Blog season 2, episode 7: generic
I’ve squeezed ten overused book tropes into one short story to demonstrate why they need to be banished. They are:
- Alpha Male Hero
- Forbidden Love
- Evil Lord
- Doomsday Device
- The Chosen One
- Old Mentor
- MacGuffin
- Training Sequence
- Femme Fatale
- Damsel in Distress
Yes, all ten have been used in hugely popular stories, but they’ve been regurgitated so many times that, if there ever was anything good about them, that’s long been lost. I’ll justify why they suck, and give one or two alternative ideas.
Trope (noun)
something such as an idea, phrase, or image that is often used in a particular artist’s work, in a particular type of art, in the media, etc.
“… nine hundred ninety-nine… one thousand!” Bret finishes his daily chin-ups, and swigs the last of his beer as he strolls into the kitchen. He crushes the can with his bicep and launches it like a three-pointer through the basketball net above the bin. “When’s breakfast?” he asks his roommate.
George doesn’t look up from the pancakes he’s flipping. “These are mine. Get your own.”
Bret reaches into the pan and fishes out a nearly-done pancake with his fingers, ignoring the scalding heat.
“Hey!” George complains as Bret stuffs the stolen breakfast into his mouth in one go, grinning as he chews. “Go away and make your own breakfast.”
Bret shakes his head, still grinning, and grabs George around the waist to lift him out of the way. He seizes George’s spatula and flips the remaining pancake.
The doorbell rings. “Get the door and I might make you one.”
1. Alpha Male Hero
The alpha male hero is a “manly man” who favours fighting over talking, and asserts dominance over other characters, usually by physical intimidation or actual force.
To avoid such characters being one-dimensional or dull, they should quickly learn to be less “alpha”.
Alternatively, they can be the target of satire, although even subversion of this trope is getting tired.
Better yet, avoid the trope entirely and go for a more relatable, more likeable character type – there are plenty that haven’t been used much in the “hero” role.
George doesn’t return from answering the door; instead, Penny ambles into the kitchen, her golden ponytail as bright as her smile. Bret drops the spatula and picks her up in a hug, twirling her around.
She giggles. “Sorry I’m late, it was difficult to sneak away.”
“Your dad again?” Bret asks. He kisses her, then finally puts her back on her feet.
Penny nods. “Mum too. He’s persuaded her you aren’t good for me so now she’s joining in.” She sighs in frustration. “I don’t think they’ll ever understand. They don’t even know what love is!”
2. Forbidden Love
Romeo and Juliet is one of the best known stories of all time, so copying its central idea will not result in an original tale. There is some romance in the idea of love being strong enough to withstand everyone else trying to split up a couple, but it ending in anything other than tragedy, or at least lonely depression, will lack plausibility.
There are plenty of other ways for people to get together without them being in conflict with everyone else they care about.
The doorbell rings again. Bret and Penny look at each other, puzzled because she’s already here and they weren’t expecting anyone else.
Bret opens the door to the looming black-clad figure of Lord Peters – Penny’s father.
“Bret,” Lord Peters spits as though it tastes repulsive, “I apprised you of the upshot if you persisted in pursuing my progeny. Send Penelope out. Post-haste.”
“No.”
Lord Peters’ peepers pulse pinky-red beneath the peaked pyramid perched on his bald pate. “Please.” He’s not asking.
Penny appears behind Bret, peaking around his broad shoulder. “I’m staying.”
“This primate can’t protect you. You’re departing with papa. Now.”
3. Evil Lord
The powerful “bad guy” who wants to destroy the world because… if there’s a reason, it’s usually incredibly flimsy.
Firstly, it’s not true that every story needs a “bad guy”.
If a protagonist has a goal, the most effective opposition will be someone who has a contradictory belief because of differing character traits caused by event(s) in their past.
Bret puffs out his chest and blocks Lord Peters from getting to Penny. “She says she wants to stay.”
“Penelope’s preferences are premised on poor perceptiveness.”
“No, dad,” Penny interrupts. “I told you – we’re in love!”
“Your propensity to pick passion over prestige is pitiful. Perhaps proof of my power will persuade the pair of you…” Lord Peters pulls out a platinum pistol and points it at a palm tree providing shade to the porch. A purple beam pierces the plant, expands, and in an explosion of sparks, the palm tree disappears.
He points the pistol at Bret.
4. Doomsday Device
The ultimate weapon that will bring about the end of the world, because if an Evil Lord is going to kill everyone, he needs a way to do it.
