I don't think I really write with anything in mind. I don't purposely think about it. I tend to let the story just pull me along. The other day I killed a major character, but hadn't set out with that in mind when I started writing in the morning. It was a failed "kidnapping" attempt, and when someone woke up unexpectedly -- to me as well --I did the one thing the character would do, and killed the person.
For me, tropes are invitations for subversion. The trope of the superhero, for example, can easily be repeatedly refreshed by empowering unlikely figurers in that role and incorporating their social attitudes....
I appreciate all the "common" fantasy tropes! Sometimes they're a little too blatant and predictable in oft-condensed video format, but are almost always enjoyable in the written word.
Tropes are tropes; they exist undeniably and every writer uses them. And while it can be quite fun to see them grouped together a la the TV Tropes site, I donāt like it when books are described by the tropes they utilize. I feel it cheapens the creative work that went into the book, and if a book is marketed as a list of tropes, Iām generally not interested. Tell me whatās unique about your book, not what makes it the same as scores of other stories. I understand that it helps some readers find what they like (I read a comment once from someone who said they only wanted to read stories with found families for ex) but I think those people are limiting themselves and the varied experiences books can bring them. Thatās me being judgmental I know, but entering my crime phase so itās allowed šDonāt ask me my favorite, because I donāt have one, except maybe the trope of an author using a trope in a clever or unexpected way.
That's an intriguing way of looking at books listed by their tropes. I definitely think that practise is on the rise. I can see how it might be useful to readers who look for books with an eye toward "the same as X, but different", but I'd like to see a happy medium between well-written blurbs, and tropes.
(Speaking of blurbs, you know what irritates me with blurbs? Where the blurb is ALL reviews! Tells me nothing.)
Not in fantasy genre, but one of my favorite Nineteenth Century writers is George Eliot. Her novel Silas Marner has got Found Family and Found Inheritance (sort of? It was his money)
Shakespeare's plays contain tropes. So it makes me think that there's something universal, something human about some tropes.
I LOVE Found Family, I'm a sucker for those.
Regular people becoming heroes /heroines when life puts them in critical situations they rise to.
I don't know if anyone writes with tropes in mind or if they're simply so universal that they appear in the characters' lives. My novels all include characters making/ finding new families.
I think the Chosen One trope is very overdone, but Iām still open to it with a twist. In one of my books I plan to publish, there actually is a chosen one but the main character is actually someone else, so I think thatās a twist. I love the enemies to lovers trope in romance, but I believe the nuances and details are what makes any story rather than a combination of tropes.
Tropes are fun. Sometimes, I like to grab one and see if I can subvert it or mix it with another one.
....sir! You're in my head again! lmao
Well, it is fun to do!
I don't think I really write with anything in mind. I don't purposely think about it. I tend to let the story just pull me along. The other day I killed a major character, but hadn't set out with that in mind when I started writing in the morning. It was a failed "kidnapping" attempt, and when someone woke up unexpectedly -- to me as well --I did the one thing the character would do, and killed the person.
For me, tropes are invitations for subversion. The trope of the superhero, for example, can easily be repeatedly refreshed by empowering unlikely figurers in that role and incorporating their social attitudes....
My least favorite troped - I don't like when someone gets blamed for something they didn't do.
Interesting!
I appreciate all the "common" fantasy tropes! Sometimes they're a little too blatant and predictable in oft-condensed video format, but are almost always enjoyable in the written word.
Tropes are tropes; they exist undeniably and every writer uses them. And while it can be quite fun to see them grouped together a la the TV Tropes site, I donāt like it when books are described by the tropes they utilize. I feel it cheapens the creative work that went into the book, and if a book is marketed as a list of tropes, Iām generally not interested. Tell me whatās unique about your book, not what makes it the same as scores of other stories. I understand that it helps some readers find what they like (I read a comment once from someone who said they only wanted to read stories with found families for ex) but I think those people are limiting themselves and the varied experiences books can bring them. Thatās me being judgmental I know, but entering my crime phase so itās allowed šDonāt ask me my favorite, because I donāt have one, except maybe the trope of an author using a trope in a clever or unexpected way.
That's an intriguing way of looking at books listed by their tropes. I definitely think that practise is on the rise. I can see how it might be useful to readers who look for books with an eye toward "the same as X, but different", but I'd like to see a happy medium between well-written blurbs, and tropes.
(Speaking of blurbs, you know what irritates me with blurbs? Where the blurb is ALL reviews! Tells me nothing.)
Not in fantasy genre, but one of my favorite Nineteenth Century writers is George Eliot. Her novel Silas Marner has got Found Family and Found Inheritance (sort of? It was his money)
Shakespeare's plays contain tropes. So it makes me think that there's something universal, something human about some tropes.
I LOVE Found Family, I'm a sucker for those.
Regular people becoming heroes /heroines when life puts them in critical situations they rise to.
I don't know if anyone writes with tropes in mind or if they're simply so universal that they appear in the characters' lives. My novels all include characters making/ finding new families.
I think the Chosen One trope is very overdone, but Iām still open to it with a twist. In one of my books I plan to publish, there actually is a chosen one but the main character is actually someone else, so I think thatās a twist. I love the enemies to lovers trope in romance, but I believe the nuances and details are what makes any story rather than a combination of tropes.
...Kummer Wolfe has this funny habit of taking words right out of my mouth, or head...
Well placed and executed tropes are great, but the real power comes from the subversion of expectations that they can be used to easily set up.
Yes!