Tropes are a highly debated topic in the writing world. Some love them. Some hate them. Yet tropes are a powerful tool in stories as long as they aren’t overdone to the point of being cliches. Let’s start by defining tropes and giving some examples, and then we’ll dig into how to subvert tropes in a way that makes them refreshing for readers.
Definition
A trope is an aspect of a story that is a familiar genre convention. They can be plot points, themes, storylines, plot devices, characters, etc. Tropes are repeated concepts seen across the genre. They give readers a sense of familiarity before even starting the book, creating a shortcut into story immersion. The readers easily step into the tale and feel comfortable. For example, if you watch an old western movie, you’ll see cowboys with black hats and some with white ones. Black hats signal men are villains, and white hats indicate the heroes. It’s a recognizable sign any western fan will notice and immediately interpret correctly.
Readers often pick up books from a genre for the tropes. They want cliffhangers, so they pick up thrillers. Or they like heartwarming friendship stories so they read children’s books. If you want to attract a certain audience, you need to include beloved conventions that those readers already gravitate toward. Think of tropes as a gateway to making readers love your book. You hook them with the familiar thing they love and then surprise them with new things as they read.
Examples
Tropes are everywhere in stories. I’m going to pick some genres and list a few tropes so you get an idea of what things can be tropes. However, this is not an exhausted list. Think about your genre and what repeated conventions you see in it. Then use that list to bring in a few familiar concepts that readers love.
Adventure Stories
- Hidden Treasure—the protagonist is searching for a lost or protected item
- Unbreakable Codes—the protagonist must do something that’s “impossible” yet he always succeeds
- Double-Cross—someone the protagonist trusts ends up turning on him
Young Adult Stories
- School Setting—the protagonist’s plot revolves around an academic setting
- Useless Adults—any adults in the stories are useless, absent, or evil
- Outsider—the protagonist is often not accepted by the majority of his peers and is considered an outcast
Horror Stories
- The Dark—bad things only happen at night
- Monsters—either there are real monsters in the story or a person who is considered a monster because of their lack of morals
- Creepy Appendage—a scene shows a leg or arm of the monster coming for the protagonist, usually through a small opening or from the dark
Mystery
- Unlikeable Victim—the victim in a murder is often someone no one liked
- Protagonist Is A Suspect—at some point in the story, someone thinks the protagonist did the crime
- Dramatic Reveal—at the end, there is a speech where all the secrets of the crime are revealed
Romance
- One Bed—the couple are forced to stay at a place with only one bed
- Love Triangle—one person has two competing options for a lover and can’t seem to pick one
- Fake Relationship—for some reason, the couple have to pretend to be in a relationship even though they aren’t…yet
Thriller
- Ticking Clock—there is a specific amount of time the protagonist has to complete his tasks
- Framed Protagonist—the main character is framed for something and must prove his innocence
- Loved One Taken—the protagonist has loved ones taken and must follows orders to get them back
Science Fiction
- Artificial Intelligence—some technology has become alive and tries to take over the world
- Time Travel—someone has figured out how to travel through time and tries to change the past
- Earth’s End—humanity has been forced to colonize other planets since Earth is uninhabitable
Subverting Tropes
Now that we’ve looked at some examples of tropes, let’s talk about how to use them well. You can obviously use these concepts just as they are intended to be used, and many readers will enjoy it. However, as writers, it’s fun to subvert tropes and surprise readers. Subverting a trope is when you set your reader’s expectations to anticipate something will happen that the reader has seen a ton in the genre, but then you make the payoff something else.
Examples
Let’s look at two examples to further explain it. I’ve picked romance novels as that genre tends to be heavily filled with tropes. Romance readers love the familiarity, but it also gives the writers lots of chances to subvert a trope here and there.
Twilight
In Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, there are vampires. Everyone has certain expectations for vampires based on their tropes. One thing is that vampires can’t be in direct sunlight because they burn. Stephenie followed that trope to show her vampires avoiding public on sunny days. However, when the time comes to show one step into the sunlight, the vampire doesn’t burn. He sparkles. Stephenie took the trope and set the readers’ expectations to assume that the vampires will burn, but then her payoff is something else entirely—sparkling. The vampires still have to avoid the sun, but for a very different reason.
Fourth Wing
Another example is from Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. Romance novels, especially with fantasy settings, often have the trope of a fated love. It’s the idea that one person was meant for you. Rebecca took that trope and twisted it in her dragon fantasy world. She has two main characters who become dragon riders and bond with dragons. But, instead of having the couple fated to be together, their bonded dragons are fated loves. So, since their dragons are in a relationship and must spend time together, the couple has to be together as well (using another trope called forced proximity). Rebecca used the trope that readers love and twisted it to still force her main couple together but under very different circumstances.
Final Thoughts
Tropes can make writing a book easier since they are basically guaranteed crowd pleasers. However, you need to be careful that the tropes you use aren’t getting worn out to the point of being cliches. Things like a villain monologue or a love triangle may not be what readers want now. Eventually, every trope will get abandoned as new ones are created. You have to pay attention to what your genre is doing and how readers are responding to it. Once you know what tropes to use, try to subvert at least one in your story so you can pleasantly surprise your reader.
Thanks for reading!
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