Jenna Moreci
- Aug 27

TROPES VS CLICHES

HelloOoOo everybody!

Today I’m answering your questions about tropes and cliches. What is a trope? What is a cliche? Are they the same thing? The answer may shock you!

People talk a lot of shit about tropes and cliches and they use the terms interchangeably, but the fact is tropes and cliches aren’t necessarily the same thing. And one of 'em ain’t even bad! People are out here being dumb for nothing, and we’re here to set the record straight.

This video is dedicated to two of my patrons from over on Patreon, Bryan, and Niel. Bryan and Niel are two of my OG patrons. They have been there forever, and I adore them both! They were interested in learning more about tropes and cliches, specifically trope and cliche subversion, as well as how to avoid cliches. So that’s what we're talking about today! I am answering the 10 questions I see most often about tropes and cliches in three, two, one, go!

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to also subscribe to my YouTube channel for more writing tips, sarcasm, and of course, more of Princess Butters!

Number 1: What’s a Trope?

A trope is a common convention or plot device. For example, found family is a trope. It’s very common to read stories where multiple characters get together and grow to love one another like family. Basically, if the concept comes up a lot in fiction it can probably be counted as a trope.

Number 2: What’s a Cliche?

A cliche as it pertains to tropes is a trope that has been used so much that it’s become tired and uncreative. If an author employs a popular trope without adding anything new or original to it, it’s probably a cliche. This means, that while tropes and cliches are connected to one another, they’re not necessarily the same thing. Additionally, there are other types of cliches in writing. For example, overused expressions and phrases. Obvious examples of cliched phrases are, “Once upon a time,” and, “They lived happily ever after.” For the sake of this video, I will be focusing on cliched tropes. We’ll talk about cliched phrases another time.

Number 3: Is It a Good Idea To Write Tropes?

Before we touch on whether or not it’s a good idea, let’s start with one thing: it’s unavoidable. There are countless tropes! Way too many to list, because nearly every single plot device you see in fiction can be labeled as a trope. There are entire websites devoted to categorizing them. Newbie writers often proudly proclaim that they’re not going to write any tropes, but that is literally impossible. If you have a hero in your story, that’s a trope. If there is death, suffering, or conflict, it will likely fit into a trope.

This isn’t a bad thing! Lots of tropes are really entertaining and thus, it’s perfectly fine to use them. It’s not a good idea to write tropes that are harmful or alienating. For example, the “woman in the refrigerator” is a trope where a female character exists solely to be killed off so a male character can be motivated by her death. This trope is widely hated because it paints an entire gender as disposable, so long as a male character gets to become a hero, or vigilante, or have his glorious story told. In short, it’s inevitable to write tropes, just make sure you’re doing it purposefully and not harmfully.

Number 4: Is It a Good Idea To Write Cliches?

NOPE. A cliche is an overused, unoriginal trope, and none of that is a good thing. It basically means that you took a trope that’s been beaten into the ground, and then regurgitated it without offering any new insight. Tropes may be unavoidable, but that doesn’t mean you gotta write cliches.

Number 5: What Are Some Tips for Writing Tropes?

First and foremost, don’t write cliched tropes. Obviously…

Second, consider your favorites. If you love a particular trope, chances are other readers will love it, too. Plus, implementing a trope you love into your work will make it fun, and passion tends to translate directly through writing.

Third, write tropes with intention. If you know which tropes you want to include in your fiction, it will be much easier to avoid cliches, because you can craft those tropes in an original, inventive way that speaks to the content of your story.

In a similar vein, know which tropes you don’t want to include and be mindful of them while you’re writing. Say you’re about to kill off a character. Does their death fit into any harmful tropes, like “woman in the refrigerator,” “bury your gays,” or “the black dude dies first?" Ultimately, being intentional with your tropes is going to make them a lot more powerful and a lot less offensive.

Number 6: What Are Some Tips for Avoiding Cliches?

First of all, educate yourself on cliches. It ain’t hard to do because people bitch about cliches all over the Internet, all the time! I’ve got a whole playlist devoted to it!

Second, read. The more you read, the more tropes and cliches you’ll come into contact with. This will give you an idea of what you like, what you don’t like, what works, and what doesn’t.

