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My Opinions on Book Tropes – Part 4 (last part!)

Final part, 4 more tropes to go, let’s get into it!

Opposites Attract

This one is very similar to the Grumpy x Sunshine trope from a couple posts ago, but this is a little more vague and can be all kinds of different dynamics of relationships: City/Country, Tall/Short, Mischivous/Always Follows Rules, etc. I love these dynamics, but again, we need to pay attention to make these healthy relationships. I’m gonna give it the same rating as my Grumpy x Sunshine, a nice rounded 8/10 instead of a 7 because this one has more opportunity.

Villain to Love Interest

Correct me in the comments if I’m wrong, but isn’t this the definition of the “I can change him” trope? Like: “the villain’s hot and yeah they’ve done some bad things but like… I’m sure there’s good underneath?”

Not in terms of the Luke/Darth Vader dynamic from Star Wars, that’s a different story entirely.

So here’s my verdict. If there’s a protagonist who thinks they can ‘fix the villain’ and ruin their mental health over it, then that’s a problem and I don’t like that.

HOWEVER: If the villain realises they’re the villain and want to fix themselves and make the effort (kinda like Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, he’s not a villain but he does become a better person of his own accord). That’s a better version of that trope.

I’m going to give this trope a solid 7/10.

Fake Dating

This is very similar to the “Marriage of Convenience” except it’s in the “lesser” stages, so to speak (you date before marriage, most of the time, right?).

I think this one also has an aspect of manipulation because people are trying to trick others that they’re dating but they’re not… I don’t know what to think about that.

I think I’m going to give this a little higher rating as the “Marriage of Convenience”, a nice 6/10. I don’t have a solid reason, this just feels right.

The Infamous One Bed Trope

ALRIGHT. The trope you’ve all probably been waiting for…

I think it’s funny that it’s taken such a big place in thte literary space. Everyone on the book/fandom side of the internet knows about this trope. And I find it more funny than anything else.

If I come across this trope in a book, I’ll close it for a second, start laughing, and tell myself “Oh of course it’s the one bed trope” before continuing to read. I think it’s hilarious.

So in terms of concept and in terms of what this trope means for a story? I don’t know how much it actually adds to a story, but probably I would give it a 7/10. Maybe 6.5. But in terms of funny, and in terms of the moment of laughter it gives me when I read, it’s an 11/10. You probably can’t change my mind.

And that’s all! Long list of tropes, I’m so glad you’ve read all the way to the end, and leave a comment below if I’ve missed any tropes in this four-part series!

Subscribe so you can see future posts as they come out!

Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska

Posted on by Catherine

My Opinions on Book Tropes – Part 3

Part 3, let’s go!

Soulmates

I’ll be completely honest, I don’t read very many books with this trope, and I guess I can sort of see the appeal? Maybe like, if they’re soulmates but something else is keeping them apart? I’m not the biggest fan of this because it makes me think of star-struck lovers and stuff like that, and while I like romance, that’s not my vibe.

Alternatively, NON-ROMANTIC SOULMATES? Like a found-family type situation, or a best friend situation, or like academic partners, business partners, when you take a soulmate trope and flip it over and take the romance out, that takes the cake. So I’m going to rate this 8/10 for the non-romantic version, the 2 points are docked for cringy romance.

Not that I have anything against romance!!! Just… not like that.

Love Triangle

…look.

Katniss/Peeta/Gale. Jacob/Bella/Edward. All these love triangles that are so loved in our fictional world are just two guys who are fighting over the girl (and often, both options aren’t great).

“What if it’s an LGBTQ+ love triangle of sorts?”

I don’t like love triangles. Easy as that. I get the conflict, I get the appeal of “ooh, who’s he/she/they gonna pick??” but it’s not for me. It’s also often either predictable or disappointing.

I’m not gonna give it a 0/10 because sometimes (albeit rarely) they’re written well. So I’ll say 2/10.

Found Family

YES. YES, YES, YES.

I write found family, I read found family, I LOVE this trope so much. It’s the caring for someone without it being romantic, it’s the making the choice to stay with this person, it’s so sweet and sometimes, platonic relationships are even better than the romantic ones.

