In a new post, Anne R. Allen points out the difference between clichés and tropes, and how the latter are useful and even necessary in your writing.
“A trope is a commonly used story element,” she explains. “You can arrange them in any number of creative ways. There are as many ways to write a trope as there are writers.” Similarly, an archetype is a universal human character type: the mentor, the temptress, the outlaw, the innocent, etc.
In contrast, a cliché is an overused element. Tropes and archetypes can become clichéd if they are copied repeatedly or rely on stereotypes. Done well, tropes and archetypes are universal and recognizable. Done poorly, they are repetitive and predictable.
Can you avoid tropes? “Nope. You can’t,” Allen says. “Any story you write is going to contain tropes. Your job is to make those tropes seem fresh.” Combine elements, throw in unexpected twists of personality, or place your archetype in an unexpected setting. But even if you think you’re avoiding them, you’re probably not.
Whether your story elements are clichés is a subjective question. One reader may recognize the originality in your characters while another may find them too familiar. Often, it’s a matter of taste, Allen says. Someone who likes cozy murder mysteries set in a series of English villages will read hundreds of them, but another reader might finish one and decide they’ve read them all.
