Recognizing the Shaky Stereotype Railing

     How many times have you read a book where the drastic turn of events failed to shock you? Or when the characters never really connected with you? Have you ever wondered what the author was lacking? No doubt there were many things that the writer lacked, yet there is one specific thing that I would like to address in today's article. 

     Let's start off with a little metaphorical example. Imagine you have a group of marbles in a maze. Some of the paths are extremely worn, while others have never been touched. If the maze is tilted and the marbles roll through it, most will go down the worn paths because they are sloped from much use. Now, what am I addressing through this mental image? Stereotypes. This marble example is often what happens when we create a character. Let's say you decide to create a comedy relief character. Your mind, or marbles (pun intended), will be drawn down the well-worn paths of cliché. You'll immediately think this of your new character: 

1. They love food and are always, always talking about it.
2. They make witty remarks amid danger.
3. Everyone acts like they're completely normal.
4. They're not of much help to the main character, just along to make funny comments. 

5. They eat in unrealistically large portions... and for some reason never get heartburn?
6. It's the climax, and the future looks grim. They suddenly state that they aren't hungry anymore.
   
     Does this character sound familiar?
     Yep.
     Is it a well-developed character?
     Nope.
     This character has been used in probably hundreds of stories with little variation. It's a mold that has been hammered into people's heads through dozens of stories, and while it is everyone's "go-to", is it really... funny?
     ...
     Well?
     You don't mind it because it's so familiar, like a wobbly stair railing. It's been used by dozens of people until it no longer is stable or of any use. When it was new, it worked fine, but no longer. Yet, you use it still because you always have without thinking. You lean to it even though it does nothing. It's the same with this cliché comedy relief. You use it without thinking, and no one pays any mind to it, yet it fails to do its job. 

     Now, what is the lacking skill of an author who leans to stereotypes? There are many answers to this, such as "they failed to develop their characters enough" or "they didn't put enough thought into their plot". While these answers may be true, they fail to address what set the whole book off down that well-trafficked road of cliché. 

     The truth is, the author failed to recognize that they were headed down that path in the first place. We've all had bad habits. And anyone who has taken steps to break a habit knows that when they find themself in the act, they must stop and correct themself. And that really is the basic, old-fashioned way of breaking a bad habit. 

     It's easy to find yourself leading your novel down Stereotype Lane, and often just as easy to never notice that that is the path you are taking. How can you keep yourself from leaning towards shaky stereotypes? 

     1. Learn. All too often, the reason that someone fails to correct themself is that they fail to understand why they should. Why not take the take to learn what exactly these sneaky little clichés look like? The next time you find yourself reading an uninteresting story (like the examples at the beginning of this article) try to find the root of the problem. What stereotypes are driving this story towards predictability? What could the author have done differently?

     2. Persevere. Just as in anything that you seek to accomplish, perseverance must stay strong. Strive to create stories that surprise the readers or cause them to really think deeply about the subjects that you bring to the light.

     3. Keep alert. When you are developing your character or outlining your plot, be wary of going with your first instinct. Remember to ask yourself if you've seen it before.

     And here we come to the end. If you have questions or comments about this topic, feel free to comment!! 

     ~Madelyn

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