Okay, guys, here's a suggestion: read Diana Wynne Jones' TOUGH GUIDE TO FANTASYLAND. Very funny, and it has a great dig at all the cliches in fantasy. Stew. Inns. The red-haired big-breasted villainess. And so on.
What's really a shame is that people often accuse Tolkien of cliches when he did some things that are now standard in fantasy
before they became cliches. If Sword of Shanarra looks familiar, it's because the publishers commissioned Terry Brooks to write a Tolkien-style book. It was a cash-in. I remember buying the book when it first came out and throwing it across the room in fury. I couldn't finish it.
I'm a minority, of course; he's been wildly successful for 20 years.
Oh, and read Bored of the Rings - it's great fun and quite affectionate. It's a classic.
Yes, there is indeed a common source for *good* fantasy, but, guys, there are also a lot of rip-offs out there and nothing is more likely to put me off than reading a rave on a book cover comparing it with Tolkien. I love fantasy, but I like it individual. Barbara Hambly. Jennifer Fallon. George R.R.Martin. Guy Gavriel Kay. Diana Wynne Jones - the list goes on. None of them has to imitate. If you have read a lot, you should be able to discern the difference between common sources and rip-off. Good characters you can care about - that's what makes the difference. Tolkien knew that, but so does any good fantasy writer.