It's almost the equivalent of the Pit, or Lucifer's Cage, only you don't have damned souls screaming in pain, or Lucifer and Michael bugging the hell out of each other in the Cage. I unfortunately know how bad the Cage is, trying to get those two to get along is like trying to get the Winchesters to band together when they're having trust issues with each other.

But, this place is just as bad. Possibly worse. Every writer's worst nightmare.

The Cliche Pit.

Trust me, that's how it feels to be stuck in that bloody pit. When your story seems to go down that path and never crawl out of it. It's like running into a brick wall.

All of us have fallen victim to it to some degree, some worse than others. But, cliches can become not-so-clichés (great vocabulary, I know).

Yes, there are ways to avoid this Pit. But, you have to be committed to do everything in your power to stay away from them.

Are you up for the task?

*Study the cliches. Common cliches I've seen: OCxcanon character; daughter!fics; the OC is a badass hunter and has similar taste in music to the boys; she knows Bobby somehow and that's her connection to the boys; she was taken in by the Winchesters (meaning when John, Sam, and Dean were still a hunting family, so I guess Sam's Pre-Stanford days); she's something otherworldly.

Those are just a few. There's probably loads more.

Now, am I saying that I haven't committed a cliche crime? No. In fact, I've done *looks at list* 1 of these things, multiple times. I'm guilty of it, and I'm sure you all are too.

**Keep the clichés to a minimum. If there's no way to work your way around a cliché, then you might as well keep it. If you keep it, try to put a spin on it somehow. It's okay to have a little cliché. Because let's face it: how many stories, fanfic or not, are truly original anymore?

Find ways to rise from perdition and avoid the Cliche Pit. Anyone can do it, you just have to find the niche that will help pull you out. (Just don't do a Demon Deal. Nobody should sell their soul for these kinds of things. If you want help, I'd rather you ask an Angel of the Lord.)

Thinker: Common cliches you've seen? Most annoying cliche? Least annoying?