I’ve used them before. I'm sure you have too. Often they slip through unnoticed. Yes, they are clichés, those tired, ready-made expressions that are one of the fastest ways to drain your writing of originality and impact. They're words and phrases that might once have had bite but, through endless repetition, have been stripped of freshness. Here's what George Orwell had to say about clichés: - Clichés replace thought. Orwell observed that when writers use ready-made phrases, they aren’t really choosing words to express fresh meaning — the phrases do the “thinking” for them. - Dying metaphors. He listed examples like ring the changes, leave no stone unturned, toe the line, which once had vivid force but had become so overused they no longer evoked images or clarity. - Padding and vagueness. Clichés allow writers to fill space without saying anything precise. They blur meaning instead of sharpening it. - Politics and deception. In political writing especially, Orwell saw clichés as a way to obscure ugly truths or manipulate readers — what he called “sheer cloudy vagueness.” - His rule: “Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.” In short, for Orwell, clichés weren't just stylistic weaknesses but intellectual evasions, evidence of writers abdicating the responsibility to think clearly and originally. Readers tend to skim past clichés without feeling a thing. And as writers, that is the last thing we want. Great writing shines when the phrasing feels alive rather than recycled, and when the language is vivid enough to make someone pause, reflect, and awaken. Here are some categories of clichés worth watching out for: Overused Openers - At the end of the day - In today’s fast-paced world - It goes without saying Tired Metaphors - Think outside the box - A win-win situation - The tip of the iceberg - A race against time Business & Tech Buzzwords - Synergy - Leverage - Paradigm shift - Cutting-edge

Hi everyone. My name is Caleb and I'm from London :) A bit about me – I have been a copywriter for about 5 years now, working in various marketing departments, and I now run a small writing business in the finance space. I have a YouTube channel where I talk about what I do and also a Substack where I post random things that I write. I'm always looking to learn more about my craft. At the moment, I am interested in getting back into more creative writing and blogging, which is where my writing journey started. I have been following @Shani Raja for a while and looking at a lot of writing groups, but I have yet to find a writing group with the same quality as this one. Looking forward to what is to come :)

Curious to know: how does everyone take notes? I personally have been using Obsidian for the past year. I used to use the Notes app on Mac but inevitably things get buried. I then also used Google Docs, which is where I do most of my work, but I wanted something that I could use offline. Someone mentioned Obsidian to me on my channel, and initially, I was sceptical about yet another writing assistance app, but now I use this every day. The best feature is the graph view, where you can see how all your notes interconnect (attached a screenshot). They will either link by hashtags that you put in the post, or via backlinks, where you basically create a note within a note, which makes a chain. It's completely free to use – highly recommend.

Recently, I was thinking about words that, over the years, have stopped being hyphenated. It's typically an uneven process, whereby the most daring writers begin the trend, and then others sheepishly follow. Personally, I love it when we lose hyphens. For me, they're a bit of an eyesore on the page. Here are some ex-hyphenated words: 1. Email (e-mail) 2. Website (web-site) 3. Voicemail (voice-mail) 4. Notebook (note-book) 5. Healthcare (health-care) Can you think of any more? And, like me, do you also welcome these transitions?