Readers don't know what tropes are and neither do I

[@AModelWhosRead]

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[@epicwalrus7183]

How dare you call me out with that Found Family bit...

[@imyouralibi6208]

I was thinking the same thing, I feel so called out 😂

[@whisperingtoadstools]

I didn't understand everyone disliking "the pregnancy trope" in media for so long because I sought out media that revolved around motherhood and pregnancy as these are big dreams of mine and I love seeing characters I love become parents- so these stories were built around motherhood and explored these themes with intention and nuance and care. So the critique kind of went over my head because I thought people were annoyed that some female characters wanted to be mothers in fiction and the frustration with the trope felt a lil bit almost sexist to me? because it felt like people were saying "women wanting to be mothers was weak and ruined books" and that kind of misogynistic view of traditionally feminine things, domestic labour, and motherhood is a really big pet peeve of mine. But then I branched out my typical media consumption and started consuming media that was not written with pregnancy/motherhood plots at their core but rather as dropped in for drama and I finally understood what everyone was talking about. These plot lines were just shoved in with zero research and no care and it felt like writers couldn't think of a way to shake up a female characters story without knocking her up. I love this video/ rant/ essay. I think that well crafted plots that hit trope beats intentionally and with care can be the greatest thing but if someone is just tossing it in because it's popular or because they couldn't think of anything else to get the story where they wanted to go can really ruin a piece of media.

[@HuckleberryCyn]

Idk part of me thinks that the tropefication came out of social media’s short run time so you had to get the basics out quick and we just came to rely on that.

[@TRS_and_MPR]

This is very true. most posts/videos have less than 7 seconds of the viewers attention. How else are people supposed to market?

[@joelharris4399]

I'm thinking of the male [hero/sidekick] duo trope as exemplified by Don Quixote (romantic idealist) and Sancho Panza (common sense realist) in the first modern novel published in 1605. Cervantes set the bar high and the standard which subsequent works of fiction follow. Hope this helps in explicating the term🙂 Nice video Rachel Newcomer here

[@joelharris4399]

You seem to be touching on commodity fetishism in the broader context... a touch of critical theory 🔥✅

[@BooksWithStephanie]

I have always loved and struggled with writing. Why has it literally never occurred to me to utilize tropes?? This has been incredibly enlightening; thank you.

[@AnasBookery]

YES YES YES to all of this Thank you for putting my thoughts into words haha Also the new mic holder is absolutely adorable, truly the perfect gift 🥰

[@Dani_77709]

As a writer I never really put tropes in my books purposely. The only exception would be character archetypes, or on some occasion character dynamics, but even then it's not 100% that trope. I have a sunshine character, but she doesn't fully embody that archetype, rather it was the foundation (or just a jumping off point for me to flesh that character out). I thought about a bit how my book would be marketed and honestly found family is the only solid trope I have. Okay slow burn too, I guess, but the romance is a third or fourth priority in the books at best. (It's a trilogy) Grmpy × sunshine? Well I kind of have the sunshine character, but the grumpy one is actually just very stressed and sleep deprived, that's why he CAN get grumpy. So yeah when it comes to this specific marketing I feel like it's more of a disservice to the books rather than something helpful. It certainly can be, but I think it's something that shouldn't be part of a main marketing strategy. Just give me the summary, for the love of God. I'll ask my friends for the tropes if I want to know.

[@zachreads]

Pro adulting dishwasher tips -If you use the individually wraped packs remove the ball on top and put that in the bottom of the dishwasher before starting (or even better get a small container of liquid/powder and add ½a teaspoon to the bottom) so there is detergent in the first rince cycle. -Run the faucet till it gets as hot as it gets before starting to boost performNce. -Read the entire user manual (boring but very useful) Edit ps love the update on the watermelon Saga! 🍉

[@IreensBeans]

As an indie author, I think tropes are great for marketing (the images with the arrows pointing at the book with all the tropes really work!!) but sometimes they’re overused/misused. Prime example being: enemies-to-lovers. This trope is a PLAGUE 💀 it’s hot and trendy so it gets thrown around way too often in marketing even when it doesn’t actually apply to the story 🥸 Also, I’m working on a manuscript with an agent rn and one of their notes for revisions was “can we make the MCs more enemies-to-lovers?” The sigh I sighed because that’s not even the type of story I wanted to write 😮‍💨 Enemies to lovers is on my hit list fr

[@onceuponamelody]

9:36 Yes, exactly! Or, what really gets me about books right now (not all, but the seemingly most popular ones out there) is that it's just trope trope trope with no plot or actual story or character development... how on earth do these books have a readership let alone get published in the first place? I don't get it. And I'm not even a book snob by any means, but how does something that is written worse than a middle schooler's fan fiction GET ONTO THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER LIST?!

