‘But then the dream became a nightmare’

Avoid transitional clichés

Transitions can be hard to write. Maybe that’s why we keep turning back to these hackneyed transitions, listed in a Poynter Institute forum:

• “But then the dream became a nightmare.”
• “But then something went horribly wrong.”
• “But that was about to change.”
• “When he first … he never dreamed …”
• “But then something happened that would change her life forever.”
• “Then she experienced every parent’s worst nightmare.”
• “For now they can only watch and wait.”
• “What a difference a (day, week, month, year) makes.”
• “Now the victims are picking up the pieces of their shattered lives.”
• “At the end of the day …”

Fresh transitions drive readers further into the story. These clichés just cause readers to roll their eyes — and go back to sleep.