Her heart raced. His breath caught. A sigh of relief. The dead of night. Clichés are phrases that were vivid once and have been worn smooth by use, so they slide past the reader's eye and leave no impression. Every writer uses them in a first draft, because they are the first phrase that comes to mind. This guide explains how to recognize clichés, why they cost you more than a few wasted words, four ways to replace one, and how to decide when to keep it. The last section shows how Quillen's Analyze Document tool finds the common ones.
The short answer
To fix a cliché, ask what is actually happening and replace the stock phrase with a detail that belongs to this character, this scene and this moment. "Her heart raced" can become "She counted the steps to the door and lost count." For a small number of clichés, cutting is better than replacing. In Quillen, Analyze Document underlines common clichés and tracks their share of your words against a strict 0.5% guide.
Why clichés weaken a story
A cliché stands in for an image. The reader has read "heart raced" so many times that the phrase no longer calls up a heartbeat; it calls up the word "scared" and moves on. That means three things go wrong. The moment loses its specificity, because the same phrase appears in a thousand other books. The character loses distinctiveness, because everyone's heart races in the same way. And the reader's trust drops a notch, because a writer who reaches for the stock phrase here may do so elsewhere.
Three kinds of cliché
| Type | Examples | Typical fix |
|---|---|---|
| Body reactions | heart raced, breath caught, blood ran cold, butterflies in her stomach | Choose a specific, odd, physical detail |
| Stock phrases | dead of night, sigh of relief, end result, past history, nodded his head, whispered softly | Cut, or replace with a concrete image |
| Idioms and similes | quiet as a mouse, cold as ice, time stood still, white as a sheet | Make a fresh comparison drawn from the character's world |
Four ways to replace a cliché
1. Cut it
Some clichés are redundant. "Nodded his head" is just "nodded", since you cannot nod anything else. "Whispered softly" is "whispered". "End result" is "result". The sentence improves the moment you stop saying it twice.
2. State the plain fact
If the cliché was covering a vague moment, say plainly what happened. "It was the dead of night" becomes "It was three in the morning" or "The lantern oil had burned down to the last inch." Plain is almost never a cliché.
3. Use a specific, character-based detail
The strongest replacement comes from your character and setting. Wren is a ferrywoman, so her fear can show up in the river: "Her hands tightened on the pole until the knuckles matched the foam." The detail only works for her.
4. Subvert it
Occasionally you can use the expectation. "His heart raced, which was a nuisance, because he was supposed to be dead" lets the cliché set up a joke. This works best sparingly, and in a voice that is already playful.
Spotting your own clichés
You will not hear your own clichés, because you wrote them quickly and in good faith. Three habits help. First, search for the usual suspects: heart, breath, sigh, blood, eyes, smile, chill. Second, read the scene aloud, because clichés sound like "something you have heard before", which is a different sensation from "something I just wrote". Third, ask a stranger's question of every body reaction: have I read this in another book? If you have, cut or change it.
When to keep a cliché
There are good reasons to leave one in. A character who speaks in clichés, such as a salesman or an anxious relative, can use them to characterize. An idiom in dialogue can be exactly how a person would say it. And in a fast-moving action scene, a single familiar phrase can be less distracting than an elaborate fresh one. The test is whether the reader's eye slides past it for the right reason.
A worked rewrite
Before:
It was the dead of night, and Wren's heart raced as the stranger approached. Her breath caught. She nodded her head and let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was only the old pilot.
After:
The lamps on the far bank had burned out. Wren held the ferry pole like a spear as the stranger came down the dock, until the steps turned into the old pilot's uneven shuffle. She nodded. Her shoulders came down from her ears.
The rewrite replaces five stock phrases with three physical images, all specific to a woman who works a river at night.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Swapping one cliché for another | The same blandness in new clothes | Ask what actually happens, then describe that |
| Overwriting the replacement | A purple, self-conscious image | Aim for specific, not elaborate |
| Eliminating all familiar language | Prose becomes strained and artificial | Keep plain, functional phrasing |
| Fixing clichés too early | Slows the first draft | Draft first, hunt clichés in revision |
| Treating the highlight as a verdict | The tool matches phrases, not meaning | Decide each one yourself |
Do it in Quillen
Quillen's Analyze Document tool includes a Cliché category, with a built-in list of common phrases.
- Open the scene and click Analyze Document.
- Find the Cliché chip in the stats bar. It shows the share of your words that fall inside stock phrases against a guide of 0.5%, the strictest of any category. In our sample scene it read 5.1%.
- Look at the blue-violet underlines. The list covers phrases such as heart raced, breath caught, sigh of relief, dead of night, nodded his head, whispered softly, end result and past history.
- Rewrite each one using the methods above. The text is editable while highlights are on.
- Rerun the analysis to see the number fall, and click Clear Highlights when you are done.
The built-in list is a starting point, not a full dictionary of clichés, so a clean result does not mean there are none. Use the tool to find the common ones, and your own ear for the rest.
Checklist
- Body reactions checked for stock phrasing.
- Redundant phrases cut (nodded his head, whispered softly).
- Vague moments replaced with a plain fact or a concrete detail.
- Any kept cliché kept on purpose, in a character's voice.
- Replacements read aloud to check they are specific, not overwritten.
Common questions
What is a cliché in writing?
A phrase or image that was vivid once and has been used so often it no longer registers, such as 'her heart raced' or 'dead of night'.
How do I fix a cliché?
Cut it if it is redundant, state the plain fact, or replace it with a specific detail drawn from the character and setting. Occasionally you can subvert it for effect.
Should I remove every cliché?
Not necessarily. A character who talks in clichés can be characterized by them, and a single familiar phrase may suit a fast scene. Keep one only when you chose it.
How does Quillen find clichés?
Analyze Document has a Cliché category with a built-in list of common phrases. It underlines them and shows their share of your words against a 0.5% guide.
Will Quillen catch every cliché?
No. The list covers common ones. A clean result does not mean there are none, so use your own ear as well.