[@GregHarness]

I like these videos that lean into the meta of reading. And I like that kids like you help geezers like me understand what's happening on TikTok so I don't have to. gothere myself..🙂 I'm bouncing ideas around in my head about why I am drawn to certain tropes, scenes, genres, and settings. I have no answers. Thank you for this thought-provoking video. P.S. I love the battle axe microphone holder.

[@owlandgatorstitcher]

Thank you for your thoughts. At this point I don’t bother with looking for specific tropes. Good writing is good writing and a strong author will get me to see their point of view no matter what trope they employ (or are forced to employ by the publishing industry). Even within a genre with similar tropes I can love one book but hate another though the plots are similar. I chalk it up to the author’s ability to weave a believable plot and characters.

[@Quaisior]

OMG, you took the words right out of my brain! I was trying to explain to my spouse the other day why Pinterest boards have been so helpful to me with my writing. I wasn't able to write for years due to various circumstances and one of those was my difficulty with describing the setting without a good visual to refer to. Earlier this year, I finished writing my first novel and I'm editing it now and I would not have been able to do this without a mood board for this book. As for writing tropes, most of them I discovered I used after the fact. The only one I purposely set out to write is second chance at love, which is in my current WIP. Also, I 100% agree with you about tropes and marketing as well.

[@so_big_hope8694]

New video, I'm excited! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKHAUCYAS XCKLKJHGECWXEAS CVBN

[@DeirdreRose]

Watermelon is truly a deceptively large fruit!!! on the video: yes yes yes yet again you have wonderfully summarized a topic people have tried (and failed) to talk about in quick bits in comments sections and short form content! I think the tropification of publishing has done a disservice to authors and readers in a lot of ways but on the other hand in the realm of the online space I do think it has facilitated people finding community quickly?? Which is also an interesting aspect to this.

[@whoatemychocolate]

You know, if you just don't go on tiktok, tropification isn't actually that much of a thing. (And I know it's probably also Insta reels, but those are functionally the same thing.) I know bookstores do tiktok tables now, and okay, whatever. I get my book recommendations mostly from KZbin nowadays, and at least the channels I follow don't do the trope thing. I really think people who are overly upset about this stuff just need to get off tiktok and engage with reading some other way.

[@brandileahx]

I too put off buying stuff I need like underwear & bras but I used your code to finally get some and saved sm money thank youuu :,)

[@Evelyn_Okay]

As a writer, I think writing FOR tropes/cliché scenes is stupid bc it just highlights how uneducated and unskilled, and uncreative a writer is. However, I am fine with them as long as the writer takes the time to deconstruct the trope, understand its purpose, and customize it to fit their plot and character journey. Perfect example is all the Hunger Game knockoffs. A writer can take the time to analyze the plot and themes to understand why the death tournament and love tringle matter, or they can just copy it and figure out the rest of the plot later.

[@kirstensbooknook6575]

That mug is wonderful! Where can I get one?

[@miyayume_eclectic_dream]

This helped! Apparently I am having a problem with a certain type of scenes in a romantasy I read so far and not with a trope-without-name. 🙀 BUT for me because it reapears in different books by different authors it starts to look like a trope. . . . No this is not a miscomunication trope. It is something very special: While MC talked about his emotions toward the FC on the other hand SHE has INNER Monolog about if she were to say the L word she is going to hurt him for this or that reason OR she needs to do this but after that some thing 2 will happen... so she is going to hurt him with her feelings so better to not say anything to him OR she even marries MC without telling him once that she loves him back but MC is obviously smitten by her. ....I give a book like that 2✨️ as the man is bassicly a faitfull dog on a leash and can wait as long as she needs him to. I always hope the book is going to surprise me and MC is going to drop the FC. I know I know how the heck is a sex scene going to happen than or even HEA. Thank for reading 🤗

[@banannakis6723]

Seriously, women who give swords and weapons as presents. Be still my heart. What is the opposite of a trope? Because I will see scenes or actions in books that I love or loathe in books. Like for example the one I hate is the villain is in confrontation with the hero, involved in a horrible death-implied situation. That they miraculously survived in some superhuman way (when they are very human) and without any medical help, or anyone spotting them, they can somehow find the hero and try to kill them with superhero strength, when most people would need serious medical treatment or would be dead. It's not a trope, but I'm not sure what to call it. I see it in a lot of mysteries, thrillers, and horror. This is just one example.

[@unsightedmelodies6801]

Suspension of disbelief, plot armor (which you can find on tvtropes as an umbrella term)... do either of these sound right?

[@unsightedmelodies6801]

I'm an unpublished author fthopefully that will change soonft and tropes have been a great way to expand explaining a story. For example the book that got me my agent is a modern retelling of Sense and Sensibility where the main characters are POC, the sensi sister is gay, anda OG name only character is disabled and gets screentime. My tropes were: grumpyusunshine, friends to lovers, slow burn age-gap romance, and I likened the character banter to Gilmore Girls. I can pitch this tropes first or plot first, but context really does matter.

[@Heothbremel]

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