5 Genre Fiction Clichés Writers Need to Break (and How to Do It Right)!
Are you tired of seeing the same predictable patterns in your favorite genres (think fantasy, sci-fi, horror and action)?
Clichés grow old fast – think of the chosen one in fantasy, the final girl in horror, and villain monologues in action movies.
But here’s the good news: breaking these clichés in a clever way can lead to some of the most memorable stories.
Let’s explore five of the most overused genre fiction clichés and how you can break them in your own writing, with examples from sci-fi, horror, fantasy, and action!
Why Break Clichés?
Clichés are predictable and overused storytelling devices that make a story seem uninspired. But how do clichés differ from tropes?
Tropes are the building blocks of storytelling—recurring themes, character types, or plot devices that define a genre. For example, the “unlikely duo” in buddy cop movies or “the reluctant hero” in fantasy novels.
Clichés are tropes that have been used too often without adding anything new. What was once exciting becomes formulaic and stale.
Breaking a cliché doesn’t mean rejecting the trope itself!
Instead, it means rethinking it and finding a new perspective to surprise your audience and make it meaningful again.
If you prefer to watch rather than read, check out my YouTube video on this topic below!
1. The Chosen One (Fantasy)
Fantasy often leans on the idea of a single hero being destined to save the world. But when fate does all the work, the story loses its tension.
Why It’s Overused
A prophecy, a hidden destiny, or fate itself declares one person the world’s savior.
This cliché relies on destiny and exceptionalism, often making the hero feel untouchable while sidelining other characters.
Example of Overuse: In Hercules (2014), the chosen one trope is applied in the most generic way possible.
Hercules fulfills his prophecy without real personal growth, which makes the story utterly predictable.
How to Break It
Shift the focus from destiny to choice. Instead of a hero born with greatness, explore a character who earns their role through hard work, sacrifice, or sheer determination.
Create a chosen one who rejects their destiny or even fails, forcing others to rise to the occasion.
Example: In The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin, Essun’s power is a burden, not a blessing.
Her journey is driven by survival and love, making her story deeply personal rather than fate-driven.
2. The Final Girl (Horror)
Horror movies often rely on the idea that the last survivor must be a morally pure and resourceful young woman.
Why It’s Overused
The ‘final girl’ survives a horror film because she is morally pure or has extraordinary resilience.
While it has led to great characters like Laurie Strode (Halloween) and Sidney Prescott (Scream), it makes so many horror movies predictable!
Example of Overuse: In Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1995), the final girl survives more due to random luck and outside help rather than her own ingenuity.
This makes her victory feel completely unearned.
How to Break It
Change who survives or how they survive. Maybe the final girl doesn’t defeat the killer but escapes through cunning or an uneasy truce.
Let the survivor be flawed, complicit, or even morally ambiguous.
Example: In The Witch, Thomasin’s survival isn’t about defeating evil, but embracing it.
This flips the cliché by turning her final act into one of empowerment rather than mere survival.
3. The Alien Hive-Mind (Sci-Fi)
Aliens are often portrayed as a collective with no individuality, which has the effect of making them feel less like real threats and more like video game enemies.
Why It’s Overused
Aliens often arrive as a unified collective, acting with a single will.
This simplifies the threat, reducing them to mindless enemies. The worst offenders make them dependent on a single leader, meaning that killing the head alien instantly defeats them all.
Example of Overuse: In The Avengers (2012), the alien Chitauri army collapses the moment their mothership is destroyed, making for a convenient but lazy resolution.
How to Break It
Give aliens autonomy. Maybe they operate as separate factions with their own agendas.
Destroying the leader doesn’t end the fight instantly. Maybe it only weakens the enemy or sparks further chaos.
Example: Edge of Tomorrow presents the Mimics as a hive mind with a twist: if the Alphas die, they can reset time, forcing the protagonists to think strategically rather than simply kill the leader.
4. The Evil Overlord (Fantasy/Action)
A villain who wants to take over the world just because they’re evil makes a story completely one-dimensional.
Why It’s Overused
The all-powerful evil overlord villain wants to conquer the world, the galaxy, or the universe.
While they may be visually imposing, their goals and methods are often one-dimensional.
Example of Overuse: In The Dark Tower (2017), the Man in Black is evil for the sake of evil.
This makes him more of a caricature than a true antagonist.
How to Break It
Give the villain relatable motivations. They don’t have to be sympathetic, but they should have a reason beyond “I’m evil.”
Shift focus to the people they’ve oppressed or let the hero inadvertently become the villain.
Example: In Watchmen, Ozymandias is a villain who causes mass destruction, but his goal is to save humanity.
His morally ambiguous actions challenge the audience to question whether his ends justify his means.
5. The Indestructible Hero (Action)
When action heroes survive every impossible scenario without consequences, the stakes disappear and their victories feel hollow.
Why It’s Overused
Action heroes who survive impossible odds make for thrilling set pieces, but their invincibility makes the stakes feel low.
Example of Overuse: While John Wick (2014) presents a vulnerable protagonist, later sequels turn him into an almost indestructible force, which makes his survival feel less meaningful.
How to Break It
Make your hero vulnerable. Show them failing, getting hurt, or questioning their own abilities.
Let them struggle physically and emotionally.
Example: Logan redefines the superhero genre by showing Wolverine as physically and emotionally broken.
His weaknesses and struggles make his final act of heroism deeply poignant.
Keep Your Writing Fresh!
Tropes can be useful for setting expectations and enhancing genre fiction, but clichés will bore audiences.
The key to breaking clichés is understanding why they exist and then finding a way to approach them from a new angle!
