Expressions in Writing: Getting Down to Brass Tacks

Writers are always looking for the right word, phrase, sentence or cliché to help them say exactly what's on their minds. I'm going to get to the point of this and skip the idle chit chat to give you some food for thought.

Okay, okay, keep your shirt on while my imagination runs wild because we are not cut from the same cloth and I want to shoot the bull with you for a few minutes. I'll wing it from start to finish because I have some time on my hands and what I want to say is right here on the tip of my tongue.

To all intents and purposes, clichés are really up for grabs for any writer who wants to make good use of them. Any old bag of bones can go from rags to riches; just mark my words. All you need to do is take pen in hand and without further ado be quick as a wink and get your thoughts down on paper.

You can blaze a trail with words, and the better you are, the sweeter the honey. Unless you are so broke you can't pay attention, it's not really a matter of life or death. For the life of me, I wouldn't go off half-cocked about this, but I would play it by ear when looking for the right cliché. If you will just hang loose and play your cards right, you can actually put your money where your mouth is and take it to the bank as well.

As long as you are not trying to pull a snow job on your reader and you stick to your guns, clichés can provide a ways and means to enhance your writing. If worse comes to worst and you go whole hog, the worst you will do is cause some ill will with your readers. I wouldn't split hairs over which clichés to use, just make sure your article is signed, sealed and delivered to your publisher on time.

Many writers have trouble because they put their writing on the back burner instead of shaking a leg and finishing what they start. Even though a half-baked loaf is better than none, in the case of writing you should more or less be sure to keep the ball rolling and your readers will be able to make heads or tails of it making your writing second to none. Of course in the long run you will have to be a better writer than this one to hold your own.

In a nutshell, just don't let clichés be something you avoid like the plague. If you continue to call a spade a spade, it goes without saying that you'll come out smelling like a rose!