Brigham Young University
by Stephen Tuttle
For storytellers, the line between tradition and innovation can seem very thin. While we labor to create new and original narratives, we are also keenly aware of the debt we owe to the generations that have come before us. This tension can seem most daunting in creative writing workshops, where students are often encouraged to eradicate any suggestion of cliché. In this presentation, I will discuss how apparent cliché’s may be archetypes in disguise, and how storytellers can benefit from interrogating the very notions of cliché and originality. I will examine how several modern short story writers have breathed life into images that might previously have seemed tired or worn out.