Posted: October 15, 2024

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No matter what you write, everything will fall under what is called a trope: “commonly recurring or overused literary and rhetorical devices, motifs or clichés in creative works.” There is no way to get round it since there are so many. The key to making sure your writing doesn’t fall flat is to use tropes to your advantage.

But how do you do that?

Don’t Go Overboard

First things first: don’t stuff your book full of common tropes. Some are, of course, more well known than others, and if your book checks a few boxes, people will see it as familiar, but if it checks all the boxes, your potential readers may become overwhelmed or annoyed.

Subvert Expectations

When it comes to tropes, there are always the most popular: the Chosen One, Enemies to Lovers, Good vs Evil, and so much more. There is no way to write a book without any tropes whatsoever, because that’s what tropes are—ways of telling stories. You can’t look up “ways to avoid using tropes” because then your book will have nothing in it.

A way to use them to your advantage, however, is to give them your own spin. Take your reader by surprise in a way that makes the story interesting.

• The Chosen One—this is a character who is destined to solve the problem. They usually have a prophecy about them, and they’re the one that everything comes down to. One way to subvert this trope is to use a red herring. The main character believes that they’re the Chosen One, but they’re really not. Another way would be to have multiple characters who could be the Chosen One, and have it decided when the main characters chooses it for themselves. Instead of being the Chosen One, they are the One that Chose.
• The Tough Guy—a big guy from almost every action movie. A more popular subversion of this trope nowadays is to give the tough guy a warm personality, something that doesn’t match his outward appearance.
• The Miscommunication—let’s be real, at least 89% of movie problems are due to miscommunication of some kind, and it’s a really good plot device, but in real life, miscommunication usually leads to discussion instead of overreaction. Subvert this trope not by eliminating the miscommunication, but by quickly resolving it. Do not use it for major plot points, as this becomes tedious and often feels forced.
• The Nice Guy—this one is also well known in real life. A Nice Guy is actually a title for someone (usually a man) who is only nice to girls so he can date them. These are the ones who complain about the Friend Zone, which isn’t actually real (since it’s only something to complain about if you were hoping for something more and settle for friendship even if you don’t want it). As a trope, the Nice Guy is a little different. He is a potential love interest, though he never gets the girl, and his whole character centers around the fact that he's nice. In fiction, a good way to subvert this trope is either by making him real, by making him turn out to be a jerk, or by making him an actual nice guy, but without making him a potential love interest. If you still want some romantic tension, you could even have a brief instance of the love interest being jealous, but after the Nice Guy declares his feelings and is rejected, the issue drops.
• The Uptight Principal (or Authority Figure)—this is a trope in which an authority figure is a terror and is typically an antagonist to the main character. A great way to subvert this trope is for this character to initially come across as strict or no-nonsense, but later be revealed that they only appear that way due to character perception or some temporary stress in their life.
• The Naïve Virgin—often, writers pair a character’s intelligence with their sexual experience, and this can come across as annoying to many readers. A clever subversion of this may be simply to make the characters more real (writing them as real people without before ever considering sexual experience), or, if it’s an important aspect, make the virgin character someone you’d never expect, like an assassin, an authority figure, or the bad boy.
• Refusing to Run Away—this is most common is horror stories, in which the reader is aggravated by the characters’ refusal to leave the situation the moment it gets dicey. A lot of this may be due to the characters not realizing that they’re in a horror story in which many of them will die, but also because of plot convenience. To subvert this trope, a writer should give the characters real, emotional reasons to stay. Strengthen this by letting a few characters run.

Keep it Real

There is a difference between storytelling and real life. A lot of the time, stories are written as a form of escapism. The Bachelor, for instance, is a trashy but entertaining pastime, though most of its viewers would never take relationship advice from what’s happening on the screen.

However, the most gripping stories are those that reflect real life, which teach the audience a lesson at the same time as being entertaining. This is because the readers can empathize (relate to emotions they themselves have felt) with the characters, rather than just sympathizing (recognize the emotions of the characters and feel emotions in response).

A way to prevent readers from becoming annoyed by a use or overuse of tropes is to give them something real to take away from the story. If they find value in the lessons being presented, they’ll forgive a lot more. (This is not a complete excuse, however; you must still keep the other points of this article in mind.)

Give it Meaning

Just like I say above, good storytelling is when a reader finishes a book and has enjoyed it but has also learned a lesson. This is typically known as the message of the book, relating to the theme. Themes may include family, acceptance, creativity, and more, but the message is something more specific. It could be learning to let go of a loved one in a healthy way. It could be people are unique and you should accept them the way they are. Every book should have its own specific message, and though many authors can give their books messages without realizing it, messages are much clearer and more effective if it’s done with intent.

That’s what tropes are for. Use them to effectively convey your message. Choose them, enact them, and subvert them with the goal of impressing your message upon the reader without having to outrightly say it.

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