My Author Tropes

When you read a Rick Riordan book, you expect a wonderful mix of mythology and the modern world, paired with amazing humor. When you read a Suzanne Collins book, you expect heartbreak at every turn. But what should you expect when you read one of my books? That's what we're looking at today.

Technically, this is an idea I got from Faith, who did a very similar post. It was such a cool idea, I couldn't help copying it. Like genres, all authors have their own tropes, so I thought it would be interesting to see what mine are.

Personal character arcs

I find that a lot of my character's arcs tend to come out as reflections of my own personal problems. I guess it's sort of a way for me to work through things. Writing therapy one could say. And no, I won't say what exactly, but suffice to say most of their arcs have meaning for me.

Fantasy worlds

I love building my own worlds. There's nothing like creating a new world that can be anything you want. Wonderland, however, has to be my favorite so far. How can you compete with that? Even taking our world and changing it can be fun.

Fabulous girl characters

If there are girls in my novels, you better believe they're probably awesome. I don't like strong female characters, but that doesn't mean I can't make girl characters that are feisty and sassy and sweet and love pretty clothes. To me, both genders should have full representation and be as real as possible.

Sweet boys

Not all my boys are this way, but a lot of mine tend to come out as sweet little cinnamon rolls somehow. They want the girls they like to be happy and try their hardest to make them that way. They'll also defend them to the end, which I think is very important.

Pieces of myself

To go along with the first point, I often find a small piece of myself written into my characters and themes. I think every author does this at one point or another. This character has my introvert nature, while this one has my sense of humor. It's just interesting to notice.

Awesome secondary characters

Anybody else write secondary or minor characters they love so much that they wish they could have their own novels? Yeah, me too. I love giving my side characters their own personalities and arcs and problems, which I think helps add depth. And then I also write a character that comes in for one scene that I wish I could bring in the rest of my novel.

Variety of genres

Like in my reading, I don't just stick to one genre of writing. I write mostly fantasy, but I've also done some sci-fi, steampunk, and contemporary. I think it's good for a writer to play around with different writing genres and styles, because you might find you love writing something you didn't think you would.

Happy endings

I've talked about this before, but I hate sad endings. Thus, all my stories have happy endings. I don't force it, but I try to make circumstances so you're always left with a peaceful feeling. I don't want to write any other type of ending, because I need it as much as other people do.

Austen-esque coupling

If I do decide to write romance in my novels, which is sort of rare, then you better believe that everyone will end up with everyone else. I don't want anyone to feel left out of the love. They may not end up married, but they won't be alone. (Except poor Roderick. But it was his choice to leave.)

What author tropes do you have? Do you do any of these things? Tell me in the comments.

Suggested Posts:

My Writing Inspirations

5 of My Writing Strengths and Insecurities