Avoid clichés in your writing.

Why?

How many times have you heard or read the following clichés?

• Sick as a dog
• Black as night
• Take the bull by the horns
• Butterflies in my stomach
• Clear as a bell
• Plain as day
• Call a spade a spade

Because they are tiresome, overused, and virtually meaningless, clichés can make writers appear lazy.

Nearly everyone uses clichés in speech (which is less formal than writing), and it’s okay to include them in a rough draft when you just want to get the idea down and know you’ll revise later. Don’t leave clichés in a final draft, however. Take some time to think of original ways to make your points; your writing will benefit.

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