Writing clichés
It's interesting to see what has become cliché in writing. Things that were once fresh but now have been done to death.
I once attended a seminar by David S. Freeman, Beyond Structure, on screenwriting that's great for authors, too--I'd highly recommend it. One of the things he said, is that if it comes easily, it's probably cliché. Here are a few examples that I think have become cliché:
He turned on his heel.
Her dress pooled around her feet.
He closed the distance between them. (way overdone in romance IMO)
Her hair framed her face.
Flashing or burning eyes. (guilty!)
Her hair spread out on her pillow in a silken mass. (uh, guilty here)
Her eyelashes were dark crescents against her pale skin.
She pushed her hair over her shoulders or he ran his fingers through his hair. (way guilty)
I'll be the first to admit I've probably done all of the above, mostly in my older books.
I wonder if even the following one is. It's starting to feel like it to me:
He moved with preternatural speed.
There are other ways to show it without saying it in what's becoming "the same old way."
I have written plenty myself, but I do try to think of better ways to say what I'm trying to convey to the reader without resorting to a cliché.
What phrases do you think have become cliché in writing?