“Saving the world” is supposed to be the ultimate high stake, but it’s impersonal. For a more emotional finale, the threat needs to be to something that the protagonist has a more intimate connection with.
Penny grasps Bret’s hand and tries to pull him behind a wall, but he stands firm, her declaration of love filling him with a strength he hasn’t felt before. Somehow, he knows that weapon can’t hurt him.
“Respectfully, Sir, piss off.”
From the point of Lord Peters’ pistol, another purple beam spears at Bret.
Instinctually, Bret raises a hand and deflects the beam away from him and Penny, against the wall.
Lord Peters mutters “Impossible,” and keeps pressing the trigger, expecting it to overpower Bret, but instead the splash-point expands to paint the whole wall purple.
In a plethora of sparks, the wall disappears, and the building collapses in on itself.
***
Bret wakes with a great weight resting on his chest. His muscles alone aren’t enough to lift the girder and rubble that crush him; he taps into the new reserves of power he didn’t know he had before today – before Penny told him she loved him – and heaves the remains of his home aside.
5. The Chosen One
A person who, for no reason other than genetic accident or sheer fluke, has power or abilities that no-one else has. Most commonly seen in Fantasy, they are the only character capable of saving the day.
At it’s worst, this invites readers to believe they can’t make a difference in the world because they aren’t “special”.
It’s easier to connect with a character if they’re “normal”, and they can be more inspiring if they choose to act despite not having anything that sets them apart.
Penny was nowhere to be seen. Lord Peters’ idea of protecting his daughter is insane.
Bret rings a doorbell he never imagined ringing. The hermit Old Ken hasn’t been seen in years, which only added more mystery on top of the tales no-one really believes. Bret certainly thought the stories of Old Ken destroying tanks by hand during the war were fantasy – until today. Now Old Ken’s the only one who can help him.
A crooked, heavily wrinkled man leaning on a cane made of blue light opens the door. “About time. Come in.”
Bret almost turns around to leave, but he’s desperate. He enters the musty, cramped, cluttered home and follows Old Ken into his lounge. Ken takes the only chair; toppled piles of books cover the couch, so Bret stands.
“Now,” Old Ken says with a smile, “tell me everything.”
6. Old Mentor
An expert who shows the protagonist the path for their abilities and/or morals, who’s usually no longer capable of taking on the antagonist themself.
Learning through actions or consequences is more impactful than being instructed (ye olde show not tell rule). If exposition is needed to pass on information, there are other methods such as books, videos, contemporaries, etc.
“Help me, Old Ken, you’re my only hope.”
Ken strokes his pure white beard as he ponders Bret’s story. “I can teach you, but it won’t be enough on its own. You’ll need the Emerald Axe – it’s the only thing that can kill Lord Peters.”
“Can’t I just snap his neck?” Bret asks, not unreasonably.
Old Ken shakes his head. “That would make him more powerful than you can possibly imagine. No, you need to bury the Emarald Axe in his heart. And yes, despite all evidence to the contrary, he does have one.”
Bret sighs. “Alright. How many oceans do I need to cross to find this ‘Emerald Axe’?”
“Ms Vert has it, next door.”
7. MacGuffin
The item that the protagonist and/or antagonist is seeking that will enable them to complete their goal, or it may be the goal itself.
If it feels convenient that there’s one special thing that will magically solve a problem, that’s because it is. There are plenty of other methods of solving problems that can be a link to or a lesson for the protagonist.
“But first, your training. Here, take my cane, it’ll do as a substitute for the Axe. I want you to swing it at the lamp in the corner there.”
“Is that it? I don’t need to be blindfolded or something?”
“Heavens, no, that would be far too dangerous! Once you’re able to knock the shade off the lamp, you’ll be ready.”
Bret shrugs, stands in a battle stance, and swings the cane at the lampstand. The blue light slices cleanly through it, and the lampshade falls to the carpet, not even hard enough for the bulb to shatter.
Old Ken gasps. “You are The Chosen.”
Bret begins to doubt the wisdom of asking a bonkers old hermit who probably hasn’t spoken to anyone for decades, and everyone says once ate his own car, for advice how to defeat a powerful Lord. Best to leave quickly. “It’s all down to your training, thank you. Is there anything else I need to know?”
Old Ken nods sagely. “When you tackle Ms Vert, you must remember one key phrase. It’s the only thing that’ll keep you safe: ‘No’.”
“No?”
“No,” Ken confirms.
“No.”
“That’s it, you’ve got it! You’re ready. Go! Make me proud!”
