There’s a lot of ways that trope is defined, but for us here on DOGS ARE SMARTER THAN PEOPLE, we’re going with the Grammarist’s definition, which is:
“A trope is simply a common or recurring theme or method used in storytelling across all forms of media. Tropes serve as a way for creators to convey certain ideas and messages to their audience in a familiar and recognizable way.”
They go on to write,
“Think of the last book you read or a movie you recently watched. Did you reach a point where you could predict what was going to happen? Or did a character arise, and you immediately know it was the villain? That’s because the creator used tropes to build up the idea or the character.”
So, tropes create expectations in the reader, right? They are things that reoccur across films or books or songs or art that create an expectation and often have a symbolic meaning (but not always). Those who hate them say that they are overdone, so passe, boring. Those who love them say that they give comfort and can be used to powerfully convey referential meaning.
Or as ThePleasurePen writes, “Tropes are not just narrative tools; they are also key in setting and sometimes subverting the expectations of your audience. Mastering this dynamic can elevate your storytelling, making your tales both satisfying and surprising.”
Tropes can create those expectations and subvert them or twist them or use them to shape stories. That’s because story doesn’t stop at the writer, right? Story is communication between the writer and the reader and tropes help the reader understand what you’re putting down there. Tropes are patterns. Patterns light up the readers’ brains in certain ways.
Here’s a way to think about it:
You’re watching a horror movie. There’s ominous music, a woman looks over her shoulder and then a man appears in front of her on the sidewalk. She jumps. We jump. The music and look over her shoulder create that expectation. The frame of the camera also helps create the suspense for a potential shock. It’s a jump scare.
But how do you do this in a book? That’s the question, right?
Usually, that’s done via suspense. In the book, THE TWISTED ONES, author T. Kingfisher has a woodpecker that the main character, Mouse, hears every night. Mouse hears that damn woodpecker every time she’s trying to fall asleep. Night after night. And then . . . as Ferrett Steinmetz writes for Tor . . .
“she realizes the things moving about in the night are living effigies, piles of bones tied together and somehow animated, and what she’s hearing is not a woodpecker but the stones hanging from the effigy’s ribcage knocking together as it’s been lurking outside her window this whole time.
“The delight of The Twisted Ones is how much the narrative implies, and how cunningly, without filling in all the blanks—it’s packed with subtle horrors left to fester as you take the thought further than the protagonist does.”
Other examples of tropes in horror are found footage or creepy clowns or the group splitting up to investigate or whatever when there’s a serial killer outside (or inside) the cabin in the woods. A trope in romance might be, oh no we have to share a hotel room. That sort of thing.
Paul Jenkins writes on Brilliantio,
“There are countless literary tropes – from the misunderstood villain to the unexpected hero and everything in between. These classifications provide an essential framework for understanding how narratives are constructed and how audience expectations are managed.“Moreover, Trope Evolution plays a significant role in establishing these norms over time. As cultures change and evolve, so do our stories and the tropes within them. For instance, the ‘damsel in distress’ trope has evolved significantly with societal changes reflecting stronger female characters who save themselves.
So remember this: every time you see a familiar plot twist or character type crop up in your reading journey—it’s not lazy writing but rather an intentional use of trope to craft a predictable narrative arc satisfying your innate longing for patterned storytelling. Understanding this helps deepen your appreciation of literature’s artistry and complexity.”
COOL EXERCISES
There are a zillion cool plot twist ideas and exercises here: Plot Twist Ideas and Prompts for Writers.
DOG TIP FOR LIFE
Pogie the Dog: Jump scares and cats are the greatest thing of all time.
L the Cat: Agree to disagree.
PLACE TO SUBMIT YOUR . . . NOVELLA!
Utter Speculation Novella Series
We are looking for stand alone speculative fiction novellas explaining or exposing the root of a real life supernatural mystery, urban legend or folklore, to include in a series we are building. (Please note, we don’t want a whole series by one author. At least not yet)
Submissions Open November 7 and close February 7
If we don’t find what we want, we may extend this deadline or reopen submission later
Please read and Follow All Guidelines Carefully or your story may be discarded without being read.
Novellas should be 20,000 – 35,000 words
Send a query with a story summary and a bio in the body of the email to:
Payment is a signing bonus and royalty split to be discussed upon offer to publish.
Send full manuscript as a separate .doc or .docx attachment, Formatted in Shunn format style (Standard Manuscript Format)
Speculation Publication’s Utter Speculation Series is accepting novellas dealing with myths and legends until February 7th. Check it out.
RANDOM THOUGHT LINK
It’s all about pretend aliens!
SHOUT OUT!
The music we’ve clipped and shortened in this podcast is awesome and is made available through the Creative Commons License.
Here’s a link to that and the artist’s website. Who is this artist and what is this song? It’s “Summer Spliff” by Broke For Free.
WE HAVE EXTRA CONTENT ALL ABOUT LIVING HAPPY OVER HERE! It’s pretty awesome.
We have a podcast, LOVING THE STRANGE, which we stream biweekly live on Carrie’s Facebook and Twitter and YouTube on Fridays. Her Facebook and Twitter handles are all carriejonesbooks or carriejonesbook. But she also has extra cool content focused on writing tips here.
Carrie is reading one of her raw poems every once in awhile on CARRIE DOES POEMS. And there you go! Whew! That’s a lot!
