Why Tropes Are Awesome (And How to Use Them In Your Writing)
*rises from the dead* I'm aliiiiiiiive.
Kind of.
Actually, if anything, I'm mostly dead. But mostly dead is still slightly alive, so that's something.
Many thanks to everyone who was chill with my random, unannounced blogging absence last month. I've been having some super fun health complications (yay Lyme disease), but hopefully this month will be better.
Writing this opening really got me thinking about tropes. After all, I have now become the trope-y blogger who takes a hiatus then comes back and explains why they took a hiatus even though very few people asked. Soooo. I guess today is the day to embrace tropes.
Let's talk about why they're actually awesome...and how to use them correctly.
Why Tropes Are Actually Pretty Rad
First off, let's talk about what a trope *is* exactly. A trope is a recurring character type, theme, plot point etc that is generally specific to a genre. They're basically templates that get used over and over in different ways.
For example: We've got the Chosen One trope in fantasy and sci-fi (Harry Potter, Anakin Skywalker). There's the "Oh, I'll just go down into the basement of this creepy house by myself, brb, it'll be fine" trope in horror movies (I have no examples for this because I don't watch that kind of horror). Oh, and the Stoic Killer with a Heart of Gold trope in action movies (Jason Bourne, Rambo).
Readers of specific genres tend to love (and even look for) specific tropes. Using tropes in your story is a great marketing tool because it basically acts as a Bat signal for your target audience. It's a quick, fun way to draw readers in.
It's also a great way to display your genius by taking a beloved trope and putting an awesome twist on it.
OH. And tropes can actually be a helpful jumping-off point if you're struggling to create a character or plot point. Just pick a trope, then dress it up as your own. Some of your snobbier writers will say: "But Hannah. That's derivative. Originality is important."
Yeah. About that. I got news for you, bud: Originality is an absurd concept. All original ideas aren't automatically good ones. Looking at you, person who designed these torture devices and then marketed them as desks:
Plus, originality is almost impossible to obtain. You may think nobody's ever had this story idea before, but honestly? That's very unlikely. And you know what? It doesn't matter. Write what is important to you. It may not be "original," but if you love it enough and work hard enough, it'll be a good story. And that's all that really matters.
How to Use Tropes Well
1. Familiarize yourself with your genre. What tropes are beloved? What tropes are falling out of favor? Read within the genre that you're writing to see what tropes are overused, underused, or need to be killed with fire (*cough* stalker romance in YA *cough* *cough*). Not only will this help you find your target audience, but it will also help you see gaps you can fill. What cool twists haven't been used yet? What tropes are common, but not being fully utilized? What are tropes that are so beloved that you'll want to be careful about tampering with? Find your niche and go for it.
2. Make note of tropes outside of your genre. If you want to surprise your readers (while also attracting readers outside of your usual genre), read-up on tropes that are used in genres that aren't your own. For instance, when I wrote Vengeance Hunter, my Aztec-inspired vampire anthology story, I drew from several horror tropes. The story was dark fantasy, but I wanted it to have a slight horror vibe so I went for a play on the Horrible Truth Cover Up trope (Get Out) and That's a Lot of Blood trope (every horror ever, honestly).
The one thing to be careful about is that, while mixing genres will make your story unique, it may scare off fans who were expecting one genre and got a bit of a taste for another that they don't particularly like. So just make sure you know who your target audience is and don't upset them too much. Or do upset them and then revel in their anger like a Disney villain. The choice is yours.
3. Put a twist on it. *in Devo voice* Twist it! Twist it good! (sorry, not sorry) You don't have to use a trope as-is. I've written an entire post on all the ways to dress-up the Chosen One trope, so check that to get an idea of what I'm talking about. Of don't, and then live the rest of your life knowing that you've disappointed me.
Twisting tropes is a really awesome exercise in creativity. It's also a great way to put your signature spin on something while also giving your readers a fun surprise.
