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In a world of fiction writers, there is a monster we've come to call Mainstream. The force of Mainstream is so very strong that it can take a single idea, multiply it, feed from it, and leave it irreconcilable. These broken and abused ideas that Mainstream has drop-kicked into a bucket of other decrepit ideas are what the leaches of Mainstream call "cliche".
Vampires, werewolves, witches, wizards, paranormal romance, love triangles, etc. I could go on and on. But there are a few things I have to say about cliches. Firstly, they are a literary pendulum and WILL make a comeback. So, if you find yourself writing a "cliche" don't toss it. Save it for later. There is this common misconception that once an idea is brought to Mainstream's attention, it loses value; it is played-out forthwith. A reasonable suggestion, but untrue at least. Between these hypes there are intervals of "calm". After a few of these "calm periods" your idea is refreshed, as is your target audience.
It is also said that some cliches are so very limited there is but one or two ways to go about writing them. I call that hogwash. Every idea has components. Components can be removed, replaced, swapped, and skewed. All it takes is a little ingenuity and you have successfully called back the literary pendulum; the rebirth of a decrepit idea Mainstream has fed to us leaches! It really is a shame to see the same humdrum cliche in various fictional works. What happened to the ingenuity of writers? The cultivation of one's creativity by always trying something new or revamping old ideas? We must strive for what is unique -- for what is composed entirely of our own wit. Cliches are pre-made templates. Refuse to use them as they currently stand!
Back to the subject of Mainstream. This monster has run rampant the past few years. It leaves an impression on every writer to submit material that conforms to what is "in fashion". It is the Vogue of the literary world, and the people that toss money at the clerk to purchase this wicked magazine do nothing but encourage its devouring of new ideas. I find that shameful, but more so that what is "in fashion" and desired across the land is poorly written and uncreative. It would seem that the original is soon forgotten, slipping farther away in a pile of remakes and rip-offs that overwhelm the industry.
I'm tired, dear fiction writers. I'm so very tired of this monster we call Mainstream. I'm tired of its destruction. I'm tired of its followers. I'm tired of its solid grasp on the publishing industry and the writing community in whole. I'm tired of how it accommodates a rash and simple society instead of challenging them to be different, to be intelligent, and to look past a seemingly whimsical story and pinpoint the vulgarity between its lines. Mainstream has fed us purple prose. It has romanticized the reality of certain perversions and sold these stories to children. I don't like Mainstream and what it has become -- what it has made our new generation's readers become.
Dear fiction writers, all I ask is that you don't conform to what is Mainstream. Challenge your creativity. Revamp old ideas. Come up with new ideas. Refuse to be a leach. Don't dumb things down to "accommodate" a society that's been given nothing but pats on the back. Really TEST your readers. Don't throw out cliches because they will come back like the literary pendulum they are. No, instead improve them during the intervals of "calm". Be unique. Please, be unique. The world needs more quality writers. You have innate value in this book store of remakes, overwrites, plain garbage and rip-offs. Let's take down this monster called Mainstream.
Yours Truly,
MadMystic
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