Understanding the Use of Tropes in Our Writing
If you’re a reader, you’ve seen recurring themes in many books those themes are often called tropes. While there are some tropes that should be exiled to void and never used again, there are a lot of them that are actually useful and often unavoidable. Readers and writers alike will loathe tropes or make fun of them but the fact remains they are a good base.
Use tropes in your work. They provide a foundation to build your plot and your characters around. Think of it as the broth for a soup then you add in any veggies, meats or seasonings your heart desires. Because while you’re using a trope it doesn’t mean you can’t make it your own.
In writing, we are always afraid of copying someone else or doing something that has been done over and over again. When it comes to tropes it can be a good thing to use them. For example, the villain who redeems themself can show deep character development. The way you write this character’s journey would allow you to draw in the reader as they get hooked on finding out if the said villain is really going to have a “Grinch” change of heart. Those things can help your writing in small ways. I’m not saying you need to write a trope-filled story that would be downright bad. What I am saying is using them here or there can allow you to show your own skill as a writer. It gives you a chance to use your style. It might be a trope but it’s never been told by you. There are some things to keep in mind when using these. It’s not only about characters.
Tropes can include Characters, the Dynamics between them (ex. Enemies to Lovers), Motivation, and Plot.
For dynamic , this would be along the lines of what I said above, enemies to lovers, the hero and the anti hero. These are some basic tropey dynamics that are pretty safe to use. Now there are some that for the love of all that is literary should not be used. For example The non consensual “romantic” dynamic (we all know what this really is) it’s a lowbar thing to do and in my opinion tasteless. It isn’t romance, it's abuse. Don’t hide it behind “rose colored glasses”. Your dynamics do not need to be fluff, show the hard stuff like with enemies to lovers. They are going to argue and disagree before they finally come together. The hero is going to fight with the anti-hero so there will be conflict. But it's an obvious conflict and it's the kind that drives your plot and makes it good when you add your own voice to it. It isn’t promoting non consent or abuse by making it sound like love. Other than that don’t be afraid to have fun with your characters dynamic it can be downright fun.
Motivation is a different animal. This is what drives your character much like the cliche actor asking “What’s my motivation”. Ask yourself why. Why does your character want to make it to the forbidden city to save the trapped princess. Cringey example I know but motivations while the reasons trope inspired are needed. Nobody wants to read a story where the characters put themselves in mortal danger for, well nothing. Don’t be afraid to have your MC compete in a dangerous battle because they are poor and want the grand prize to help their family. It's genuine motivation that comes from a good place. Is the character motivated by revenge, that is a little darker but it can make a riveting story if done right. Motivation is often the easier of the tropes to decide on mainly because we are human we can understand these things. We can understand a poor family needing money or a person seeking revenge for a wrong. Motivations that are tropes can work for you if you approach them from the standpoint of human emotions. We are all driven by something in anything that we do. It’s the reason this drive that can give your character and the story the spark to light the fire for the story to be good.
There are trope plots aplenty in writing. For example Lord Of The Rings the plot is trope a group of underdogs is tasked with destroying a powerful. The Great Gatsby a man pays for love with his life. It’s these plot elements that we’ve seen time and again that are written in a way that the reader enjoys them. You will of course find people who do not like either of these above-mentioned. But my point is you can use a trope plot it is all in, again how you write it. Use your own style, lend your unique voice and you can’t go wrong. Don’t worry too much about “Will this sound like it’s been done before”, let's be real it has all been done before. The only difference is it hasn’t been done by you. Yes, tropes can be awful but drawing from them doesn’t make you any less of a good writer. That includes your plot, it's your outline of the bones. Flesh it out how you want and it will come together into something that is uniquely yours.
Tropes are nothing to be afraid of. They are a part of writing, have always been and will always be a part of it. The main thing to realize is that they don’t define your work, they simply enhance it and give you a foundation to build off of. There are tropes we should avoid such as harmful stereotypes, racial or cultural regressive views of marginalized groups. Avoid all of the phobias including but not limited to Homophobia and Transaphobia. There is also Ableism towards people with disabilities. It is a good idea to hire a sensitivity reader if you worry about saying or doing something wrong. Even those with good intentions can mess up. Not to scare you or put you off of using tropes. With good comes the bad, and not all tropes were created by decent humans. Be a decent human being and have fun in your troping and know that it’s simply the water you get your flower to grow.
