Cliché: An Introduction

Abstract

Before writing the call for papers for this issue, I conducted an online search for 'cliché in writing.' Predictably, the search produced dozens of pages with tips for writers: '12 Clichés all Writers Should Avoid' (Klems), 'Avoiding Clichés in Writing' (Writer’s Web), and one article brewing dangerously close to a perfect meta-cliché storm: '681 Clichés to Avoid in Your Creative Writing' (Luke). Cautions about clichés extend to both creative and academic communities. This introduction offers thoughts on these academic recommendations and discusses the ab(use) and (un)necessity of clichés.