How To Write Tropes, Not Cliches

[@swarple]

I am OBSESSED with tropes and writing theory, dissecting fiction and why it works, binging TV Tropes. I think a lot of writers don’t actually know just how valuable it can be to understand the tropes you love, the tropes you hate, and the tropes you’ve never even noticed before. Stories aren’t magic, they’re basically just abstract machines. The novel I’m writing (on its fifth draft), which I hope to publish one day, is very meta for this reason- but even if you’re not writing something meta, it is incredibly helpful and insightful knowledge. At least, in my unprofessional opinion.

[@BruceWayne15325]

You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned how romance readers will search by trope to find their next book. Tropes don't just help you tell your story, they can help you sell it as well. Heists, Evil wizards, Light vs Dark, etc. all appeal to specific audiences. If you know what tropes your target audience enjoys (and hasn't been done to death recently), then you can use this to sell your novel.

[@chxrlii167]

I love House M.D. lol. I think I can forgive the constant epiphanies because the storyline of it is so in-depth and interesting. To me, anyway. And I always found it kind of funny that he could get the answer out of random things all the time, even if it is a cliche. There's even a joke in season 5 where Wilson says, after House goes silent during their conversation, "I just gave you the answer, didn't I? And now you're gonna walk out of here without saying a word." Then House stands up, and as he walks out, shouts "Nope!" Anyway, sorry for the rant that you probably don't care that much about. Thanks for the video!! It's very helpful :)

[@BooksForever]

House earns his eureka moment because at that point he has already worked hard to eliminate more common or plausible causes/possibilities, and THAT methodical journey through the stubborn mystery is essentially what drives the narrative. A eureka moment couldn’t arrive earlier because it would be dismissed as implausible - but it works when it’s been earned as the only thing left, no matter how implausible it might seem. And of course the show is also rich with interesting interpersonal relationships.

[@m.e.fair.9683]

Ha! I've been rewatching House MD.

[@Julathegreat]

My least favorite cliche has to do with bad love triangles; Protag is currently dating their Original love interest, a perfectly normal, flawed person. Suddenly, Protag meets their True Love, but, ah, oh no, they're already dating somebody else, how is Protag going to talk to their Original about their new True Love? Doesn't matter, because Original suddenly decides to pick up a career overseas, or also found someone else so that THEY'RE the one who breaks up with Protag. I usually see this in long-running media like comics, where the Original needs to be replaced with a shiny new character to create better character chemistry, but even though Protag is being the asshole for lusting after someone whilst being unavailable, writers don't WANT their protag to be the asshole, so Original is just written off.

[@justguy-4630]

Here. I've been looking forward to this video

[@isabellenygren8651]

It would be a lot of fun to go through my novel draft after I'm done and try to pinpoint every trope shown, would be a great use of the downtown between writing and editing. Super useful vid!

[@TedReadInstead]

So very helpful - thank you, Carson! :)

[@akioasakura3624]

Thank you!!

[@pilotalex7888]

Thanks for this vid! One of my favorites on the channel❤

[@jongrover8763]

I use as many cliches as I can in my stories because. humor.

[@piotr_jurkiewicz]

To write a story? Alrighty. _There was Ben. An then he died_ 😌