Of course there’s drama, of course there’s conflict, but that comes from any relationship. I think there needs to be more platonic relationships in fiction. I said what I said.

(If you love it too, check out my book, Scarred)

10/10. 10000/10. Whatever amazing rating I can give it.

Marriage of Convenience

For me, this one’s 50/50. I don’t like the initial “oh, I have to get married to this person for XYZ reason, and they’re maybe good-looking or maybe not but I don’t like them” but then they reveal their soft side and all of a sudden they’re attractive, and then they actually fall in love, etc. Boring.

But then when you dig deeper, and you find different reasons for this marriage, or if there’s other conflicts involved, that’s when it gets interesting. I think for this, and for a lot of tropes, its most basic form isn’t the most interesting. What makes it good is when someone can figure out unique ways to interpret this trope and make it different and special.

5/10. It’s not my favourite, but it’s not bad.

“I’m Supposed To Kill You”

Mostly in fantasy or sci-fi, it’s when one person is tasked to kill another and they find they can’t do it because they’re in love or some other reason. I think it’s an interesting trope because it comes with pre-packaged conflict (in a manner of speaking). I don’t feel any particular way towards this trope except I know it can get pretty spicy! I don’t really read this trope much, but there you go.

I’m gonna give this a 7.5/10. Pretty solid trope. Probably wouldn’t use it, but I enjoy reading it from time to time.

Part 4 coming soon!

Do you agree with my opinions? Disagree? Let me know in the comments!

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Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska

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My Opinions on Book Tropes – Part 2

Alright let’s get right into this!

Grumpy x Sunshine

I think this is a very great trope but I will admit there is a way this is done right and a way it’s done wrong. If it’s used as someone leeching the other’s spirit, or being toxically positive, then that’s when the relationship is unhealthy and I would ‘nope’ out of a book. Also I don’t like seeing the sunshiney character being babied or being patronized, treated like they’re inferior or inadequate because of their optimism.

The way it’s done right is when the grumpy has a tough exterior but a soft and caring and charismatic interior, and the sunshiney one has more value as a character, and is more defined and has more depth than just being a happy-go-lucky character. Of course this is one way it can be done right and I’m sure there are many more, but overall I’d give this trope a 7/10. Maybe an 8.

Enemies to Lovers

There’s a big divide on the internet about Enemies to Lovers versus Friends to Lovers, and I am definitely on the Enemies to Lovers side.

I love the idea of meeting someone new, starting off maybe on the wrong foot, and then figuring out where you stand with each other (pun sort of intended?) and making things up to each other in the end, figuring out everyone’s true selves despite the bad first start, and the drama and tension that comes with Enemies to Lovers is so perfect and intriguing!

This is a 10/10 trope, but there is a problem with it when it condones toxic behaviour, or is controlling, or any other bad behaviour is glorified with the label of “Enemies To Lovers”. Generally, though, awesome trope.

Right Person, Wrong Time

I’ll be completely honest, I haven’t read very many books with this, or really come into contact with this trope much, but I love the idea, but not in the moment, I love when it comes back to haunt the characters later. Say, they bump into their old love when they’re older, in different stages of life, etc.

I recently watched “Almost, Maine”, a play by my local theatre, and it was mostly made of small romantic vignettes, and it was so cute! This one scene that I think featured this trope was when there was this one woman and she was proposed to when she was younger, and then she went out into the world without answering, and then she came back years later to accept the proposal, and then the man she loved was already married to another woman, it was so cute and so sad.

9/10 trope only because of “Almost, Maine”, you guys did amazing and I have a new love for the trope.

Friends to Lovers

As mentioned before, I am on the Enemies to Lovers side of this debate. However, I can appreciate the Friend to Lovers trope, with the pining, and the wondering “where is the line, how do I be careful so as not to ruin the relationship, do they feel the same”, etc.

However since the relationship of friends is already established, it brings it a couple points down. I like when you have to establish the relationship throughout the book.

I’ve read some Friends to Lovers books and they were really good, but it’s not my trope of choice to write or read.

6/10 trope, very good, I get the appeal, but not my vibe.

