Why to Write with Tropes

Tropes help readers identify their type of story.

When a reader picks up a fantasy novel, a rom-com, or a cozy mystery, they come to the book with certain expectations. A fantasy reader expects magic. Rom-com fans want both romance and laughs. Cozy readers want to watch someone just like them catch the bad guy. 

Using your genre’s tropes will help you meet their expectations. First of all, you need to understand what a trope is. In short, a trope is a device. Hmm. That’s not very satisfying as explanations go. A trope is a plot element, a theme, or a character type that readers expect to find in this type of story. 

If you are writing a fantasy novel, possible tropes include: 

• A character who is chosen to solve an epic problem or is the heir to the kingdom/all things magical.
• A mentor character. 
• Someone or something indescribably evil. 
• A tarted-up medieval setting. 
• A powerful artifact. 
• A quest. 

Rom-coms have a whole different set of tropes: 

• Friends to lovers. 
• Enemies to lovers. 
• Someone popular/successful falls for someone unpopular/unsuccessful. 
• The makeover. 
• Love triangles. 
• Stuck with each other – think snowstorm, elevator, vital to the company project that must be completed the evening of Valentine's Day. 
• Second chance. 
• Soul mates. 

Cozy mysteries have yet a different set of tropes: 

• Amateur detective. 
• No on-screen violence or sex. 
• Food including what the amateur detective makes but also frequent dining out. 
• The victim was not a nice person. 
• But everyone has something to hide. 
• Pets, pets, and more pets. 
• Quirky locations full of quirky characters. 

If you are looking at those lists and thinking that you can't possibly include them all, you're right. But you should use at least a few. 

After all, they can serve as convenient shortcuts. Fantasies include magic. You don’t need to spend a considerable portion of your word count explaining systems of magic or spell casting to your readers. Readers who pick up paranormal mysteries are ready to believe that the story could include a ghost. And science fiction readers will accept faster than light travel. 

Tropes also increase reader satisfaction. A romance reader who loves enemies to lovers stories will be primed to like your enemies to lovers story. A fantasy reader who wants to root for the underdog will pick up a book about someone who finds out that they are heir to the kingdom. Cozy readers love to try to sort out red herrings and clues as they read. 

When you tell readers that your book is a certain genre, this claim is a contract of sorts. Readers approach your story with a set of expectations. Know what they are and deliver a variety in a story that is all your own and readers will be primed to enjoy the trip from Once Upon a Time to The End. 

--SueBE

Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of over 35 books for young readers.  To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog, One Writer's Journey.

The next session of her new course, Pitching, Querying and Submitting Your Work will begin on March 6, 2023).  Coping with rejection is one of the topics she will cover in this course.

Sue is also the instructor for  Research: Prepping to Write Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults (next session begins March 6, 2023) and Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults (next session begins March 6, 2023).

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2 comments contract with your reader, genre writing, genres, reader contract, reader expectations, tropes

The Contract with Your Reader

It doesn’t matter what you write or who your reader is. If you write for anyone other than yourself, you have a contract with your reader. Your reader approaches your work with a certain expectation based on the genre you are writing, the description of your work and even your title. Deliver or risk losing your reader.

Genre

Every genre has conventions so, judging by genre, readers approach your work with certain expectations. A mystery will have an unanswered question. A cozy mystery will probably have a murder but readers won’t “see” it take place.

Nonfiction is factual. Everything, from dialogue to details, can be found in one or more sources. Facts are not altered to create a more dramatic story because, if they are, readers who love factual writing will feel cheated.

If I submit a novel and describe it as a romance, agents and publishers will expect certain things. The protagonist is wildly attracted to someone but they can only be together if they overcome certain obstacles. If there is no attraction, I will have broken my contract with the reader. The best I will be able to hope for is a rejection letter.

Description

How do you describe your work in your cover or query letter? While you don’t want to give too much away, you have to be honest with your reader. This means that once again, you have to know the conventions for a romance, a fantasy or a middle grade novel.

But your summary also has to be accurate. If you tell me that everyone on Earth disappears and one couple has to find out why, I have three expectations. 1. They are not from Earth because everyone from Earth has vanished. 2. There is something huge at risk that hinges on finding out what happened. 3. They have a reasonable chance of figuring this out.

Otherwise? I’ll relax with someone else’s work next time.

Title

Last but not least, your title has to be accurate. The Secret of the Mummy’s Curse needs to involve a secret, a mummy and a curse. I know, I know. The writer doesn’t always have the final say in their title.

But when a book club reads The Bad Ass Librarians of Lichtenstein, it doesn’t matter how fascinating the history is. If the bad assery belongs to the teens the librarians recruit and not the librarians themselves? I will still be hearing about how inaccurate your title was months later because there are two librarians in this particular book club.

Genre, description, title. They all form a contract with the reader. As a writer, your goal is to keep that reader reading, not give them an excuse to put your work aside for housework, grading, or, worse yet, the work of another writer.

--SueBE

To find out more about Sue Bradford Edwards' writing, visit her blog, One Writer's Journey.  Sue is also the instructor for Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults. The next session begins July 9th, 2018.

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2 comments contract with your reader, conventions, genre, reader expectations