Third, don’t play your tropes straight. To “play a trope straight” means to utilize said trope without any deviation from the norm. You are duplicating what other authors have already made as the standard, which will make the trope feel cliche. Say you’re writing a love triangle between a mortal woman, a male vampire, and a male werewolf. This exact scenario has been written ad nauseam, so you’re not bringing anything new to the table.

The last tip is to get feedback. Recruit beta readers, critique partners, and a professional editor at the absolute minimum. If they’re honest and good at what they do, they’ll tell you if your work feels cliche.

Number 7: How Do I Subvert a Trope or Cliche?

A subverted trope or cliche is when you take a widely used concept and turn it on its head. The reader thinks you’re about to implement a certain plot device, and then you pull a switcheroo on them. Gotcha, bitch! Readers often enjoy subverted tropes and cliches because they come as a big surprise. It ups the excitement factor.

An example of subversion is taking a common trope and then ending it in a way that isn’t at all expected. Say you’ve got a love triangle, but instead of the heroine choosing one man, she enters a polyamorous relationship with both of them. This would be a huge subversion because based on the track record of love triangles already written, no one would be expecting it.

Another example of subversion is to flip the script and do the opposite of the trope. Many tropes are specific to character types. Some tropes only apply to heroes. Some only apply to men. You can subvert these tropes by applying them to villains, or women. An example would be the damsel in distress. This is a universally female trope. If you made the damsel in distress a man, that could potentially be a fun subversion.

Number 8: How Do I Know if I’ve Written a Cliche?

First of all, your characters are one-dimensional. A lot of cliched characters are one note. He’s just a dumb jock. She’s just an evil ex-girlfriend.

Second, can you think of several books that include the same, exact trope with little deviation? If your dystopian society has teens divided into different factions based on arbitrary traits, you are regurgitating.

Third, are beta readers comparing your book to other stories in a bad way? It’s normal to draw comparisons to other pieces of fiction. It’s actually a popular marketing technique. But if people are saying, “This feels way too much like Harry Potter,” or, “This sounds a lot like The Handmaid’s Tale,” you’re probably leaning too heavily on cliches.

Fourth, were the story and characters too easy to create? If you just made a knight rescue a princess because “that’s how it’s supposed to go,” congratulations! You’re vomiting out cliches. Writing is about imagination. You’re supposed to think about your plot and characters for more than five seconds. Put in some goddamn effort!

And lastly, is your story boring? Cliches are not fun to read because they’ve been done so many times. If your story doesn’t feel new or exciting, it might be because it’s relying too heavily on things that have already been done a million times before.

Number 9: When Is It Okay To Write Cliches?

While cliches are not recommended, there are exceptions to the rule. The first exception, like I said before, is subverting a cliche. You’re taking the exact thing that made the trope a cliche, and you’re switching it up, which makes it no longer cliche. Another time it’s okay to write a cliche is when you’re repurposing it for a brand-new audience. Historically speaking, most cliches have been written for a predominantly white, cis, het audience, and involve white, cis, het characters. But there are a lot of other people out there who’ve never gotten to see themselves as the damsel in distress or the rugged bad boy. I have a lot of queer friends who are dying for a queer love triangle. Taking your audience into consideration might drastically change what is and isn’t considered cliche.

Number 10: How Can Writers Use Tropes to Their Advantage?

As we already covered, cliches are usually a big NOPE, but tropes can be pretty great. Lots of readers have favorite tropes. They seek them out in their reading material. It’s often the entire reason they pick up a particular book. Thus, an easy way to use tropes to your advantage is to implement them into your marketing. One of my absolute favorite tropes is forbidden romance. So when I was marketing TSC, I made sure everyone knew that that was a trope they could expect to see. You can list tropes in flyers, advertisements, social media, and sometimes in the blurb itself. This will pique the reader’s attention and drum up interest within your target audience which is exactly what you want.

So that's all I've got for you today!

A huge thank you Bryan and Niel for requesting this topic! If you’d like the chance to have a video dedicated to you, or if you want access to tons of other awards, check me out on Patreon! We have an exclusive writing group, we get early access to videos, we have monthly live streams, and there’s signed merch! The link is listed right here. Be sure to check it out!