Friday, March 27, 2015

Bring on the Tropes

Trope - Something recurring across genre or type of literature. I know plenty of people who give tropes the side-eye, as if they're something faintly stale and stinky. Yet, tropes work because unlike clichés, they resonate. Clichés may once have been tropes, but they've hung around too long and gone a bit rancid. They don't ring any bells of recognition in readers any longer - they just taste off. Tropes, on the other hand, are still sweet.

I know we're supposed to write about our favorite tropes and heaven knows I likes my tropes. But seriously, you know my favorites already. You've read 'em in my books! I'm far and away more interested in YOUR favorite tropes.

We know Sullivan McPig's fav tropes. Zombies and pigs. Fine, fun tropes they are, too.

What about you?
What lights you up?

Doomed, obsessive, forbidden love?
Mad scientists and unintended consequences?
Underdogs?
Farmboy saves the galaxy? Yeah. Okay. That's totally Star Wars. You caught me. Simple trope, right? Well. Thanks to my 7th grade AP English teacher, chew on this: sub the Imperials with Nazis and you have something more than a western in space. And a whole new trope.

Is there a trope you NEVER see but would cry with joy if someone wrote it?

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