4 Character Tropes That IMO Need to Die
If you've read books that have living, breathing people in the cast, you've probably read some of the big relationship tropes in the biz. Tropes happen, ya know? There are a number of patterns into which things tend to fall, & relationships are no exception. The problem is, if you think, "Oh lookie, this is Trope X," then the trope has failed. Nine times out of ten, tropes should NOT be so obvious that you recognize what you're seeing (exception: outrageous parodies). Here is a personal rant enlightening post on my top most annoying relationship tropes.
The Geometric Affection
I. hate. love triangles. so much. If every heroine had Elizabeth Bennet's view of matrimony, so much the better. I mean, sure: love is a tricky thing. What is it? How do you know when you love someone? How do you know when you LOVE-love someone?? Well, I don't pretend to have those answers because they are not simple answers, but I can tell you that it does not involve yo-yoing the affections of two other people. Authors. I am so over this. I have seen how awkward it is to be the recipient of two people's jockeying, & it is not fun, you guys. THIS SHOULD NOT BE NORMAL. THIS SHOULD NEVER HAVE BECOME A TROPE.
The Engagement Ring
"Dude. I got this ring for X but I don't want her to see it before I'm ready to give it to her. I trust you: hold on to this for me."
Oh, nO ONE KNOWS HOW THIS WILL END. Except that we do. We all do. Not only does this one annoy me because it's so predictable, it stresses me out at the same time because the chucklehead protagonist is TOTALLY GOING TO LOSE THE EXPENSIVE RING. This trope. This trope needs to be buried. Buried + not allowed to rise from the grave so help me amen.
The Banter
Banter has almost zero purpose in a novel. Almost. Maybe one time out of ten it serves a useful purpose to help display character personality/growth/something to help sketch the individual's character, but those other nine times? It's just irritating, childish, flimsy, pointless verbiage. (bitter much, jenny??) Quit with the banter thing unless the dialogue serves to improve your novel. Why are we writing this novel? To tell a story! Will this help build the perfect cathedral showcasing your amazing genius? Probably not so INTO THE SCRAP HEAP WITH YE.
The Bickering
Oh but there's more. I. HATE. THE BICKERING. Note: this is coming from someone who thrives on contention. I love being angry + complaining about stuff. (let's all enjoy this meta moment). HOWEVER. Bickering is the cheap, knockoff replacement for meaningful character dialogue. Countless times, I have seen "character development" which was nothing more than two protagonists (bonus points if they're love interests) nitpicking + sniping at each other in a manner that is unrealistic + implausible.
Hey, you made it through my pet-peeve tropes! I give you two challenges:
a:: avoid these tropes
b:: use these tropes but in a manner so cunning that no one realizes what you're up to
4 Character Tropes That IMO Need to Die
The Geometric Affection
I. hate. love triangles. so much. If every heroine had Elizabeth Bennet's view of matrimony, so much the better. I mean, sure: love is a tricky thing. What is it? How do you know when you love someone? How do you know when you LOVE-love someone?? Well, I don't pretend to have those answers because they are not simple answers, but I can tell you that it does not involve yo-yoing the affections of two other people. Authors. I am so over this. I have seen how awkward it is to be the recipient of two people's jockeying, & it is not fun, you guys. THIS SHOULD NOT BE NORMAL. THIS SHOULD NEVER HAVE BECOME A TROPE.
"if you're in love two people at the same time, choose the second. because if you really loved the first one, you wouldn't have fallen for the second."
(ashamedly quoting the faceless actor)
The Engagement Ring
"Dude. I got this ring for X but I don't want her to see it before I'm ready to give it to her. I trust you: hold on to this for me."
Oh, nO ONE KNOWS HOW THIS WILL END. Except that we do. We all do. Not only does this one annoy me because it's so predictable, it stresses me out at the same time because the chucklehead protagonist is TOTALLY GOING TO LOSE THE EXPENSIVE RING. This trope. This trope needs to be buried. Buried + not allowed to rise from the grave so help me amen.
The Banter
Banter has almost zero purpose in a novel. Almost. Maybe one time out of ten it serves a useful purpose to help display character personality/growth/something to help sketch the individual's character, but those other nine times? It's just irritating, childish, flimsy, pointless verbiage. (bitter much, jenny??) Quit with the banter thing unless the dialogue serves to improve your novel. Why are we writing this novel? To tell a story! Will this help build the perfect cathedral showcasing your amazing genius? Probably not so INTO THE SCRAP HEAP WITH YE.
The Bickering
Oh but there's more. I. HATE. THE BICKERING. Note: this is coming from someone who thrives on contention. I love being angry + complaining about stuff. (let's all enjoy this meta moment). HOWEVER. Bickering is the cheap, knockoff replacement for meaningful character dialogue. Countless times, I have seen "character development" which was nothing more than two protagonists (bonus points if they're love interests) nitpicking + sniping at each other in a manner that is unrealistic + implausible.
(i kind of feel like protagonists bickering + going on to save the world is actually proof of God's existence + common grace because i can't believe the protagonists would ever survive + succeed otherwise)
Hey, you made it through my pet-peeve tropes! I give you two challenges:
a:: avoid these tropes
b:: use these tropes but in a manner so cunning that no one realizes what you're up to
got any special tropes that annoy you?share, please! misery loves companyxoxo, jenny
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