#writing tropes

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

you can always tell i’m stuck in a scene when the prose gets ✨ suspiciously ✨ aesthetic

like you’ll be reading and it’s all normal vibes, dialogue, pacing, maybe even plot, and then suddenly the protagonist is describing the texture of the wallpaper like it’s the only thing keeping them tethered to reality.

that’s not style. that’s panic.

that’s me staring at the blinking cursor like “what happens next?” and instead of answering, my brain goes: what if we just describe the rain. for a while. like no plot? okay. how about vibes.

and the worst part?? it sounds good. it reads like i know what i’m doing. it’s all lush and poetic and mysterious and you think “oh she’s in her literary bag” but no. i’m just stalling. i’m writing about how the floor creaks like the bones of the house because i have no idea what the characters are supposed to say next.

i call it ✨aesthetic spiraling✨. it’s a creative coping mechanism. it buys me time.

sometimes it even works?? like i’ll be halfway through describing the moths circling a hallway lamp and suddenly the plot jumps out like “oh btw the letter she finds is fake.” and i’m like. thank you, muse. why were you hiding behind the mood lighting.

anyway. if you’re ever reading one of my scenes and the prose gets a little too extra… just know. i was probably panicking.

but at least it’s pretty.

P.S. I made a free mini eBook about the 5 biggest mistakes writers make in the first 10 pages 👀 you can grab it here for FREE:

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[subrist]

Writing tropes but with a twist

— A gruffy man as a guardian with an adoptive child, but he doesn't soften, he gets worse — Fake dating, but they come to despise one another — Enemise to lovers, but they love each other so much they devour one another to death — Enemies to lovers, but one of them is cheating — Arranged marriage, but they came to be just good friends and nothing more — "I hate everyone but you", but the lover turns into everything they hated — Slowburn, but they never get to see each other ever again — Friends to lovers, but they break up because they didn't fit together as lovers — "There's only one bed", but one of them worryingly forces the other to stay, against their will — Soulmates, but they aren't physically attracted to each other — Forbidden love, but one of them moves on — Forced proximity, but they end up fighting each other — "Oh my god, they were roommates", but one of them brings their hookups over too many times — Monsterfucker, but the human is the "hear me out" in the universe — Drunken confession, but they mistook the person for the one they liked in reality — Found family, but they can't stay together

[onnahu]

I love you loyal characters. I love you characters that dedicate their lives to someone that doesn't even need/want that. I love you characters that are like dogs, always coming back, always waiting, doing everything to give their loved one joy. I love you characters that are nothing without their person. I love you characters that don't understand their devotion will never be reciprocated.

[haru-kuneko]

It can work if one is able to add their own unique twist to a popular idea. I think one good example is the indie pilot "I Don't Wanna Be A Magical Girl" where the main heroine is like Sailor Moon except she prefers to live a normal life than saving the world.

I am also not a fan of making something into a horror movie (ehm! Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey) or edgy like Captain Laserhawk where they turned a cute video game character named Rayman into a washed-up celebrity who does drugs and starts committing murder.

It is just lazy and I can tell that stuff like that ain't new as they've been done countless times already.

Hot take in writing:

Subversion doesn't always mean good writing

Subversion is sorta a cliche now

Just because you have subverted a trope or genre, it doesn't mean it is well written

Tropes and certain genres can be well written too, just don't treat tropes or genres like trash

(*looks at the Boys comic*)

[theaftersundown]

the holy grail types of fanfic

[out-of-jams]

REVERSE TROPE WRITING PROMPTS

Too many beds

Accidentally kidnapping a mafia boss

Really nice guy who hates only you

Academic rivals except it’s two teachers who compete to have the best class

Divorce of convenience

Too much communication

True hate’s kiss (only kissing your enemy can break a curse)

Dating your enemy’s sibling

Lovers to enemies

Hate at first sight

Love triangle where the two love interests get together instead

Fake amnesia

Soulmates who are fated to kill each other

Strangers to enemies

Instead of fake dating, everyone is convinced that you aren’t actually dating

Too hot to cuddle

Love interest CEO is a himbo/bimbo who runs their company into the ground

Nursing home au

[rae-butter]

Honestly, I love it when characters relapse. When someone who’s gotten over their anger issues falls into a situation so out of their depth they fall back on their old habits. When someone who’s learned to open up becomes a recluse again in order to cope with something outside their control.

