I'm writing a book about a group of guys who get powers (they weren't born with them). How should they get them without it being clichéd?

So no hologram with a servant robot that calls for 5 spunky teenagers to appear and gives them each some kind of communicator that also works like a suit? Damn ...

Well your problem is that everything has been pretty much done before so is a "cliche."

Best you can do is take something and give your own spin on it.

What you need to do is to extend your idea. It isn't terrible, I guess you are either young enough or haven't written or read much. So you could do worse.

But you have to decide WHY these characters require power in your story

WHY they get them

HOW they get them

WHAT it does to them

and just what infernal contract they signed. Power comes with a price, the power rangers gotten power to serve as defenders, if a fea would choose a person to gain power the fea will highly probably expect something from it. Just saying. And if a demon offers you power, oh boy expect the paper work on that one.

Look up dungeon and dragons, wizards, sorcerers and most important warlocks. Wizards read books and study the occult to learn their spells, sorcerers have it in their blood [aka are chosen], but it is the warlocks that make pacts with more powerful beings like fea or demons. And get power, at a price... those usually want something in return.

Once you read up on it I am sure you can think clearer what your options are.

I'm not sure what kind of powers you mean, making things move and break?

But just an idea, if you want to put a darker spin on it.

Have it that these guys are assholes, they think their invincible. They pick on people because they are strong, they've got parents with money, who will get them out of anything.

Then a girl comes to their school, assuming they are still in school? Or you could change it so she always went to their school. A was always picked one, you could also change it to a guy.

They pick on her and her new friends, they don't know she is a sorcerer or witch or something then when the guys go to far with a prank or trick or something and someone gets seriously hurt, like the girls friends or whatever.

She casts a spell or an enchantment on them.

I don t really know where you were going to go with story or if these guys were going to good or whatever.

But you could say that the spell she put on them was one that gave them the seven deadly sins. Each one different. avarice;envy; wrath; sloth;gluttony; lust; pride. and then show how it destroys their lives.

Then make up your own ending, if the enchantment/spell can be broken or not.

Just an idea though.

A group of guys getting powers is a cliche'. And if you're writing this book, you need to know how they get them.

First you'll need to hire a writer to be creative for you.

Sit down and make a list of the ten best known to you.

Then come up with an eleventh and steal that.

So right off the bat no mutations, no deliberate genetic engineering, no ancient curse, no magic rings, no circle of the one ones, no contact with an ancient site, not bitten by anything, not a nuclear accident, no wise mentor, or aliens.

The group are scientists and or inventors. They acquire their powers to discover and or create through constant studying and experimenting. They may have been geniuses, but they think beyond the confines of the book.

Underground cave used for mystical rites, magical "power" pool. They fall in, get powers.

They sacrificed a goat and asked Satan for magical powers

Sounds like crap. Have you ever read a book?

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