8. Training Sequence
Often delivered as a montage in movies, this is the protagonist building their knowledge, abilities, or physicality to take on the antagonist.
These sequences never communicate the true effort and time required to practice a new skill or improve one’s physique, because it would be boring to read such repetition. Either build it in to the story so it does take a long time, or start off with only fine tuning required.
Bret marches out of Old Ken’s and goes straight next door. To his surprise, the green door is wide open but there’s no sign of anyone. He stands at the threshold and looks inside, and everything in the hallway is a different shade of green: the walls are bright, the carpet is dark, the lampshade is mid, the light switches are fluorescent…
He calls, “Hello?”
A female voice replies: “Up here.”
He climbs the stairs, marvelling how many different greens Ms Vert has decorated her home with. At the top, straight ahead is an open bedroom door. Above the bed is the Emerald Axe that he came for. On the bed are the only non-green colours in the house.
Ms Ophelia Vert lounges back against a pile of pillows, her skin pale and freckled, her copper-coloured hair flowing long across one shoulder, her lips danger red. Everything else is of course green. Her dress is covered in sequins, one for every shade of green; she looks like she’s about to go out on stage, and her green eyes sparkle as she purrs, “Oh my, it’s my lucky day! Such a big, strong man in my bedroom! You must be tired, please, come lie down here.” She pats the bed next to her.
Bret recalls Old Ken’s final lesson. “No, thank you. I need that Emerald Axe there. Can I borrow it please?”
“How much do you want me? I mean, it?” she asks with a sly wink.
This is weird. He loves Penny, but he can’t help being drawn to this woman. Remember the training: “No.”
She’s momentarily perplexed, then comes to a realisation. “You came here from Old Ken’s, didn’t you?”
“No.”
She smiles. “That’s what I thought.” She crawls from the bed and catwalks to him, then whispers, “Can I not kiss you?”
Wait, what? “No?”
She grins devilishly and leans forward to kiss him.
9. Femme Fatale
A female character whose main/only purpose in the story is to seduce the protagonist, usually to double-cross them at the moment of maximum opportunity.
If they don’t have a greater goal of their own beyond tempting the lead, they are a convenient plot device instead of a character, and possibly wish fulfilment of an author who wishes this woman would be interested in him.
Their lips never meet, her head rebounding as though there’s a forcefield an inch in front of his face. She sighs disappointedly. “You’re in love.”
“Yes. I need the Emerald Axe to save her.”
Ms Vert steps out of his personal space, takes the axe from the wall, and holds it out to him. “If you’re unsuccessful, my door’s always open.”
***
Bret hacks off the head of the last henchman and strides into Lord Peters’ throne room.
Penny sits in a platinum prison suspended precariously above a pool that’s packed with piranhas. She perks up when she spots him, then breaks down into tears. “Bret! Save me, please!”
He dashes to a nearby plinth and reels in the cage, Penny screaming and begging for help the whole time, until it’s no longer over the pool, then yanks at its door. It wasn’t locked.
Penny flees from the cage and collapses into Bret’s arms, weeping into his shoulder. “My hero!”
10. Damsel in Distress
The helpless princess needs saving from the antagonist.
An outdated male fantasy that isn’t seen as much now, thanks in part to Princess Leia subverting it a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (even if she did need to wear a gold bikini at the time).
If the antagonist is so powerful and scary, wouldn’t it be more impactful if they captured the “strongest” person and the “weakest” needed to find a way to save them?
“BRET!” Lord Peters power-poses on a pedestal, pistol pointed at the plinth they’re perched on. “Prepare to perish!”
With a roar, Bret launches himself into the air. The purple beam from Lord Peters’ pistol deflects off Bret’s pecs and, with one quick swipe of the Emerald Axe, he cuts Lord Peters’ hands off.
“What? How?!”
“You actually expected to defeat me? I am The Chosen.”
He helps Penny down from the plinth and she hugs her father. “You see: he can protect me, better even than you. Do you give us your blessing now?”
“If he provides peace, as the prophecy proclaimed, I do,” he lies, already planning his next planet-imperilling plot. After he’s procured prosthetics.
Bret takes Penny’s hand and gets down on one knee. “Penny, my love, will you marry me?”
Lord Peter’s groan is drowned out by Penny’s joyful squeal. “Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!” She throws her arms around him and they kiss, and as they leave hand in hand, her handless father watches on resentfully.
Featured image background photo by Nathan McDine on Unsplash
Arrowmaker Books 