There’s just something so horrible, so toxic, about watching a character grow and then slip back into their old selves in order to cope, bc you know they still care, that they’re the same inside, but watching them hurt so hard they don’t know what else to do brings a sense of catharsis.

[bebx]

reblog if you’ve read fanfictions that are more professional, better written than some actual novels. I’m trying to see something

[your-absent-father]

I think people misunderstand "x fell first, y fell harder " trope because it's not about like the one who fell harder loves the other person harder. It's just that the one who fell first falls in a graceful way, one step at the time, maybe gradually over a span of time. The one who fell harder smashes trough the air, there's blood everywhere, everything is fine-

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

feeling called out today

credit: _ADWills

[kudo-i-guess]

they're divorced. they weren't even married. this isn't romantic. they're definitely not platonic. they're cinematic parallels. they are fighting the narrative. they slowly built their relationship. they rely and trust each other. they were aggressively thrown into this. they want to bite each other's head off. they kill for each other. they live for each other. they should kiss. they would put each other in a blender. they're insane. they don't even realise. they're fully aware of it.

[rheas-chaos-anthology]

Questions to ask beta readers

General:

Were you confused at any point of the story?

What genre would you say this book is?

When did you put the story down?

Is the ending satisfying?

If you had to cut 3 scenes what would they be?

When did you feel like the story really began?

What was the last book you read before this story?

Characters:

Do you get any of the characters names confused?

Which character is your favorite?

If you had to remove a character who would you and why? (you don't have to remove the character, just make sure their role is meaningful)

Which character do you relate to the most?

Which character do you relate to the least?

Do the characters feel real?

Are character relationships believable?

Are the goals clear and influence the plot?

Are the characters distinct (voice, motivations, etc)

Setting:

Which setting was clearest to you?

Which setting was the most memorable?

Am including enough/too much detail?

Plot and conflict:

Are the internal and external conflicts well defined for the main characters?

Are the internal conflicts and the external conflicts organic and believable?

Are there enough stakes?

Are the plot twists believable but still unexpected?

[creativepromptsforwriting]

only one bed

dialogue prompts

"I guess someone needs to sleep on the floor."

"This will not be awkward at all."

"We're both adults, we can sleep in one bed."

"It does look like a very comfortable bed..."

"One bed is one thing, but only one pillow and one blanket?"

"You will survive sleeping next to me for one night."

"We're both tired, so please just get in."

"It's not like we haven't slept together before."

"This totally does not feel like the movies."

"I will take the couch, it's no problem."

"Quit acting like I have the plague."

"Just put a pillow between us."

"No one needs to sleep in a bathtub, that's ridiculous."

"I don't want to freeze, so just let's get it over with."

"We're friends, this doesn't need to be weird."

"It's just for one night, we can handle that."

More: Bed Sharing Scenarios

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[gigifluidcat]

"I love asshole characters" bitches when the character is actually an asshole and isn't a "misunderstood bad boy with a soft side that can only be seen by them":

[inky-here]

i'm a sucker for that one trope in cartoons where a character sees the younger version of their loved one (bonus points if they also interact with it because that's just *chefs kiss*)

please please PLEASE do more of this

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

Kaz Brekker is such an anomaly. Is he a well-written, well-rounded character? Yes. Did he learn his lesson in the end? No. Did he become either better or worse? No. Did he grow as a person? You could say that. Do we have even a remote understanding what he will do next? Absolutely not.