Chorus

Kill the cliché - Songwriting exercise

Some expressions have just been used so much they lose meaning, or worse, make your audience cringe.

With this exercise you can learn to spot clichés and replace them with more interesting and original expressions.

You don't always have to remove the cliché entirely – you can break a cliché by turning it into a precise, visual moment.

Example

Original: "Time heals all wounds" Stronger: "The scar's still tender when it rains" — same idea, grounded in an image you can picture.

Try it yourself

Try it yourself in the "Kill the cliché" exercise below.

Remember, there aren't really any wrong answers — the point is to get practice with the technique.

Kill the cliché

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