The Reader Connection: Are You a Troper?

Friday, May 31, 2024

Are You a Troper?

by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA

What is a troper? With apologies to Mr. Webster, a troper is a reader or writer who chooses her fiction according to tropes. Readers choose what they read based on their tropes of preference, and writers choose what they write based on their tropes of preference.

Well, what is a trope?

A trope is a common plot device used within a particular fiction genre. For example, a happy ending is a trope for a novel in the romance genre, while a dead body is a trope for a novel in the mystery genre.

Let's focus on romance, for example. The romance genre has several possible tropes. Here are a few:

__Enemies Become Lovers
__Second-Chance Romance
__Belated Love Epiphany
__The Love Triangle
__The InstaLove Trope (Or Love-at-First-Sight Trope)

Tropes set up and fulfill reader expectations. Certain readers are partial to certain tropes and will seek out stories that employ those tropes. When expectations are fulfilled, readers are happy.

Writers need to be aware of the tropes of the genre in which they write and use those tropes skillfully. Knowing one's tropes of preference makes the job of matching writer to reader much easier.

Now it's your turn? What is your favorite genre, and what are your favorite tropes within that genre?

ONLY A FEW DAYS LEFT IN MY HUGE SALE! My special ebook sale is fast coming to a close. Until the end of May, all of my novels are available in ebook format for only $4.99. That's less than the price of your favorite latte. Don't miss out on this big sale! This is the last time I will be offering it for a good while. As of June 1st, prices will go back up to $9.99 per book. So, check out the list below and click on the cover to purchase. You may also wish to purchase some as gifts for the fiction readers in your life while the sale is still on.

Click on the book cover to purchase.

NOTE: The Italian Chronicles is a compilation in a single volume of all three of the following novels in the trilogy: The Madonna of Pisano, A Sicilian Farewell, and Return to Bella Terra. So, when you purchase The Italian Chronicles, be aware that you are purchasing all three books in the trilogy.