Let’s face it: we all have our pet peeves when it comes to the worst tropes ever. Those tropes that seem to show up everywhere and make us want to gouge our eyes from our sockets because why do they always do this? I’ve been reading and writing long enough that I’ve got a long list of what I consider to be the worst tropes, and I’m more than happy to share my pain with you.
Now take note that absolutely any trope can be done well. I mean that sincerely. There’s nothing that delights me more than stumbling across a tired old trope that’s executed so well that I completely forgive it for sneaking into the book I’m reading. Great writers can make familiar ideas feel fresh in the best way.
And yet! I still have my list. The list of worst tropes I can NEVER seem to enjoy because they’re just so terrible every . . . single . . . time. So if you’re curious to compare your trope pet peeves with mine, here are eleven of the absolute worst tropes ever (based solely on my opinion) that I’d be happy to never encounter again:
Trope #1: The Boring Main Character
Of all the worst tropes, this one irks me the most. I swear that 60% of books suffer from bland main character syndrome because most authors are writing a wish-fulfillment fantasy of themselves. And there’s no quicker path to writing a boring protagonist. Worse still, blah main characters are often surrounded by a star-studded cast of funny, unique, and compelling side-characters. The author just picked the worst person to be the main POV and spends the whole book trying to convince us that the protagonist is actually special. And likeable. You see it too, right?! No. None of us see it. In fact I just dumped your book like I will with all books in which the main character sucks.
Trope #2: The Absentee/Stupid Parents
On my list of worst tropes, this one goes a bit past annoying because I genuinely think it’s a bad message to send to young readers. This is the trope in which all adults are stupid, clueless, out of touch, and/or barely present in the story. And whenever they do drop in, they mess things up or cause drama for teen characters. I understand where this trope comes from. Yes, teens and kids want freedom from their guardians, and growing up is an important theme in children’s fiction. I just really hate giving kids the message that adults don’t know what they’re talking about and don’t care about them when in reality, most adults will have your back if you just tell them what’s going on. Give me more stories with strong relationships between kids and parental guardians!
Trope #3: Love Stories that Glamorize Infidelity
Argh, I hate this one. I hate this one so much. Think about it, how often do you see characters who are already in committed relationships meet each other and fall desperately in love because they’re just perfect for each other and therefore we should overlook the fact that THEY ARE CHEATING. If someone is unsatisfied in their relationship and wants to explore something new, just break up already! Stories that specifically explore the consequences of infidelity are important, but stories that show infidelity magically “working out” and actively encourage readers to root for characters to be unfaithful? Definitely one of the worst tropes ever.
Trope #4: Plots that Would Evaporate if People Would Just Communicate
This. THIS. If one conversation would instantly eliminate all conflict and end the story in five minutes, I hate to break it to you: your story is lazy and bad. Seriously, why do characters just refuse to talk to each other? If there’s a really compelling reason why people aren’t talking or they’re being masterfully manipulated by a super evil antagonist who’s trying to tear them apart, that I can get on board with. But if one character speaking one sentence out loud is all it takes to resolve your story? We have a problem, Houston.
Trope #5: The Dark, Angsty Love Interest
I’m looking at you, Edward Cullen. Seriously though, Twilight mainstreamed one of the absolute worst tropes in my humble opinion by making angsty love interests the bee’s knees. Bad boys have always been popular in fiction (and in real life unfortunately). But these days? I feel like it’s impossible to find a YA novel without a love interest who is stoic, tortured by his tragic past, spends his days angsting in dark rooms, and constantly complains about how hard his life is. Even female love interests often fall into this trope, and it’s annoying. Like, I get the intrigue of angsty people, but can’t we subvert expectations for once and fall for someone who smiles and jokes around? Please?
Trope #6: Child and Teen Characters Who Talk Like Pretentious Adults
Oooooooo I HATE this one with a passion. If you’re going to write a six-year-old into your book, write them like an actual six-year-old and definitely don’t have them be a fount of epic poetry and legitimate life advice. I don’t know what most authors are thinking when they toss children into their stories who act and talk nothing like children. Similarly, I get frustrated when people write groups of teen friends WAY too old and they all just sound like college students and understand all kinds of things about life that teens . . . just don’t care about. If you want to write about adults, write adult fiction and just let YA be YA.
Trope #7: Big Bad Antagonists Who Lose through Pure Procrastination
Seriously. How many big climaxes have you read or watched where the villain starts monologuing about their victorious prowess and gives the hero the perfect opportunity to stab them in the eye? Or talks just long enough for backup to arrive? Or how about the bad guy giving the hero “one last chance” to defeat them, aaaaaaaaaaand wow the good guys just won. Because the villain is an idiot. I’m sorry, but I have no respect for bad guys who waste time instead of shooting their shot. Kill the rats while they’re down and shed no tears, Evil One!
Trope #8: “Strong” Female Characters Who Are Really Just Men in Skirts or Sex Objects
I could write an entire book on this subject, and I probably should. But I am so, SO tired of fake strong women. You know the type I’m talking about. Too many authors—often of the male persuasion—need to produce a strong female character stat and end up going in one of two directions: either she becomes a stoic warrior princess with no personality, or she’s a sexy young thing who manifests her strength by being the resident sex object in the story. Uuuuuuuuugh WHY? Why do people feel the need to make women “strong” by handing them a sword or making them outrageously hot? NEITHER of these things are empowering, and I’m so tired of reading these fake renditions of femininity everywhere.
Trope #9: Plain Jane Heroines Who Also Have Fifty Love Interests
No. I will not accept this. Yes, girls are super insecure, and I acknowledge that even the top 10% of women are hard on themselves and think they’re ugly on occasion. But the whole “she just doesn’t realize she’s pretty” is NOT a thing. Women know if guys like them or not. Actual plain Jane shy girls are lucky to get male attention or—gasp!—an actual date like once a year. Girls who walk into a new environment and have guys buzzing all around them are not hurting for male attention. Actual mousy girls complain that guys don’t like them whereas girls who get constant attention complain that the right guys aren’t asking them out. And they’re never plain.
Trope #10. Tragic Backstories that Are Only Mentioned Once
Sure, tragic backstories are a dime a dozen, but if it factors into a character’s journey and temperament, I’m on board for that. But when the author tacks on a tragic backstory that never factors into the plot, never really seems to affect the character, and is only mentioned once to garner cheap sympathy? That’s just a no for me, and it happens way too frequently. If you think killing off a hero’s parents somehow makes him unique and relatable . . . yeah, that’s also one of the worst tropes ever. We’ve all heard this stuff before. And it’s not interesting.
Trope #11: The Newbie Saving the World
How often do we read or watch stories about some obnoxiously normal person falling into a new world and learning they’re The Chosen One? Then they spend their story learning how to fight or do magic or take on some complicated new skill from a famous mentor. Or enlist an entire team of experts who’ve been fighting, doing magic, or perfecting their craft for decades or centuries only to waste their time teaching the newbie how to do this. Because the Big Bad Guy is going to destroy the world unless the person with the least amount of experience here stops them! Because PROPHECIES. Yeah. You know how painfully common this is, so let’s all make a joint decision for this trope to die. Please and thank you. ❧
