In a previous blog post, I offered Tips on Writing a Romantasy. In this blog post, I would like to hone in on tropes—what they are, how to best incorporate them into your novels, and examples of popular tropes (some of which I touched upon last time and some that are new).
What is a Trope?
A trope is a recognizable plot device or theme that appears across many types of stories. Functionally, tropes form the backbone of a story, providing a solid foundation that authors can expand upon with worldbuilding tools such as unique kingdoms, characters, and historical relationships between groups of people and pairings of countries. Tropes may offer comfort to readers wary of starting a new series, since they can serve as reference points (“I liked this story featuring these tropes, so I might like this story featuring the same tropes”). They can also function as narrative shorthand since readers familiar with the tropes will recognize familiar story beats from past entries in the genre. And tropes can also guide a plot along according to the trope’s rules, directing key moments of romantic tension, suspense, or action.
How to Incorporate Tropes into Your Novels
The best way to incorporate tropes into your novel is to use them as a framework but subvert them based on your characters’ desires and your world’s unique characteristics. For example, you can subvert an Enemies-to-Lovers trope by having the lovers abandon their previous belief systems and fight against the factions to which they once belonged. Or the lovers can become enemies again when one or both discover a devastating secret about themselves or their world. You may also wish to simply modernize a trope, such as having a stereotypical “damsel in distress” rebel against her captor and not immediately fall in love with her rescuer. The possibilities are as endless as your imagination. Subverting tropes is key to avoiding clichés, which are shallow and trite, and can turn off readers who might feel cheated by a stale experience. However, you should avoid subverting a trope to the point that it is unrecognizable, thus alienating readers who expected one story but received something completely different.
Popular Tropes
Here are some examples of popular tropes, some of which may already be familiar to you.
Enemies-to-Lovers: In this trope, characters begin the story as rivals, but a triggering incident jolts them into seeing each other in a new light. Tension arises as the lovers must decide whether to be faithful to each other or to their initially held beliefs. One of the appeals of this trope is the idea of love conquering all, transcending the boundaries of ideologies and melting initially hateful hearts.
Friends-to-Lovers: This trope concerns a couple whose relationship gradually evolves from platonic to romantic, as feelings develop naturally due to close familiarity. A major appeal of this trope is witnessing the couple either realize their feelings for each other or act upon long-simmering tension, then cheering them on as they take the plunge into love.
Love Triangle: Unlike most romance-oriented tropes, the love triangle adds sudden tension by including a third character in the mix. The reciprocated feelings can vary; the third character might love the protagonist more than the protagonist loves the character, or they could love each other about as strongly. A big appeal of this trope is allowing readers to root for one couple over another (think of Twilight’s Team Edward vs. Team Jacob).
Forbidden Love/Star-Crossed Lovers: This trope spotlights a couple who are kept apart by circumstances such as racial or national conflict, and the crisis arises when the two characters fall in love in violation of beliefs held by their families or larger communities. The characters must then decide if their love is stronger than the forces trying to keep them apart. The major appeal of this trope is cheering on the lovers as the defy these forces. Romeo & Juliet is perhaps the most famous example of this trope.
Fated Mates: The opposite trope of Forbidden Love is Fated Mates, in which circumstances beyond the characters’ control have determined that they are destined to fall in love with each other (usually from birth). An appeal of this trope is the comforting notion that there is someone out there for each of us, and we will find love as long as we search for it. A notable example of this trope is Feyre and Rhysand in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
Chosen One: The first of two non-romantic tropes focuses on a character who begins the story believing themselves to be normal; they are often also of low status. However, at a key point in the story, the character discovers they possess extraordinary abilities that will allow them to defeat their adversaries. Often, another character such as a tribal leader or a mentor reveals these abilities to the protagonist. A major appeal of this trope is the idea that anyone can be a hero. The Matrix is a good example of this trope.
Secret Royalty: This trope is similar to the Chosen One trope in that it focuses on a character who believes themselves to be ordinary and of low status. However, it differs from the trope in that the secret is a royal bloodline rather than a superpower. In this case, then, the character gains power but also the burden of responsibility that comes with being part of a kingdom (or controlling it if the character turns out to be a king or queen). In a Romantasy context, the trope adds tension as the Secret Royal must balance regal duties with desire for a mate. A big appeal of this trope is rooting for the protagonist to find this balance, and for the couple to live happily ever after.
No matter which combination of tropes you decide to incorporate into your romantasy, make sure they mesh well together, strengthen rather than hinder the plot, and enhance the romance rather than detract from it. Happy writing, and do not hesitate to reach out to a Technica team member for further useful advice.
By Matt Wade
Matt is an Editorial Assistant with Technica Editorial
