I just made my first sale of the year – an article to SCBWI. It’s called Avoiding the Character Cliché and the article is about falling into that trap and how to get out of it. Here’s a sneak preview (the first sentence):
The very best way to avoid character clichés is to simply not have the nemesis in your young adult book be a beautiful, fashionably dressed cheerleader.
I was a cheerleader both in high school and in college, and let me tell you. We got a bad rap. There’s this pile of expectations and assumptions that everyone throws on you. Nevermind that NONE of them apply. I wasn’t a snob, I wasn’t rich, I wasn’t sleazy, I didn’t drink, I earned top grades, and I was friends with everyone. I sewed my own clothes too. As far as I’m concerned, anyone who uses the evil cheerleader stereotype lacks imagination. All the girls I cheered with were individuals with different strengths and weaknesses just like everybody else. When I read books that promote cheerleader misinformation, it drives me nuts.
Sounds very good, especially as I just wrote a post about how I am pretty much the Queen of cliches – where can I read it?