I am trying to craft the following sentence in a way that sounds a lot less cliche.
Any ideas?
"The ability to write has been a gift that has gotten me through the hills and the valleys of my life"
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1Why do you need to get through the "hills"?– michael.hor257kCommented Oct 15, 2016 at 23:50
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1Ups and downs is simpler, and somewhat less clichéd.– David HandelmanCommented Oct 15, 2016 at 23:51
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You know... I think you are right. No reason to put it there!– J.DoeCommented Oct 15, 2016 at 23:55
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You might get rid of "the ability to" and just go with "Writing has gotten me through some tough times."– DyingIsFunCommented Oct 16, 2016 at 0:08
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Consider difficult times or difficult moments.– michael.hor257kCommented Oct 16, 2016 at 0:46
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2 Answers
Why don't you try VICISSITUDES.? It sounds a lot less workaday than HILLS AND VALLEYS or UPS AND DOWNS
vi·cis·si·tude
\və-ˈsi-sə-ˌtüd, vī-, -ˌtyüd\
noun
1 a : the quality or state of beingchangeable : mutability b : natural change or mutation visiblein nature or in human affairs2 a : a favorable or unfavorable eventor situation that occurs by chance : afluctuation of state or condition b : a difficulty or hardship attendanton a way of life, a career, or a courseof action and usually beyond one'scontrol c : alternating change : succession
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1While that word is now my new favorite vocabulary word (who would have thought that there would be a word just for that) I am using these for admissions essays, and there is no way they will believe I have that kind of command of English. Still, thankyou!– J.DoeCommented Oct 15, 2016 at 23:54
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@Edwin Ashworth, I quite agree with you. Sometimes the clichés sound better...only that the questioner is desperately trying to avoid them. Commented Oct 15, 2016 at 23:55
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user200193 Quite so! Life is a cliche, if you ask me. Otherwise I'd offer "peaks" and troughs", but that sounds almost as good as vicissitudes. Commented Oct 16, 2016 at 3:30
I would use either one of the following as a more simple alternative:
The ability to write has been a gift that has gotten me through the highs and lows in life.
or
The ability to write has been a gift that has gotten me through the roller coaster that is my life
answered Oct 15, 2016 at 23:53
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... through a/the roller coaster? I've found no internet examples for 'through the roller coaster that is my life'; people often add 'ride' (though 'through the roller coaster of life' is used). Commented Oct 16, 2016 at 7:36
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"through the roller coaster that is my life" is valid; kind of like "the mess that is my life" or "the unending mayhem that is my life", etc etc. Commented Oct 16, 2016 at 12:19
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But I'm saying that 'through the roller coaster that is my life' has an uncomfortable juxtaposition of 'through' and 'roller coaster' (and Google results seem to indicate is non-idiomatic). Commented Oct 16, 2016 at 13:40