Seeking help. Am I just one giant walking cliché?

[Anduriel]

Ok, hey guys! My name is Julian.

And I would just like to say; my grammar sucks! I’m trying to fix it, but for now… if it’s bad… don’t say I didn’t warn ya! ;-p

Right, now on to business. I am a film and television production student, a musician and a martial arts enthusiast (WOHOO! Jim Butcher and I have something in common!) I try and write screen plays, and am now trying to turn my hand to writing novel-styled fiction. Or at least written fiction that is not in film/television screenplay format. Prose.

I very much enjoy contemporary/ urban fantasy.

And thus I wish to delve into the genre. However I get mixed receptions about my topics… and my writing style.

Clichés are a problem it would seem. I was going to write a short story about a dead guy  who arrives in the afterlife, only to find it’s not such a dream. He gets given a job and is either made a “gaurdian angel” type or has to solve a variety of possession related “crimes” of the afterlife. I wrote a first paragraph but got no further than that after being told it was too clichéd. Here is said paragraph:

You want to know the annoying thing about being dead? I mean; once you get over the initial ‘Agh, oh my god I just died a horrible and painful death and now where the hell am I?!’ thing. It’s the fact that there’s still jobs. Now, you’d think that once you die that you’d pass on to the next life where everything would be amazing and heavenly. Literally. Able to relax for eternity in a paradise beyond your wildest imagination. Well it just ain’t so. Well ok, it isn’t so if, like me; you weren’t a complete Saint when you were alive. In fact Saints are pretty much the only ones who do get the whole paradise beyond paradise deal. But hey, I’m not really allowed to talk to you guys about that. It’s a long story, and one I’m not risking my ass to tell ya. When I mentioned hell earlier? Well that can get pretty literal around here.

Now I do admit that it was… not great… not great at all.

Anyhow, I then went into a mild panic about whether or not I was actually too clichéd in my actions.

So I came together with this idea:

A Bounty Hunter who is an old soul who has been cursed to be constantly reborn only to die terrible deaths. However a second curse was laid on this person to remove all memory of the previous past lives. Then we would delve into why, how etc etc

How does this sound to people?

And also, how do you avoid a cliché or becoming to generic?

Wohoo! That was long winded! But finally done. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Julian

[cephis]

Julian, from the tales of Jim Butcher, you just got to fake it untill you make it.  What you have started isn't bad at all.  Milking takes work, and sometimes its sour.  Write like mad and you will hit your stride.  the worst that can happen is that it will give you a good jumping off point for your future works

[kilks401]

I agree a hundred percent with Cephis. Every writer I've heard talk about writing has said that in the beginning they were not good writers. I've even heard mention of the million words necessary to start to write well.  Don't become discouraged by poor receptions to your first attempt, just keep writing and working to improve.

[Anduriel]

Thanks for the encouragement guys! 

I’ll definitely keep at it. Never know, I may even get published one day! Well that’s the plan anyways!

I’ll probably drop some more smaples around here to keep y’all updated lol.

[gravesbane]

If you think about it all write is cliche. I'm not sure but I think there are only something like 12 or so different themes in literature. The key I think is to put a twist on it. Your story reminds me of a novel by Peirs Anthony "On A Pale Horse". The basic plot was in death a man becomes the incarnation of death (Grim Reaper). Now he was never very good at anything in life, but if he was going to be Death, he was damn well going to be the best Death there ever was. See what I mean by a twist. Good luck with your writing.

[Anduriel]

Thanks gravesbane. Yeah I heard about that somwhere along the line, every story will fall into one of 12 archetypes. Or even that there is only one story; "The Quest" with about 12 sections, that every story can fit into.

Thank you and I'll keep writing. The death story sound interesting, and I shall have to try and find my niche!

[comprex]

Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth is actually on audio books as well now.

Have you written any supporting material for it yet?  Like side-backstory on one of the chars?

[Anduriel]

For the Dead Guy? No, not as of yet. I came up with the premise in like a minute or two, then as more of a writing exercise than a novel-based idea, I started the first paragraph. It was after then that I thought 'hey this may work'. So I gave it to a friend to read quickly for a second opinion, and that was when he told me it was clichéd etc etc.

Again with the Bounty Hunter idea, I came up with the premise pretty quickly, but have done no work on it, as I wanted to check if that idea was too contrived as well, ya know before I took it any further.

[rinascita]

Perhaps jump right into you protaganist in a climatic completion of a "job", then give the explanation to what he is.  The action may lure one in without seeming "cliche".

[Franzeska]

I very much enjoy contemporary/ urban fantasy.

Don't think like a writer for a minute: think like a reader.  If you like genre fiction (and I'm talking about myself here too), then you love cliches pretty much by definition.  Genres are all about "more of the same, but different".  I can offhand think of at least a dozen series (books, tv, manga) about afterlife bureaucracy, and they're all great.*  Would I read another one?  Sure, in a heartbeat.  I'll bet you would too.

I wouldn't worry about being too cliched.  Come up with a protagonist that you genuinely like (not someone who's perfect, someone you like), and other people will like him too.  If you're stuck for ideas, have a look at all those series you admire and see what you don't like about them.  Then go fix it.


*Well, ok, given how quickly some of them got canceled, maybe not everyone thought they were great, but I liked them. 

[Anduriel]

Thanks Fran, oddly enough I found that rather helpful... not really sure why it's odd either 

I'm pretty sure I would pick up another one, yes, and I too love those types of shows.

I'm just trying to think of ways to make the same thing "different".

*Ponders*

[hamiltond]

The first couple of line do smack of "Dead Like Me" but considering how good the show was at the beginning I wouldn't call that a bad thing.  You still have a lot of ways you could go with it and it would fit in well in the urban fantasy genre.  I like it.  Keep writing, I'd love to see were you go with it

P.S. Considering you character's an angel the ending does write itself (REVEALATIONS)  or has already been written for you depending on how you look at it.   

[Shecky]

The classic Greeks were ALREADY saying, "There is nothing new under the sun." It's true. Pretty much every topic that can be addressed HAS been addressed. What makes it new is a new approach, a new angle... but mostly, a new COMBINATION. Jim pretty much hit the jackpot on this - everything he's doing has been done before in some way, shape or form, but it's his style of USING and ARRANGING all those building materials that makes him so readable... and successful.

[Anduriel]

Thanks Hamilton, I will keep you updated. 

Yeah it's true guys there is nothign new out there. Yeah the idea does kinda smack of Dead Like Me... but my cahracter won't be a Reaper, or Repo.

Out of intreest; what strikes you guys as a the more appealing idea?

The dude dying and being forced to be a Guardian Angel? Or dying and having to work for the aftrelife equivilant of Internal Affairs?

Ah those Greeks! Gotta love'em.

I will see what I can come up with!

[hamiltond]

The Guardian Angel thing.  I can see it now.  A selfish asshole who is force to put him self on the line for other people and NEVER get any credit for it.  A servant of heaven in his on personal hell.  It could work.