Slow Burn

Who doesn’t like a slow burn? Gotta be careful that it’s not too slow or it gets boring, there needs to be PROGRESS over the course of the book. I haven’t read a very good slow burn in a long time but I love this trope, and while I don’t write it very much, I think it definitely works to build tension.

8.5/10 trope.

Age Gap

…no. Sorry.

0/10.

Tragic Past

Yes. Very much so yes. Not so much that I love the trauma that these characters endure but I love how it makes me empathise and it’s very effective as a trope. I use it a lot, I read a lot of authors who use this trope, and it’s very much used in fantasy or in sci-fi and it’s beautiful.

9.5/10 trope because I don’t like when people hurt characters. Me as a writer? Sure, I’ll give my characters a tragic past. Me as a reader? Don’t hurt that character or I will come for your bones (this is a joke, for legal reasons).

We’re done! Part 3 to come, I just don’t know when.

Do you agree with my opinions? Disagree? Let me know in the comments!

Subscribe so you can see future posts as they come out!

Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska

Posted on by Catherine

My Opinions On Book Tropes – Part 1

If you’ve been on the book-ternet for long enough, you’ll hear ‘tropes’ being discussed a lot. If you don’t know what a trope is, essentially it’s a literary device (such as figure of speech, character dynamic, etc) that’s used so much that it becomes recognizable.

This is a post I’ve been wanting to make for a while because I think it’s going to be both really fun and a tad bit controversial. Let’s begin, shall we?

“I Hate Everyone But You”

Starting off strong! This trope is often featured in fantasy, with the main character’s love interest having a mean disposition and having a hard time getting attached to people, but finally falling for the main character, while at the same time still despising everybody else.

I can see why this is appealing. The main character is now someone even more special, and because this is often tied to moments of vulnerability when the love interest explains why they’re always so mean/rude, the emotional aspect of this is very obvious.

For me, this trope only works if written well. I think there are things that can really bog down this trope and make it not work as much, like for example if the love interest says/does something really bad and the main character forgives way too fast just so that the romance can move forward.

All in all, this trope is a solid 5/10 because it’s exactly half and half. I don’t hate it, but it’s not my favourite, and I’m pretty picky considering this trope.

Academic Rivals

I LOVE this trope. This is the perfect set up for banter, competition, tension (romantic or not), and a story that keeps you on your toes as well as keeping the characters on theirs. Works great with really any genre: sci-fi, fantasy, realistic fiction, dystopia, romance, you name it!

It also more-or-less requires there to be some sort of academia vibes, whether it be in a historical period, a science lab, a library, or anything else of that sort.

I don’t think I can say much more. I love this trope to no end. 10/10.

Forbidden Love

Ah yes, the classic Romeo-and-Juliet situation where they’re in love but there’s something stopping them from being together. This is a beautiful trope. The determination, the tension, the secrecy, the way it makes the reader feel smart because they know something that some of the characters don’t… it’s a beautifully crafted trope that tugs at the heartstrings.

This one also works in almost any genre, which is great!

I love this trope because it brings about slow-burn romance and the burning question throughout that is ‘Will they end up together?’.

This is a beautiful trope, and while it’s not my ultimate favourite, it’s a great one. 8/10.

First Love

I like this trope. It’s the trope where one character is falling in love with someone for the first time, and they have to navigate the feelings and troubles associated with that.

I think the intrigue of it comes with the feelings of getting to experience new feelings that you haven’t before, and explore a new side of yourself, which for a teenager/young adult would be a very interesting topic to read about.

I think it’s a great trope but it doesn’t hold a special place in my heart. I’d give it a 6.5/10.

Miscommunication

I hate this trope with a burning passion.

I know it adds tension. I know it causes conflict. But it seems like the ‘easy way out’, and it can be avoided SO EASILY just by talking about it. Maybe the ‘talking about it’ includes the main character admitting they were eavesdropping, and they don’t want to admit it because it’ll make things worse. But still, at least there won’t be any bottling up of negativity ruining relationships.

Basically the miscommunication trope is just a bunch of easily avoided problems haphazardly thrown in to make conflict that did not need to be there.

0/10.

Love At First Sight

In all honesty, this trope feels unrealistic.

