Does cheap writer need to sound so trite? (9)
I believe the answer is:
hackneyed
'trite?' is the definition.
('hackneyed' can be a synonym of 'trite')
'does cheap writer need to sound' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'writer' could be 'hack' (hack writer is a kind of writer) and 'hack' is found within the answer.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).
'so' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for hackneyed that I've seen before include "Stereotyped" , "Overused, trite" , "Trite, stale" , "pedestrian" , "Overworked" .)