Mastering Originality: Avoiding Clichés in Poetry and Crafting Your Own Metaphors
Mastering Originality: Avoiding Clichés in Poetry and Crafting Your Own Metaphors
Hello, poetry enthusiasts! Whether you're a seasoned wordsmith or just dipping your toes into the vast ocean of verse (see what I did there? That's a cliché we'll dissect soon), one of the biggest hurdles in writing poetry is steering clear of overused phrases while infusing your work with fresh, vivid imagery. This applies to anyone, whether crafting custom and personalized poetry, to spoken word poetry, to even writing in ficion! In this blog post, we'll explore how to spot and sidestep clichés, and then dive into the art of creating metaphors that are uniquely yours. Let's turn your poetry from predictable to profound.
What Are Clichés and Why Do They Sneak Into Our Poems?
Clichés are those worn-out expressions that have been repeated so often they've lost their original punch. Think "time heals all wounds," "love is blind," or "as busy as a bee." They're like comfortable old shoes—easy to slip into, but they make your outfit look dated.
In poetry, clichés creep in because they're familiar and evoke quick emotions. But here's the rub: they don't surprise or challenge the reader. They make your work feel generic, like a mass-produced greeting card rather than a handmade masterpiece. Avoiding them forces you to dig deeper, resulting in poetry that's more authentic and memorable.
Spotting Clichés in the Wild
Common culprits: Phrases involving weather (e.g., "stormy relationship"), nature (e.g., "heart of gold"), or animals (e.g., "sly as a fox").
Test it out: Read your poem aloud. If a line feels like something you've heard a thousand times in songs, movies, or books, it's probably a cliché.
Context matters: Even fresh ideas can turn clichéd in certain genres. In love poetry, "roses are red" is a no-go, but in experimental verse, subverting it could work.
Strategies to Banish Clichés from Your Poetry
The good news? With practice, you can train yourself to write without these crutches. This comes in handy especially if, like myself, you create custom typewriter poetry on the spot. You need to be able to think quickly. Here are some actionable tips:
Read widely and critically: Immerse yourself in contemporary poets like Ocean Vuong, Warsan Shire, or Amanda Gorman. Notice how they describe emotions or scenes in unexpected ways. Then, revisit classics like Emily Dickinson or Pablo Neruda to see how they twisted the familiar.
Brainstorm alternatives: When a cliché pops up, challenge it. For "broken heart," ask: What does heartbreak really feel like? Maybe it's "a chest cracked open like a faulty safe, spilling forgotten coins." List 10 variations and pick the most original.
Use sensory details uniquely: Instead of "cold as ice," describe the chill through touch, sound, or smell. Try: "The air bit like forgotten keys in a winter pocket."
Edit ruthlessly: After drafting, highlight potential clichés. Replace them with personal experiences. If you're writing about loss, draw from your own life—did it feel like "waves crashing" (cliché) or "a library book returned too soon, pages still warm"?
Seek feedback: Share drafts with a writing group or online community. Fresh eyes can spot clichés you missed.
Remember, the goal isn't perfection on the first try. Poetry is iterative—revise until your words feel alive and yours alone.
The Magic of Metaphors: Building Your Own from Scratch
Now that we've cleared the cliché clutter, let's build something new. Metaphors are comparisons that equate one thing to another without using "like" or "as" (that's a simile). A great metaphor illuminates the unfamiliar through the familiar, but in a surprising way. Think of Shakespeare's "All the world's a stage"—it reframes life as theater, sparking new insights.
Clichés often start as brilliant metaphors that got overused. So, to create originals, you need to innovate.
Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting Metaphors
Start with observation: Pick an object, emotion, or idea. Jot down its qualities. For "anger," list: hot, explosive, consuming.
Find unexpected connections: Link it to something unrelated. Anger isn't just "a fire"—that's clichéd. What if it's "a vending machine jammed on the last snack, rattling with unmet hunger"? Draw from everyday life, science, technology, or pop culture for freshness.
Layer in complexity: Good metaphors have depth. Extend them: If love is "a glitchy app," explore crashes, updates, and notifications. This creates extended metaphors that sustain a whole poem.
Experiment with abstraction: Metaphors aren't just for concrete things. For abstract concepts like time, avoid "sands of time." Try: "Time is a librarian, shelving moments in dusty archives, occasionally misfiling the best ones."
Practice exercises:
Object swap: Take two random nouns (e.g., "coffee" and "regret") and metaphor-ize: "Regret is yesterday's coffee, bitter and cold in the mug."
Sensory mashup: Describe one sense with another. "Silence is a velvet curtain, heavy and muffling."
Reverse engineer: Start with a cliché and flip it. "Quiet as a mouse" becomes "Loud as a shadow in a crowded room."
Refine for impact: Ensure your metaphor fits the poem's tone and theme. Test it: Does it evoke emotion? Is it clear yet surprising? If it confuses, simplify; if it's bland, twist harder.
For more poetry guides, exercises, and tips, to help you create beautiful poetry (including custom poems) check out some of my other blogs!
Wrapping It Up: Your Path to Poetic Originality
Avoiding clichés and crafting original metaphors isn't about rules—it's about liberation. By ditching the overused, you invite readers into your unique worldview. Start small: Write a short custom poem today using one new metaphor. Over time, your voice will emerge stronger, more distinctive.
Stuck? I can help! I’ll write you or a loved one a custom and personalized poem for any occasion!
You can check out some of my previous examples here > Custom Poetry Examples
