Tropes: How to Make Them Credible, Not Cliché

You could probably name tropes from your favorite books and movies without hardly thinking about it. There’s the Reluctant Hero, the Chosen One, the Mentor, and the list goes on. As you read that list, characters probably came to mind.

But what goes into creating a trope that’s not cliché? Fantasy and Sci-fi are so popular it’s easy to fall into cliché’s without even realizing it. Today we’ll focus on two tropes and how to use backstory to make them compelling, rather than cliché.

The Reluctant Hero:

Frodo Baggins is a standout example of a reluctant hero. He never intends to take the ring to Mordor. But he ends up doing so and saving Middle Earth. Here are some questions when considering his backstory:

• Why was Frodo reluctant to start on his heroic journey?
• What about his character, prior to starting his journey, foreshadowed his heroism?
• Did his reluctance show strength, or fear?

From the start, we know Frodo dreams of leaving the Shire. He spends hours in the woods, dreaming of other places. But when it comes down to it, he realizes what he has and wants to keep it.

However, he’s willing to sacrifice for his family, which is foreshadowed very well in his interaction with Bilbo. His reluctance makes him empathetic.

The Chosen One:

Harry Potter is a quite literal example of this, as the prophecies in the series talk about a “chosen one.” He was marked by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and from infancy, his life is set on a path to heroism. Here are some questions to ask when considering whether his backstory makes his trope credible:

• Does Harry live as if he is a chosen one?
• Do his family connections lay a strong foundation to uphold him as a chosen one?
• How does he mentally accept or reject his trope?

What’s so endearing about Harry is he doesn’t realize how famous he is. He doesn’t know he’s important, and he doesn’t realize his family backstory. A lot of his character arc is him working through his reality and trying to embrace it. This makes it credible.

When it comes to your trope…

Before deciding on your trope, ask yourself if your plot and characters lay a credible foundation. To do so, feel free to use the following questions:

• Will your protagonist look like your chosen trope because he or she is created as one by you, the author, or as a result of their life situation?
• Do their natural mannerisms reveal them as your chosen trope (reluctant hero, chosen one, etc.)?
• Do secondary characters play into the credibility of your trope?

Best wishes, and happy writing!

Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Creator and writer. She helps authors build their platform through branding and copywriting. With a BA in Strategic Communications, Sarah equips writers to learn how to communicate their message through personal branding. She writes fiction and nonfiction and offers writers behind-the-scenes tips on the publishing industry through her blog itssarahrexford.com. She is represented by the C.Y.L.E Young Agency.

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