I get having a crush at first sight (‘oh, I just saw this person and I think they’re really cute/hot/beautiful, etc) but I think that true love at first sight doesn’t exist and more often than not does not work out for the long run.

I do love romance, but I prefer a little bit of believability when it comes to relationships, and it doesn’t even matter the genre I’m in.

It’s a good start, but I don’t think it can sustain a whole book.

I’ll give it a 5/10.

Childhood Friends to Lovers

This one is a hit or miss for me. I like reading romance when there’s a stage of ‘getting to know one another’ and if the two characters have been childhood friends, never separated and know everything about each other, then one falls in love with the other, that stage is missing. The feelings and conflict is more about ‘what if they don’t like me and the friendship is ruined’ and for me that doesn’t pack as much of a punch for me.

But for example, if they’ve been friends when they were children, then grew up and went their own way before bumping into each other again… THAT just hits different.

So while this is a 50/50 hit-or-miss trope for me, I’m ranking it pretty high since the V2 of this trope is such a beautiful chef’s-kiss type trope. 7/10.

And there we have it for our Part 1 of my opinions on book tropes! I will have part 2 sometime soon. Thanks for reading, and if you’ve gotten this far, don’t forget to leave a like and comment down below what your opinions are! Do you agree? Disagree?

Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments!

Subscribe so you can see future posts as they come out!

Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska

Posted on by Catherine

My Writing Ritual

Every writer has those special things that they do before writing: whether it is to get them in the proper inspired mood or if it’s just something to make the experience special.

Today I am going to share my special routine/ritual that I do before writing. Every writer has their own routine, and I’m sharing this so you guys can get an insight into my process and also maybe to inspire you to create your own routine as well!

Location

I always write in more or less the same spot: my desk. I write best in the evening when it’s dark but I don’t want to be staring at a bright screen when my surroundings are dark, so I turn on a small lamp that I have beside me and it lights up the space pretty well.

Lights/Atmosphere

I have LED strips going around my closet doors, and each colour represents something different. Normally I know what type of scene I’m going to write, so that helps me decide what kind of lighting I should put. Turning on my LEDs is the first thing I do in my writing process.

Red lights are put on for battle scenes or arguments: any time when anger or very strong energetic emotions are at play.

I use green light (or sometimes light blue) for calm, nature-y scenes. Green is for when the emotion is relaxed and serene.

However, dark blue light is for sad scenes: death, or moments of vulnerability, or anytime when there could be tears.

I use a variety of different colours depending on the moment: yellows, oranges, purples, but the three on top are the most common light colours I use. (I rarely ever use the rainbow function on my LEDs… maybe for celebration/victory scenes? That’s an idea…)

Music and Sounds

I use two different platforms for my auditory atmosphere. I use YouTube as well as Ambient Mixer.

YouTube has a bunch of different classical/ambient playlists that can last from a half-hour to over ten hours. My favourite channel is called nobody and they have lots of playlists that range from energetic to white noise, and I love it. My current listen is called ‘you’re listening to the moon sing for 10 hours, 17 minutes, and 10 seconds’. I’m about halfway through, but paired with Ambient Mixer soundscapes, it makes a truly great experience.

My next step after this playlist (or any other YouTube playlist I’m using) is to put on an Ambient Mixer soundscape. Sometimes these soundscapes have music, sometimes they don’t. Another thing that’s great about Ambient Mixer is that if there’s one particular sound (for example, a scraping of some sort) that you don’t like, but everything else in that soundscape you do like, you can change it out for something else, or even mute it! You have complete control over what sounds you hear, how often, and even how loud or soft certain sounds are! It’s also completely free to use.

My current favourite is called ‘Sleepy coffee shop on a rainy day’.

Food/Drink

I typically don’t eat while I’m writing but I do make sure I’m fed. I enjoy drinking tea while I write but sometimes if I forget the tea is there and I’m absorbed into my writing it can get cold faster than I’d like it to…

A small update on Scarred:

The publication date is set to April 15th! I will share the cover design as soon as I can but from what I know so far it is super cute!

And that’s all! Thank you so much for reading! Subscribe so you can see future posts as they come out, and leave a comment and tell me what your writing routine is, if you have one of course! 🙂

Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska