hello loves! today im doing a masterclass on why tropes are important but should not be the entirety of your wip. this topic has been cropping up so much on writeblr and writingtwt and i think its time we had a chat about it <3
tropes are "a storytelling device or convention, a shortcut for describing situations the storyteller can reasonably assume the audience will recognize. tropes are the means by which a story is told by anyone who has a story to tell."
tropes are a form of tool we use to write our wips. like a motif, they're a recurring word/phrase/theme/etc. that can be used to impart certain ideas or messages that an author wishes to communicate to their audience.
there are many different types of tropes! from genre to media and narrative tropes, there's something in there for everyone. some popular examples include:
pseudo-european medieval setting
why are tropes important?
firstly, tropes are recognisable. they allow us to find pieces of media that are intriguing to us, to connect with our fears and desires and the things we're discovering about ourselves. for example, as an avid supporter of enemies to lovers (me? loving enemies to lovers? who knew /j) i can recognise my own inabilities to form attachments to others because of anxieties about my own flaws as a person. its another way for us to relate to characters, to a plot, to see ourselves in the progression of a story.
secondly, from the perspective of an author, we are able to understand audience expectations. if we write about having a pseudo-europeans medieval setting, it gives us guidance. we know - and the audience knows - that the characters are not going to exist in a world made of futuristic technologies.
thirdly, originality is dead. there are no new original ideas, no tropes that have gone unused. but as authors, these tropes can be subverted or followed or what-have-you to give our own spin on common and recognisable conventions within the media. its about how we use these tropes - these ideas - to convey a story that is our own.
why shouldn't tropes be our entire work?
but molly, you might say, if tropes are so important, why can't they be my entire wip? and its a good question! and the answer is this:
tropes are a tool. repeat after me: tropes are a tool.
tropes are not a plot or characterisation or story development. they're a device authors use to communicate messages; they are not the foundation for a story, but rather a way in which you use to build upon what's already there.
the thing is that overuse of tropes can detract from they story you're trying to write. if all you're giving me is tropes when i ask for a blurb, then i have no real reason to care about the story you're trying to tell. "fantasy political intrigue slowburn rivals to lovers in a dark academia setting" is a cool vibe but why should i want to read your story? you've told me the tropes, and yet there's no plot, no synopsis, no conflict that gives me the drive to be like oh, this sounds interesting.
"fantasy political intrigue slowburn rivals to lovers in a dark academia setting" leaves me with nothing but questions that i don't really have any want to find the answer for. who are your characters? what is the main conflict? where is your story located? why should i root for the development of the characters and their relationships?
if you, the author, cannot even tell me what your story is truly about, then why should we, the audience, want to read it?
instead, give us something. tell us about the two boys who have been fighting for academic validation since the beginning of high school, who have nothing but begrudging respect for each other despite their hatred. show us how one day they realise the school they go to is corrupt and its only up to them to uncover its secrets. how they go from rivals to allies to friends to maybe something even more.
that gives me a plot. that gives me two characters who i want to know more about. it tells me a conflict. and it leaves me with questions i actually want the answer to: why do the boys hate each other? what secrets do they uncover? what leads them to becoming friends after years of rivalry?
but please, know they are not replacements for the necessary foundations within your wip. they are a device, a tool, a convention for telling your ultimate story.
i want to care for the book you are writing.
give me a reason to care beyond the surface.
tl;dr tropes ≠ plot and characterisation. they are devices, not the story itself and while they are good to use, they cannot be your entire wip.
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