The cliché is a word or phrase that has grown common in the language, and by that fact, the cliché is often avoided in conventional writing. However, writers of fiction might choose to incorporate clichés into the dialogue or narration of characters for effect. [DELETE/REVISE]
The cliché is often difficult to avoid for younger and inexperienced writers who have yet to recognize that a phrase is a cliché. Writers should strive to be fresh in their language, although sophisticated writers occasionally incorporate clichés either for emphasis or to recast the reader’s view of that cliché. In fiction, the works of Flannery O’Connor represent a writer who uses the cliché for effect; read “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.”
For an on-line resource related to avoiding clichés, visit:
http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/cliche.html
