Firstly, you may have noticed I marked this story as complete, I came to realize that I love this story so much (hey, it's a place where I can list my complaint and people listen, who wouldn't like that?) that I'll probably keep adding new chapters for a VERY long time. Though it may become sparingly, I'll never give up on this guide (unless I run out of ideas... then your DOOMED).

So all of that means this: Although this story is marked complete, it's not and I'll keep updating it FOREVER!!! (Haha~ You're stuck with me forever my little dumplings~)

Plotlines (Clichés)

We’ve seen it once, we’ve seen it a million of times.

Every once in a while on this site, I’ll come across a really great story. It has likeable (or dislikeable) characters that are easy to connect with and/or sympathize with and an ORIGINAL plotline that takes me on an emotional journey where I’ll shed a tear or two (or a lot more).

But more often than not, I’ll come across a story with a plotline that I’ve seen one too many times for my liking.

This doesn’t just happen with stories on AFF. It happens with movies, TV shows, and even some published books. In a world where it’s hard to come up with a completely new idea… it can be hard to come up with a completely new idea. But here’s the thing:

YOU DON’T HAVE TO.

You can take a completely unoriginal (and cliché) plotline, give it a few twists and turns, and make it all your own. How so?

PLOT TWISTS

Plot twists are every author’s favorite tools. It’s like drugs for writing. It makes everything better and gives you a new feeling. They let you add your own style to an overused plot. For example, the clichéd story about the nerd and the kingka. It usually always ends with them getting together and the queenka being humiliated one way or another. But what if it didn’t end that way? What if the kingka still ended up with the queenka and, this time, the nerd ended up being humiliated and heartbroken. Terribly sadistic of the author and a mean moral of the story, but something that is rarely done and original. Plot twists help us authors take clichéd storylines and make them our own.

But there are such things as TOO many plot twists.

Plot twists are general okay if you use them sparingly. Don’t be like a k-drama and give our heroes too many obstacles to jumps over to reach their happy ending (*cough* Doctor Stranger *cough*). Although it’s nice to see them struggle work hard to get their happily ever after, it gets boring if the author tries to prolong the ending just for the sake of more views/subscriptions/etc.

(((ON A SIDE NOTE: Keep a consistent pace with your story. Don’t make it go too fast and try to squeeze everything into a few chapters or too slow and prolong what should have been a 20 chapter story into a 60 chapter story.)))

Rules for clichéd plots:

1. Use plot twists to make it your own. Changing one or two events of a story can change the outcome, but beware of overdosing on plot twists.
2. Use plot twists sparingly. Like I said above – don’t overdose on plot twists.
3. Try to be original. Though this chapter was mainly on using cliché plots, don’t forget the most important thing about plots: BE ORIGINAL. Originality is always better.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I don’t really care if a plot is cliché as long as it’s interesting, has good characters, and has at least one thing that makes it different/unique. Like I have been saying, original plotlines are hard to come up with. But hey, if you can come up with a new and original plotline or if you think your story is original, just send me the link and I’ll read it.

On a completely unrelated note, if you know of a good story to read, please recommend it to me by sending me a link in the comment section below or PM it to me. 

*le me whenever a new episode of Hi School: Love On comes on*

RANDOM FACT: I can cook.