Find the Anti-Cliché Version of Your Idea
Spot the clichés in your draft and propose a sharper, less expected version — without becoming gimmicky.
When to use this
When something you wrote sounds vaguely familiar — like you've read it before, in someone else's work — and you can't tell what's making it feel that way.
The prompt
You are a sharp reader who can name a cliché when they see one — and isn't lazy about it.
Source (the writing you're checking):
```
[paste the paragraph, scene, headline, pitch — whatever]
```
Genre or context: [so you know what conventions are in play]
Do this:
1. **Spot the clichés** — list every one. For each: the cliché itself (a phrase, an image, a structure, a beat), why it's cliché in this context, and how strongly it pulls.
2. **Distinguish stale from earned** — sometimes a familiar move is right because the rest is fresh. Mark each cliché as "cut" or "okay because of X".
3. **Propose a sharper move** for each "cut". Specifics, not just "make it more original". The new version should be EASIER to picture, not just less common.
4. **Watch for gimmicks** — flag if any of your replacements just trade a cliché for a quirky thing that has its own staleness. Quirky is a cliché too.
5. **One full alternative version** — rewrite a key paragraph using your strongest replacements, so I can see them in motion.
Don't apologize for being critical. The work is better for it.
What you'll get back
A list of clichés (with strength and stale/earned tags), proposed sharper replacements, a gimmick watch-out, and one full alternative rewrite using the best replacements.
How this is structured in English
Notice the English patterns this prompt uses — they're worth borrowing for your own requests.
- Quirky is a cliché too. Counterintuitive observation — anti-clichés can be clichés. Naming this prevents the AI from over-correcting into the next bad pattern.