Alrighty, I still have that factor...

I agree though that it is _incredibly_ cliché with the "goth" and the "pacifist/vegetarian" lesbians... My advice would be to first work on the depth of the characters, and the setting.

Whether or not homosexuality is looked down upon or not in Japan aint the issue, as I am sure you easily can create a setting where it is and a setting where it is not, without problem.

Just because they're opposites doesn't make it not cliche. Long story short, I had a lesbian friend who wrote lesbian stories, and it was always the hippie chicks, the punk chicks and the goth chicks. Always some kind of clique. I'm trying to be constructive, so if you want a good opposites attract story, make it deeper than the clothes they wear!

I know what Yuri means, but it's thin ice naming a lesbian that. It could be interpreted as kind of silly and childish. Like writing a baseball story and naming the main character Homerun McCatchwell

Sorry about the Arab thing, I misread and thought you wanted it to be forbidden. But I think MMM's suggestion would work, kids are all annoying and judgemental in high school :D

So if not Yuri, what name should it be? Hmm....

Ah yes, the deeper than the clothes they wear thing...I'll be back with more on this tomorrow. Gotta go to bed.

Night (and thanks), all.

I agree- for instance it is much more intriguing with a person who maybe doesn't stand out in public, knows how to act around people and "friends" but infact has a whole other depth to him/her. I don't just mean a clichéd "dark secret" though, it has to be done (very) well or that too is just cheesy.

I just like it when writers drop the whole stereotypic way of placing a character into a "slot", like goth,punk,blabla... And instead tries to portray a real human - then the possibilities are infinite.

So I've decided not to make Yuri a total goth (though I still have yet to find another name for her...), but because of what she has to cope with after Otome leaves, that's what drives her to her darker side.

That, and a supernatural factor. This isn't going to be just pure romance, but something of a supernatural thriller as well. Evil remains in Yuri's soul after a past life. Think reincarnation here. So, when she's picked on at school, that side of her comes out.

I'll probably try to make her something like I am. While I'm a dark person myself (at times), mostly I'm just a fun-loving joker. Maybe I should do that with her, give her a little piece of my soul.

Now with cliches...I never even heard of the goth chick-good chick thing. Now, I've seen butch and femme, but butches are mostly just tough. There's a difference between tough and dark/tomboyish, but now that I'm being told that there's stereotypes with what I planned I'm gonna have to find a way to change that up.

Still, I want Yuri to be a darker person. With what's going to be happening with her, it would be kinda stupid to just have her remain a joker and the like.

Hmm...How does Rei work as a name? That good enough?

Cliche?
 

One of the few things worse than doing something because everyone is, would be not doing something because anyone else is. It doesn't matter if something is cliche or not, as long as you write it well it has real potential. If you wish to write about characters like this then do so, regardless of if it is brand new or completely common.

In my opinion, writing cliche stories is harder than writing something completely new.

If I may make a suggestion though, I wouldn't be calling Yuri goth/punk/whatever in your mind because the way that you phrase things in your mind can affect your writing. Write about Yuri as a person, going through different stages in her life and just because she is going through a tough time does not mean that she is a sad person. Even if you want an all sad atmosphere in the story don't forget to change the mood a little, show different sides of the characters.

I apologize if I am not very clear, english is not my first language.

Writing cliche stories is only more difficult because they've been done over and over again. Stories about social issues like homosexuality and racism have been common for the last 40 years. These stories have been written mainly to raise awareness of these issues.

If you are writing such a story, the issue should not be the main part of the story. To tell the truth, the plot of the story is generally not it's most significant part. What is important is the quality and style of writing. A good writer can make VCR instructions interesting, whereas a bad writer can make a New England fall landscape seem as lousy as an insect bite.

If this is your first real effort at writing, you should stay away from difficult or abstract topics like sexuality or style. You'll spend too much time describing things that don't really matter. The idea behind good writing is not to be too descriptive, but to inspire the imagination of the reader. Good writing leaves blanks and openings which are filled by the reader.

You should start simply. Write a story about yourself, and what you did for a single day. A poor writer will only be able to manage a few paragraphs about a trip to Disney. A good writer could write an entire book about a day during which he never left his bedroom.

Words and phrases should be chosen to inspire imagination and emotion. Some writers are very descriptive, and include every detail. This is good writing, and effective when setting the scene for the next step in a closely written story. Other writers describe very little, giving only outlines which the reader must color in with his own imagination. Of both styles, the latter is better than the former, as it increases the involvement of the reader, and is a true expression of the highly skilled writer.

Well said. For me the plot is important, but not as important as character development and depth.