Operates at the plot, character, and structure level — finding the clichés that survive even after the prose has been polished. These are the patterns that make readers say "I saw that coming from chapter 2."

## Key Points

- The novel feels derivative despite good prose
- Beta readers say it's "predictable" or "I've read this before"
- The AI generated a plot that follows the most common version of the genre
- After phrase-level AI tell detection, to catch structural-level predictability
- When the author wants to know which tropes they're using and whether to subvert them
1. Waking up / alarm clock opening
2. Looking in the mirror to describe appearance
3. "I never thought this would happen to me"
4. Starting with weather description
5. Prologue depicting the villain's plan or ancient prophecy
6. "My life was normal until..."
7. The dream sequence opening that turns out to not be real

Originality & Cliché Depth Scanner

Operates at the plot, character, and structure level — finding the clichés that survive even after the prose has been polished. These are the patterns that make readers say "I saw that coming from chapter 2."

When to Use This Skill

• The novel feels derivative despite good prose
• Beta readers say it's "predictable" or "I've read this before"
• The AI generated a plot that follows the most common version of the genre
• After phrase-level AI tell detection, to catch structural-level predictability
• When the author wants to know which tropes they're using and whether to subvert them

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The Cliché Catalog

Plot Clichés

Opening Clichés:

1. Waking up / alarm clock opening
2. Looking in the mirror to describe appearance
3. "I never thought this would happen to me"
4. Starting with weather description
5. Prologue depicting the villain's plan or ancient prophecy
6. "My life was normal until..."
7. The dream sequence opening that turns out to not be real

Act 1 Clichés: 8. Protagonist is "ordinary" but secretly special 9. The call to adventure arrives via mysterious stranger 10. Mentor appears with cryptic wisdom 11. Protagonist initially refuses the call 12. Beloved possession / pet / friend is destroyed to motivate action

Act 2 Clichés: 13. Training montage (protagonist gets good at things quickly) 14. Love triangle with obvious winner 15. The group assembles (collecting allies in sequence) 16. Betrayal by the obvious traitor (the character who was too helpful) 17. Captured, then rescued or escapes easily 18. The midpoint "all is lost" moment that resolves within two chapters 19. Side quest that conveniently provides exactly the needed item/knowledge

Act 3 Clichés: 20. Villain explains their entire plan before executing it 21. Love confession during the climax 22. The power of love/friendship literally overcomes the antagonist 23. The sacrifice that turns out to not be fatal 24. Deus ex machina (new power/ally/information appears at the last moment) 25. The "it was inside you all along" resolution 26. Everything wraps up in the final chapter with a time skip epilogue 27. Sequel bait ending ("but in the shadows, a new threat stirred")

Character Clichés

Protagonist Types: 28. The Chosen One who didn't ask for this 29. The orphan with mysterious parentage 30. The "strong female character" whose strength is being physically tough and emotionally closed 31. The brooding loner with a heart of gold 32. The average person who is inexplicably competent at everything 33. The protagonist who is "clumsy" as their only flaw 34. The amnesiac who slowly recovers memories that explain everything

Love Interest Types: 35. The bad boy/girl who is reformed by love 36. The childhood friend who was always there 37. The rival who becomes a lover 38. The mysterious stranger with a dangerous secret 39. The person who is "not like other" [gender]

Antagonist Types: 40. Pure evil with no motivation beyond power 41. The twist villain who was an ally all along (with no foreshadowing that works in retrospect) 42. The well-intentioned extremist whose "good point" is mentioned once then ignored 43. The dark mirror of the protagonist 44. The faceless corporation/organization

Supporting Cast Types: 45. The comic relief sidekick 46. The wise old mentor who dies to motivate the protagonist 47. The skeptic who is convinced by the end 48. The tech genius / the healer / the muscle (party role stereotypes) 49. The protective parent who must be escaped

Setting/World Clichés

50. Medieval Europe with magic but no consequence for the magic
51. Dystopia with one unique rule (everyone sorts into factions, memories are removed, etc.)
52. "The Academy" where protagonists train
53. The evil empire vs. scrappy rebellion
54. The ancient prophecy that drives the plot
55. The magical artifact that must be found/destroyed
56. The hidden world alongside the normal world
57. The post-apocalyptic wasteland with unexplained resources

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Cliché vs. Trope vs. Archetype

Not all familiar elements are problems:

• Archetype: A fundamental narrative pattern (the hero's journey, the trickster, the transformation). These are deep structure. Using them is fine — they're unavoidable.
• Trope: A recognized convention within a genre (enemies-to-lovers, found family, the heist). These are tools. Using them is fine IF executed with specificity and fresh perspective.
• Cliché: A trope or detail executed in the most predictable, generic way. This is the problem.

