The most overused phrases in fiction

#books #writing #literature

[crysispersists]

If I read "They saw it in their mind's eye..." one more time, my mind's eye is going to balloon into an elder god and eat the world.
Oh no...OH NO IT'S HAPPENING!

[rianroan]

hi! hobby linguist here: "a shock of hair" comes from an old word meaning "an arrangement of sheaves for drying; a stook", and it's a variant of the noun "shag" (→ "matted material; rough massed hair, fibres etc"), so it's supposed to resemble a pile or bundle of straw usually, and has nothing to do with being surprising hahaa i hope that helped just a little bit

(and as a writer, i'm glad i've never used any of these words and phrases 😅)

[omalleysmith]

Thank you for addressing this. I recently DNF'd Emily Henry's book "Book Lovers" because I just couldn't handle one more "her breath hitched in her throat." You know what's in my throat? My breakfast coming up, reading this tripe. Lol.

[sparrowhawkerdesigns]

Anytime anybody's "eyes dropped" or "eyes fell to the floor" or the eyes "popped out of their head" or "jaws fell on the floor, " I lose my mind. Anytime that body parts just start leaving the body and landing on furniture, I'm done. :-) Shock, btw, is not used as a verb in these cases, it's used as a noun. I always imagine that it's a coarse bundle of hair, not that it's surprising. All the things you've mentioned are why I can't hardly read a straight up romance novel anymore! :-) I do sort of like raven-haired, though. It's a very gothic-sounding phrase.

[nancymiller]

Once i see someone "smirk" i begin counting. Rule of thumb - more than 3 smirks in a book, chances of a DNF go up exponentially

[reganlandau]

"She opened and closed her mouth a few times" when deciding whether to speak

[JDReads]

I also find that "visage" is always paired with a negative or at least less-than-happy adjective.

It's always a "brooding visage" or a "shadowy visage" and it is almost always used to describe men. Women are famously absent the capacity to express dark emotions through their face.

[salomekjones]

I loved this list. As a writer, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see if I use any of these. I only found one. But you know, this made me want to write you a book in which I use all these phrases in unexpected and hilarious ways. haha Mine are things involving eyes, like, "His eye fell upon the page." I just visualize eyeballs dropping onto things. He cast his eye across the room. And I'm like, How horrifying. Go get your eye back before someone steps on it.

[almostflamingo]

I'm allergic to the word "gingerly", it immediately makes me feel like I'm about to read some really bad fanfiction 🥴

[readandre-read]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. As a child I wanted "raven hair" after reading it in a book. I'm tired of people turning purple with rage. Purple like a grape!? I also have issues with "smirk" used as a synonym for talking instead of facial expression.

[esliet]

“His lips found hers “ you had me laughing so hard with this one. I agree

[weirdpapercrafts]

The child "smacked his lips" to indicate anticipation among children.

[danielaweberdani]

hilarious video! 😍
my peeve is not really a
phrase, but i hate authors
describing their characters
in too many physical details,
and how nowadays they tend
to name random celebrities
just to make things easier
(blond girls and muscular
guys most of the times):
unimaginative, boring
and deeply toxic. 😐

[alexissomethingrose]

I loved this video so so much! honest to god, it gave me such a strong sense of community as I was nodding all through this list! 👏🏼💜💜💜
the phrase that offends my sensibilities (🤪🤭) is "touch her, and you die". uuuggghh. coincidentally, it is a trope as well, and I abhor it just as much. make it stop -- to both the phrase and the trope ☺

[JDReads]

Maw can be so much more versatile than it usually sees in books. I particularly like:

Distended, twisted, corrupted, abyssal, or slavering.

Puts one in mind of a monster with a split lower jaw, or a creature so vast it consumes planets. Love that stuff!

[vloskutova]

Re: 'to the core', the phrase 'to the bone/to their bones' absolutely needs a 100 year moratorium

[Keeva-]

Oh god, I can't stand the 'his lips found hers' one. I always get this vision of a baby trying to latch on, and if any part of the scene had been potentially hot, it never is after that line! Also, when a character is padding about or padded down the stairs or hall, as if they're wearing giant cat paw slippers or something!

[nancymiller]

The only way I managed to make it through Fifty Shades of Gray was to begin counting/annotating every time "her inner goddess" was used. Literally it sometimes occurred multiple times on a page.

[deborahcunningham]

"He rubbed/stroked his chin." sigh. Yeah, he's When I read a "shock of hair, " I see a person whose hair is standing on end or gelled {up and out} to within an inch of its life. LOL. Some pretty interesting images depending on the period the book is set.

[brookeacker]

The way Emily Henry uses ‘My nipples pinched’ to communicate being a roused icks me out.