by Livini » Thu Jun 22, 2017 10:28 pm
How long have you gone without writing?
Depends what you mean by "writing". I bet I've gone quite long without writing my stories down on paper/computer, but that doesn't mean I'm not writing them in my head. I also tend to focus a lot on the stories I enact with my sister (our more complicated version of children's make-believe), so sometimes this gets in the way of my "writing", but that means I'm still busy developing characters and stuff.
My opinion on stereotypes:
I think there are two slightly different definitions of a "stereotype":
1. A flat character who has only one or two defining personality traits (especially if it's something that you see a lot in stories, like a typical "class clown", or a bully/villain who has no personality other than being a bully/evil, or the "stupid sidekick").
In general, a developed character is more interesting than one of these "stereotype" characters, but it depends what role they play in the story, and what kind of story you're writing. In some stories and situations, a flat character can have a comical effect, whereas in other stories and situations, they may just come across as annoying. In stories with a lot of focus on the psychology of the characters, it may be interesting to have only deeper characters (no stereotypes), or to have characters who seem very flat and then turn out to be something different than they appeared to be, whereas in stories with very little focus on psychology and character development, it could distract from the main plot if every side character's deeper personality is revealed (depends how you do it, of course, so I'm not saying any of this always applies).
2. A character who acts like a stereotypical image of a group (such as the "damsel-in-distress", the "rich, greedy Jew", etcetera, that The Worst Username mentioned).
This can be a problem because the same image of the same group keeps being repeated, but I think it depends a lot on your cast of characters. If there is only one woman in your cast and she acts like a "damsel-in-distress", this can be seen as reinforcing the image of women as weak, dependant, etcetera (again, it depends how you do it: you could be writing satire and presenting stereotypes in a way that pokes fun at them). But if half of your cast consists of women, then I don't see the problem of one of them being weak and dependant.
My opinion on clichés:
As Ranger said, you can definitely add a new twist to make them interesting. As for pure clichés (without being rewritten), I think it depends how much of the story is based on clichés. A lot of stories will contain some clichés. If a story involves young people being sent on a quest to save the world, this is definitely overdone, but this doesn't make it a bad story: if the rest of the story and/or its characters are unique and interesting, then it doesn't matter to me that a certain aspect of the story is cliché. On the other hand, if your story has so many cliché characters and plot elements that it becomes predictable, this is probably to be avoided (unless you're trying to write a cliché or predictable story, of course).
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My Stories on Quotev:
In Exchange [Hetalia fanfiction]A mystery fanfiction involving Switzerland, Canada,
a strange vending machine, and seven stolen cats.
Reach Out and FallA psychological thriller full of eerie vibes, apples,
twisted families, friendships and (lesbian) romance.
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Help create a fandom here.
It's the second story in my Timeless Trilogy, and you can find it 