4. Re-use negative tropes to point out a problem. I made a jab earlier about stalker romance in YA, so let's use that as an example. You can use the stalker romance trope, except as the story progresses you shift from portraying the stalker as being "romantic" and show them for what they really are: Creepy and probably illegal (Edward Cullen breaking-and-entering to watch Bella sleep, The Flash/Barry Allen and all the weird watching/baiting he did to Iris). You're taking a negative trope and putting an interesting and helpful spin on it.
5. Go cultural. A lot of common tropes we see are Westernized. There's nothing wrong with Western tropes, but if you're looking for something new, consider looking at non-Western stories. Watch some anime. Read some fiction by authors from Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, etc. You'll notice tropes popping up that don't seem to be used as often in more Western stories. For example, a lot of Mexican fiction tends to use the Magic is Real but We Just Abuse It trope that is only recently becoming popular in America (Bright is a good example of this).
6. Start small and build out. Pick a very basic trope, then slowly start adding layers from there. Some of my favorite characters are basically just dress-up tropes. Take Loki, for example. He's your basic Trickster trope. Marvel added some extra depth to him by giving him a complex backstory, complicated relationships with other characters, and ever-shifting goals. So if you're ever stuck with a character, pick your favorite trope and build from there. Just put in the work and it'll turn out awesome.
See? Tropes are actually super awesome. If you want to do a deeper dive into how you can fully utilize them, check out this PFW podcast I hosted on the topic.
What are some of your favorite tropes to use in writing? Do you have any tips to add? Comment away!
Related articles: Favorite and Least Favorite Tropes in YA Fantasy
#ChatWithHannah Ep 22: Awesome Tropes in YA Fiction
Enjoy this post? Take a look around. If you like what you see, don't forget to subscribe by email for a new post every Friday!
Some links are Amazon Affiliate. Thank you for your support!
Kind of.
Actually, if anything, I'm mostly dead. But mostly dead is still slightly alive, so that's something.
Many thanks to everyone who was chill with my random, unannounced blogging absence last month. I've been having some super fun health complications (yay Lyme disease), but hopefully this month will be better.
Writing this opening really got me thinking about tropes. After all, I have now become the trope-y blogger who takes a hiatus then comes back and explains why they took a hiatus even though very few people asked. Soooo. I guess today is the day to embrace tropes.
Let's talk about why they're actually awesome...and how to use them correctly.
Why Tropes Are Actually Pretty Rad
First off, let's talk about what a trope *is* exactly. A trope is a recurring character type, theme, plot point etc that is generally specific to a genre. They're basically templates that get used over and over in different ways.
For example: We've got the Chosen One trope in fantasy and sci-fi (Harry Potter, Anakin Skywalker). There's the "Oh, I'll just go down into the basement of this creepy house by myself, brb, it'll be fine" trope in horror movies (I have no examples for this because I don't watch that kind of horror). Oh, and the Stoic Killer with a Heart of Gold trope in action movies (Jason Bourne, Rambo).
Readers of specific genres tend to love (and even look for) specific tropes. Using tropes in your story is a great marketing tool because it basically acts as a Bat signal for your target audience. It's a quick, fun way to draw readers in.
It's also a great way to display your genius by taking a beloved trope and putting an awesome twist on it.
OH. And tropes can actually be a helpful jumping-off point if you're struggling to create a character or plot point. Just pick a trope, then dress it up as your own. Some of your snobbier writers will say: "But Hannah. That's derivative. Originality is important."
Yeah. About that. I got news for you, bud: Originality is an absurd concept. All original ideas aren't automatically good ones. Looking at you, person who designed these torture devices and then marketed them as desks:
Plus, originality is almost impossible to obtain. You may think nobody's ever had this story idea before, but honestly? That's very unlikely. And you know what? It doesn't matter. Write what is important to you. It may not be "original," but if you love it enough and work hard enough, it'll be a good story. And that's all that really matters.
