Here’s a brief piece by Kate Wilhelm of Clarion Workshop fame, on writing and what to avoid. A little harsh? Possibly. But it still looks like good advice.
One year Damon and I arrived to teach the last two weeks of the six-week Clarion Writers Workshop with a list of stories we forbade the students to pursue. We explained each item on the list and said don’t do it again.
— OWW SF, F, & H Tips and Advice: Kate Wilhelm
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J.R. Johnson 
“And then I woke up.”
Ha, that really needs to go away, because you can’t get more hackneyed than that. Also, it’s one of the more common cliches I’ve used 😦