tropes

ByKerry Murphy

A trope is a type of basic plot device that writers can use as a framework on which to build their story. Some seem to suit specific genres, such as the Enemies to Lovers trope, which is common in romance novels, and you’ve probably seen the Good Cop, Bad Cop trope in countless action movies and police dramas.

There are too many tropes to list, but here are some of the more popular ones:

  • Marriage of Convenience
  • Enemies to lovers
  • Amnesiac Hero
  • Friends to Lovers
  • Second Chance Romance
  • Feuding Families
  • The Chosen One
  • Humble Hero
  • Love Triangle
  • Found Family
  • Good Cop, Bad Cop
  • Redeemed Villain
  • Not Like Other Girls
  • Survive the Trials

10,000 Stitches by Olivia Atwater

Here are a few of the tropes that appear in Olivia Atwater’s 10,000 Stitches (a Regency faerie tale)

  1. Magical Bargain: A housemaid, Effie, makes a magical pact with a faerie lord to improve her social standing.
  2. Class Divide: The story contrasts the life of the overworked servants with their wealthy employers.
  3. Friends to Lovers: Effie and Lord Blackthorn’s relationship begins with friendship rather than romantic passion.

Trope Trouble

Some tropes can feel stale because they’re used too often. A couple of examples are:

  • The Chosen One: A young protagonist (often in YA fantasy) is “destined” to save the world (The Hunger Games, Cinder).
  • Love Triangles: Overdone in romance, with predictable outcomes (Twilight, The Selection).

Add twists to make the trope feel fresh and original. For example, what if the “Chosen One” fails? Or the triangle becomes a polyamorous relationship?

Tropes can also become cliché when audiences can guess every beat. For example:

  • Good Cop, Bad Cop, where the “bad cop” is dumb and easily bested by the hero.
  • Amnesiac Heroes, who magically recover memories with no lasting consequences.

Think about how to subvert expectations early. Let the “bad cop” be smart and have their occasional victory, or have the amnesiac choose to forget.

Tropes can become overused, and there is the added problem that they may reinforce harmful stereotypes. A couple of examples are the Bad Boy Redeemed by Love trope, which suggests toxic behavior can be “fixed” by romance, and Rich Man, Poor Girl, which romanticizes power imbalances and materialism (Pretty Woman).

Maybe the “poor girl” outsmarts the rich hero, or the “bad boy” earns redemption through therapy, not love.

final thoughts

Tropes are useful tools, but not the whole story. Use them as a foundation, then twist your readers’ expectations by subverting, deepening, or reinventing them to keep them fresh and unpredictable.