How to Use Tropes Well
1. Familiarize yourself with your genre. What tropes are beloved? What tropes are falling out of favor? Read within the genre that you're writing to see what tropes are overused, underused, or need to be killed with fire (*cough* stalker romance in YA *cough* *cough*). Not only will this help you find your target audience, but it will also help you see gaps you can fill. What cool twists haven't been used yet? What tropes are common, but not being fully utilized? What are tropes that are so beloved that you'll want to be careful about tampering with? Find your niche and go for it.
2. Make note of tropes outside of your genre. If you want to surprise your readers (while also attracting readers outside of your usual genre), read-up on tropes that are used in genres that aren't your own. For instance, when I wrote Vengeance Hunter, my Aztec-inspired vampire anthology story, I drew from several horror tropes. The story was dark fantasy, but I wanted it to have a slight horror vibe so I went for a play on the Horrible Truth Cover Up trope (Get Out) and That's a Lot of Blood trope (every horror ever, honestly).
The one thing to be careful about is that, while mixing genres will make your story unique, it may scare off fans who were expecting one genre and got a bit of a taste for another that they don't particularly like. So just make sure you know who your target audience is and don't upset them too much. Or do upset them and then revel in their anger like a Disney villain. The choice is yours.
3. Put a twist on it. *in Devo voice* Twist it! Twist it good! (sorry, not sorry) You don't have to use a trope as-is. I've written an entire post on all the ways to dress-up the Chosen One trope, so check that to get an idea of what I'm talking about. Of don't, and then live the rest of your life knowing that you've disappointed me.
Twisting tropes is a really awesome exercise in creativity. It's also a great way to put your signature spin on something while also giving your readers a fun surprise.
4. Re-use negative tropes to point out a problem. I made a jab earlier about stalker romance in YA, so let's use that as an example. You can use the stalker romance trope, except as the story progresses you shift from portraying the stalker as being "romantic" and show them for what they really are: Creepy and probably illegal (Edward Cullen breaking-and-entering to watch Bella sleep, The Flash/Barry Allen and all the weird watching/baiting he did to Iris). You're taking a negative trope and putting an interesting and helpful spin on it.
5. Go cultural. A lot of common tropes we see are Westernized. There's nothing wrong with Western tropes, but if you're looking for something new, consider looking at non-Western stories. Watch some anime. Read some fiction by authors from Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, etc. You'll notice tropes popping up that don't seem to be used as often in more Western stories. For example, a lot of Mexican fiction tends to use the Magic is Real but We Just Abuse It trope that is only recently becoming popular in America (Bright is a good example of this).
6. Start small and build out. Pick a very basic trope, then slowly start adding layers from there. Some of my favorite characters are basically just dress-up tropes. Take Loki, for example. He's your basic Trickster trope. Marvel added some extra depth to him by giving him a complex backstory, complicated relationships with other characters, and ever-shifting goals. So if you're ever stuck with a character, pick your favorite trope and build from there. Just put in the work and it'll turn out awesome.
See? Tropes are actually super awesome. If you want to do a deeper dive into how you can fully utilize them, check out this PFW podcast I hosted on the topic.
What are some of your favorite tropes to use in writing? Do you have any tips to add? Comment away!
Related articles: Favorite and Least Favorite Tropes in YA Fantasy
#ChatWithHannah Ep 22: Awesome Tropes in YA Fiction
Enjoy this post? Take a look around. If you like what you see, don't forget to subscribe by email for a new post every Friday!
Some links are Amazon Affiliate. Thank you for your support!
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Yaaay new post. I snorted at the "derivative" musing. Calling a good trope for your genre a bat signal is so apt. THANK YOU for mentioning the stalker romance trope, ew. Not sure if you've seen it, but I loved 27 Dresses when I was younger and watching it again it totally has that trope and it makes me sad because I still have a lot of affection and nostalgia for the way the story is told, but I think if I saw it for the first time now I wouldn't like the film for that reason.
I love the recommendation to read things from other cultures. I've been trying to do so more of late, and am glad that translations are getting more common (last year I read Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation and while not all the stories were for me, it was interesting to read from other perspectives). Do you have any recommendations for stories from other cultures (if you have time :))?
Love the post, glad to see you back!