinds of stereotyped or cliched characters? The four I'll mention here are only a small number of all the types out there!

1. The tomboy. Sometimes she's the main character, sometimes she's a supporting one. Tough, unsatisfied with her role as a female, and rebellious. (I honestly think it's sad to read about these girls...they're always trying to be like something they're not, and disillusioning themselves that they'll only be good if they're male.)

2. The old mentor. Experienced, grizzled, wise, and has a hidden history. Many times the mentor dies in the middle of the book, when the MC no longer needs a guiding hand. Famous examples are Obi Wan Kenobi from Star Wars Episode IV and Brom from Eragon.

3. The sibling. They can be annoying, comic, or helpful. Oftentimes they're a way of expanding your MC's personality by showing how they react to their family.

4. The cool hero. Like Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, they're smart and they know it! Sure of their ability, they sometimes (unfortunately) strut it in front of 'slower' people.

Stereotyped (which I substitute with 'cliche' from time to time) are that way because they are actually very good ideas! Or, at least, they were at first, and then people liked them so much they started following the example. Soon, they lost their 'punch'.

I honestly don't see a problem with using those types of characters in your book, as long as you add something of interest. If you completely copy Obi Wan Kenobi, they just won't have your personal 'stamp'. Give your character something that is completely his own, like a knack for origami or an obsession with proper grammar.

Of course, many characters will have similar traits, no matter who they were created by. They might have short tempers, or show flashes of kindness in a usually harsh demeanor. It's just like people--I have something in common with many of my friends.

However, it doesn't pay to purposefully model your character after someone else's. People don't like it when authors copy other authors.

Yours without wax,

Izori