Story Tropes: How Do We Twist a Cliché?

Here's the latest from Jami Gold, Paranormal Author :

Sometimes we’ll hear writing advice like “avoid clichés,” but what does that mean when it comes to story tropes? After all, while clichés are usually considered bad, tropes can be downright helpful.

In other words, there’s likely more nuance in that typical “avoid” advice that we should understand. For instance, if tropes can sometimes be helpful, how do we tap into that helpfulness?

Most writing advice, no matter how eye-rolling, contains...