Thing's I'm Going to Avoid

Some characteristics of romance novels that I find cliched and irritating are:

The Evil Other Woman--the former mistress of the hero; an acquaintance of the hero who secretly lusts after him

The Evil Ex-Wife--relatives who exist for nothing else but to cause trouble and move the plot along; are literally over the top evil to a ridiculous extent

The Country Mouse Theme-- The heroine lives in the city, but she visits the country and meets the rough-hewn hero. He, of course, thinks all city women are vain and weak and scared of horses, but she proves herself by working on his ranch/farm/feed lot. Eventually, she learns to like the country (or small town), and he learns that she is nothing like his ex-wife, who deserted him for the big city the moment she got dust on her black pumps.

The Naive Virginal Heroine--These heroines are often virgins not because of a moral choice but because they were burned by a bad relationship. Just as bad are the "near virgins" -- heroines who had sexual experiences but never enjoyed it until the hero came along.

The Duke of Slut--hero who has, ahem, been around the block a few times. He is usually paired with the naive virginal heroine. Because in true cliche form, although he has known nothing but harlots, only the naive virginal heroine can tame him. Suddenly, the rakish hero can no longer enjoy the pleasures of philandering, so he settles down with that one special woman.

The Will Stipulation--the hero and heroine of a romance novel are thrown together because of a stipulation in the will of a well-meaning relative, usually in an attempt at matchmaking behind the grave. They are often forced to marry, or forced to work together, or forced to manage a business together.

Amnesia Plots--These are particularly popular in series romance, although they appear in other sub-genres as well, from historical romances to romantic suspense. 

The Silly Big Misunderstanding-- this really goes without saying

source

The fact that so many of these cliches sound so familiar is shocking to say the least. I've seen them done countless times in movies, books, graphic novels and t.v. shows. Some of these cliches are just god awful and I will DEFINITELY be avoiding them over the course of my writing.