If you’re looking for common mistakes in your writing, clichés should be one of the first things to go. They add little to your message, and many readers will tune out once they see these easily recognisable, tired phrases.

To get the ball rolling, let’s look at what a cliché actually is, as per the Oxford English dictionary:

Cliché:

(noun) a phrase or an idea that has been used so often that it no longer has much meaning and is not interesting

Let’s take, for example, ‘get the ball rolling’ (ah, you see what I did there, don’t you? Clever reader). Go back, read the sentence again, and try to take note of what’s going through your mind.

Are you imagining a ball rolling? Are you picturing the first kick from a muddy boot to start a game? Or do you simply recognise the phrase and breeze past it?

In most cases, it is very likely the latter. This is because we’ve all heard the phrase so often that it has become a cliché. When something becomes cliché, it loses its impact.

What could we use instead, then?

Here are a few alternatives which have the same meaning as ‘to get the ball rolling’ but are not widely used:

• To tickle the accelerator
• To lay the first brick
• To initiate the launch sequence

Because these phrases sound fresh, we – as readers – are more inclined to visualise what’s being written. This is a mark of solid copywriting.

But, if your reader is skimming over the copy and not taking it in, you’re losing their interest.

You can also swap out a cliché for a straightforward term. So, instead of ‘To get the ball rolling’, you could write ‘To begin’. Or omit it entirely.

Why clichés have a negative impact on your copy

Here are three reasons that clichés make your copy worse:

• Your readers will tune out and skip passages
• They make the author appear lazy and uninterested
• Your message has a reduced impact

This point is also addressed in George Orwell’s essay ‘Politics and the English Language’, in which Orwell outlines six rules for writing. Here’s his very first rule:

“Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.”

But we don’t just use clichés in writing. Most of us use them every day of our lives.

Here are some common examples:

• Don’t judge a book by its cover
• Actions speak louder than words
• The grass is always greener on the other side
• Love is blind
• Feast your eyes on this

Let’s be clear: there is nothing wrong with using clichés when speaking. But this does not make it okay to use them in your copy.

There are many things we do when speaking which we would never do when writing. For example, we might use interjections like ‘erm’ as fillers. Or miss words out. Or use slang. Or swear.

Add clichés to this mental list of ‘things not to do when writing’.

If you want your reader to listen to you, you need to show them respect. This means taking the time to think through your wording, and not simply rely on exhausted clichés.

Ditch the clichés and give your writing a new lease of life an upgrade.

Top tip: If you can’t think of an alternative for a cliché, temporarily use one and come back to change it later. That way, it won’t hamper your writing process.

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