It’s the first Wednesday and you know what that means! Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Awww, yeah. Come bask in the support, my friends, and know you’ve entered a judgement free zone. Possibly the only one left on the flame filled inter-web. As always you can sign up to be part of the group here.
The awesome co-hosts for the October 2 posting of the IWSG are Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Mary Aalgaard, Madeline Mora-Summonte, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor!
The optional question this month has to do with how critical (or not) it is as an author to also read. I’m going off script this month and disappearing into a tangent thicket brought on by this question, and musings about reading, and making lists. As we do.
Remarkably Specific and Underused Tropes SE Loves
Also known as: please write lots and lots of these and I will read all of them, okay, thanks. These will be somewhat romance specific, since that’s where I do most of my reading and all of my writing. If you see these literary themes in my own books that’s because I freaking love them and in my world I can work in whatever I want ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. And if you know of a book which uses any of these tropes please do shoot me a comment so I can go squee over it like the fangirl I am.
- Characters saying they will absolutely not do the thing. Cut to the next scene and they are definitely doing the thing.
The irony in this pleases me greatly.
- Thundergrump McStuffington(™ Caiti at TheRomanceMom.com) is soft for the Sunshine One.
I will devour every single romance with this trope in it. YES. Bring me all the broody, stuffy ones falling hard for the bright, chatty ones. I can’t resist them. Off the top of my head Nora Roberts, Ruby Dixon, Mary Balogh, and Tessa Dare do this one to perfection but if you know of any others please tell me so I can go look them up.
- That moment one character is threatened or hurt and the other one realizes ‘ohhh, oh NO, I CaRE’
The dawning horror, the realization that despite weeks of floating merrily down the river of De-Nial they are attached and emotional and can’t stand the idea of this person getting hurt and then they freak out and totally lose all pretense of indifference. Ahhh, yesss.
- Powerful, Freaky Little Creatures
Cute and sweet and helpless looking kid, juxtaposed with terrifying evil and/or power, is my favorite. I’m thinking Charlie McGee from Firestarter here, or Melanie from The Girl With All the Gifts. It’s also a lot of fun when the adorable fluffy alien creature turns out to have a tentacle-mouth which unhinges and swallows someone whole. (Yes, thank you, I am aware I’m a little messed up.)
- The Circle of Friendship™
When the characters in a book build each other up, stand strong at each other’s shoulders, support, encourage, banter, and hide the body with no questions asked, they are automatically my new favorite characters. The Circle of Friendship is always a win.
- Annoying, eccentric, blunt, take-no-shit Elderly Relative
Bonus points if said relative is matchmaking and has NO time for your lack of faith in them, young Whippersnapper. Nora Roberts writes the best, the best, interferingly adorable grandparents, and I lowkey want to be adopted by all of them. This is especially fun in her MacGregors series.
- Random character doing ridiculously random things in the background when something important is supposed to be happening.
I love the crazy elderly relative who tries to matchmake everyone 🙂
Yay! Another fan 🙂 They do seem to be popular.
Fun post! I’m not sure if this fits the freaky little creatures category, and I know it’s NOT romance, but since you mentioned Firestarter, how about King’s new one, The Institute? 🙂
I haven’t bought it yet but I am VERY interested! When the price comes down a little I will be all over The Institute.
Great tropes! The last time I encountered a couple of them in one book (or is it series?) is the Creepy Hollow books by Rachel Morgan.
Oooh, and I’ve never heard of that series. Thank you! I’ll go look it up.
I’ll let you have all of my blunt elderly relatives, then! They annoy me in real life, and I can never really understand why the younger characters let themselves be manipulated. (Or maybe fictional grandparents just have a better grasp of their grandkids’ personalities than mine ever did.) Happy IWSG day!
I also love the elderly take-no-shit relatives. Possibly because both of my great grandmothers were that way.
Also…this: “That moment one character is threatened or hurt and the other one realizes ‘ohhh, oh NO, I CaRE’”
I am all in for that.
All in, yes, please! It’s one of my very favorite things to read. And I aspire to be a take-no-shit relative someday myself, haha.
I think I love all those things too. But down play the romance into romantic elements that are peppered within a different genre. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
I do tend to go heavy on the romance, it’s definitely my thing.
Oh yeah. Me too. *nods head enthusiastically*
The fact that you referenced Umbrella Academy there makes me love this post greatly. And I’m thrilled to find another writer who loves these tropes as much as I do! I find many writers tisk-tisking these so-called clichés, but God, I love ’em! I included my own ‘Annoying, eccentric, blunt, take-no-shit Elderly Relative’ in the novel I’m writing, only she’s not a relative; she’s the neighbor.
I’m also a huge sucker for the cheesy happy endings and hate-turns-to-love/friendship stories as well. I don’t care how many times it’s been done. I always want more!
Great post!
I am exactly the same! I really don’t care if its a cliche, as long as it’s done well. No matter how many times I see it I still love it 🙂
I am such a sucker for the grumpy and “oh no i CARE” tropes here. Like, give me this in every book forever, please and thank you!
I wish! Although I suppose some readers would get bored with these tropes over and over. I probably wouldn’t, which says a lot about me LOL