The distinction is in execution:

• Trope: enemies to lovers → "They hated each other, then fell in love" → fine, it's the genre
• Cliché: enemies to lovers → "They bickered constantly, then he caught her when she fell, and she noticed his eyes for the first time" → the most generic possible version

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Scanning Process

Step 1 — Plot Skeleton Extraction

Reduce the novel to a one-sentence-per-chapter plot skeleton. Strip all prose, character, and setting. What remains is the raw plot.

Compare this skeleton against the cliché catalog. How many match?

Step 2 — Beat Prediction Test

At each major plot point, ask: what would the most predictable version of this story do next?

If the novel does exactly that more than 60% of the time, it's running on cliché autopilot.

BEAT PREDICTION TEST:
Ch. 5: Protagonist discovers they have powers.
  Most predictable next beat: A mentor appears to explain the powers.
  What the novel does: A mentor appears to explain the powers.
  PREDICTED: YES

Ch. 8: Protagonist meets the love interest.
  Most predictable next beat: They clash initially.
  What the novel does: They clash initially.
  PREDICTED: YES

Ch. 12: Protagonist faces first major challenge.
  Most predictable next beat: They fail, then are comforted by mentor/love interest.
  What the novel does: They fail, mentor comforts them with a speech about believing in themselves.
  PREDICTED: YES

PREDICTION ACCURACY: 78% — the plot is highly predictable

Step 3 — Character Archetype Matching

For each major character, check against the character cliché list. Score:

• 0-1 matches: Original character
• 2-3 matches: Recognizable archetype (fine if executed freshly)
• 4+ matches: Stock character — needs differentiation

Step 4 — Subversion Inventory

Does the novel EVER subvert expectations? List every moment where the story does something the reader wouldn't predict:

• Plot twist that genuinely surprises
• Character who defies their apparent archetype
• A trope that's set up and then deliberately broken
• A genre convention that's interrogated or inverted

If this list has fewer than 5 entries in a full novel, the story needs subversion.

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Subversion Suggestions

For each flagged cliché, provide 2-3 specific subversion options:

CLICHÉ: Mentor dies to motivate protagonist (Ch. 16)
SUBVERSIONS:
  a) Mentor survives but is permanently changed — the protagonist must deal
     with a diminished mentor who needs care, not a clean martyrdom
  b) Mentor dies but the protagonist feels relief, not grief — the mentor
     was controlling, and the death is liberation wrapped in guilt
  c) Mentor appears to die but the "death" is revealed as the mentor
     abandoning the protagonist by choice — betrayal, not sacrifice

The Subversion Spectrum

Not every cliché needs full inversion. Options from subtle to radical:

Approach	Method
Play straight but specific	Use the trope but execute with such specific, grounded detail that it feels fresh
Complicate	Use the trope but add a layer that makes it messier (the mentor dies, but it's the protagonist's fault)
Delay	Set up the expected beat, then delay it — make the reader wait so long they forget to expect it
Lampshade	Have a character acknowledge the cliché in a way that's actually funny, not just winking
Subvert	Set up the expectation, then do something different (the chosen one fails; someone else saves the day)
Invert	The trope operates in reverse (the villain gives the mentor speech; the love interest is the real antagonist)
Deconstruct	Show the realistic consequences of the trope (the "chosen one" narrative is propaganda; the "training montage" takes years and is psychologically damaging)

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Originality Score

ORIGINALITY REPORT:

Plot predictability: 78% (beats matched prediction)
Character archetype density: 3.2 avg matches per character
Setting originality: 2 unique elements / 8 stock elements
Subversion count: 3 (in 22 chapters)
Specific detail ratio: 34% of descriptions are setting-specific vs. generic

OVERALL ORIGINALITY SCORE: 31/100

TOP 3 PRIORITIES:
1. The mentor death in Ch. 16 — most telegraphed plot beat
2. The love triangle — resolves exactly as expected with zero complications
3. The magic system — identical to [well-known franchise] with names changed

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Anti-Patterns

• Treating all tropes as clichés. Tropes are tools. "Enemies to lovers" is not a cliché — "enemies to lovers where she falls into his arms and notices his eyes" is.
• Demanding constant subversion. A novel that subverts every expectation is exhausting and plotless. Most beats should be satisfying (which sometimes means expected). Subvert the ones that matter.
• Ignoring genre conventions. Romance readers WANT the happy ending. Mystery readers WANT the solution. The cliché isn't the convention — it's executing the convention lazily.
• Confusing originality with quality. A well-executed familiar story beats a poorly-executed original one. Prioritize execution, then originality.
• Suggesting subversions that break the story. A subversion must serve the narrative. "What if the mentor doesn't die" only works if the story still has stakes without that death.