Tropes: Not just for romance and fantasy

Hi Reader,

A couple of weeks ago I was having a coaching session with my book coach (yes, even I need help, but more on that soon), and I had a big aha moment.

Since about May of this year I have been working on a draft of a new book while I’ve been querying my adult romance. This new project is a departure for me. It’s women’s fiction, a little heavier themes, and quite a bit more complicated in terms of structure and scope. I was sliding off track and feeling myself stall out, especially after vacations and family commitments over the summer.

So I did two things: I got help from a fellow book coach, and I continued to use my own group coaching program to push forward.

The great thing about working with a book coach (or getting qualified feedback from editors or good beta readers) is they help you ask questions, or help you look at your story from a different perspective. This usually unlocks all sorts of goodies—a little treasure trove of inspiration.

And that’s exactly what happened to me a few weeks ago. I was expressing my frustration at how this book is so much harder than my previous, and we were discussing the relationship arc of my main character, a pair of adult twin sisters.

She said, “It sounds like you have a bit of a grumpy-sunshine vibe happening.”

Lightbulb moment!

Though I was circling around this very thing, it never really overtly occurred to me that tropes (common, recurring scenes or themes found in literature) could exist outside romance and fantasy genres. I feel a little silly admitting this because…of course they can but it just went right over my head as I worked outside my previous romance genre.

So I’m adding a grumpy-sunshine vibe to my sisters’ relationship.

In addition to that, we also discussed how the sisters’ relationship arc could, in ways, mirror the beats that are commonly used in a romance novel—the adhesion, the reconciliation, the rip-apart, etc. No, I’m not writing a romance between sisters (ew!) but there’s something to thinking about approaching the way their relationship transforms through the lens of romance beats.

Both of these ideas—leaning into the grumpy-sunshine tropes, and using romance beats to develop my reconciliation between estranged sisters—unlocked pieces of the story I had been circling around but hadn’t yet fully formed. It was magical, y’all.

All of this is to say two things: First, tropes aren’t just for romance and fantasy, as I said before. You can steal pieces of genres and use them in other genres. Want to use enemies to “lovers” if you’re writing about two colleagues who become friends? Go for it. Want to use archetypal characters—the shapeshifter, the mentor—in your contemporary realistic fiction? Go for it. Want to play with a secret identity in your romance? Sure. How about the “chosen one” in a mystery-thriller? Give it a try.

Tropes are not bad. Yes, they can be cliché, but if you do so with thought and twists, beginning everything with your character and where they are coming from, you can make your book something universally-resonant as well as commercially viable. Stretch your imagination as you seek how you can use and improve common tropes. And if you can’t, but, like me, the idea of common tropes gives you a springboard for ideas, then I think that’s great. Go for it. Let looking at a list of tropes get your creative juices flowing.

The second point I want to hit home here, is the value of talking to others about your story. As writers, we can often lead solitary little lives, building stories in our heads. But when we ask for help—from a qualified beta reader, editor, or coach—our ideas, our struggles, might actually start to lift off our shoulders a little. They might gain traction and help us gain clarity we didn’t have while we were toiling away in our towers.

So, if you’re struggling with any part of your story, please reach out to someone. It does not have to be me, though I am certainly here to help. Just start talking, get someone to ask you the questions that might unlock the parts of your story you can’t yet see.

It might be hard, but it will be worth it.

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Free Workshop Reminder

📅Thursday, November 13 at 10 AM PT​
📍Live on Zoom​
🎟️Free to attend — register here ​

If you missed my announcement last week, I wanted to send out a final reminder for a free workshop I'm giving tomorrow. In this 60-minute live, hands-on session, you’ll:

• Learn the key components that make a narrative voice feel authentic, engaging, and unmistakably yours.
• Practice short, guided exercises to explore different rhythms, tones, and emotional cadences.
• Experiment with how perspective, word choice, and sentence structure shape your story’s sound and feel.
• Walk away with concrete strategies to strengthen your unique voice every time you write.

This isn’t a passive lecture—you’ll write, test, and play with your craft in real time. Whether you’re drafting your first novel or revising your tenth, you’ll leave with new insights and tools to bring your voice to life on the page.

Join me, and let’s bring your story’s voice to life together.

👉Save your spot now for “Finding Your Novel’s Singular Voice” — Thursday, November 13 at 10 AM PT.

Register Here

Offerings

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Thanks so much for being here with me. I value you and I sincerely hope that I provide value for your writing journey. If you feel inclined, drop me a line and let me know what you’re working on!

Happy Writing,

Karyn

P.S. Loving these emails? Buy me a cup of tea to say thanks. Or you can book a free 30-min story strategy chat here if you're interested in getting specific help with your book.

Granite Bay, CA
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