How to breathe life into a trope (so it never feels cliché)

Tropes often get a bad rap. We hear terms like “tropey” or “predictable” and instantly assume something has gone wrong. But tropes themselves aren’t the problem—it’s how they’re used.

In this post, I’m diving into how to use tropes intentionally and creatively, so they add depth and energy to your story, rather than making it feel stale.

We’ll explore:

• The difference between a trope and a cliché

• How to subvert reader expectations

• Exercises to twist tropes in your current work-in-progress

• Fresh examples of classic tropes done right

  
  

What’s the difference between a trope and a cliché?

Let’s get this straight: A trope is a familiar storytelling element that helps orient readers and set expectations. A cliché is an overused or lazy version of a trope—one that lacks originality, surprise, or emotional depth.

Think of a trope as a creative container. A cliché is a copy of a copy of that container.

Example:

• Trope: Enemies to lovers

• Cliché: Two characters hate each other until one gets a makeover, and now—without any actual emotional change—they’re suddenly in love.

Tropes serve your story. Clichés drag it down. Knowing the difference helps you decide what to keep and what to twist.

How to subvert reader expectations

Subverting a trope doesn’t mean doing the opposite. It means surprising the reader while still delivering emotional satisfaction.

Here are a few ways to breathe new life into a trope:

1. Change the emotional payoff

What if your "chosen one" isn’t the one who saves the world—but instead helps someone else rise to the occasion?

2. Add complexity

What if your vampire isn’t haunted by immortality—but their human partner is?

3. Shift the point of view

What happens if the story is told by the monster, not the hero? The sidekick, not the main character?

4. Introduce consequences

Faking a relationship for laughs? What if it ruins someone’s career or breaks a real friendship?

5. Blend genres

Turn your cozy small-town romance into a paranormal mystery. Let your romantic comedy include a crime subplot. Tropes get exciting when they meet each other in unexpected ways.

Surprise is powerful—but it should still serve the core emotional arc of your story.

Try this: twist-the-trope writing exercises

If you’re working on a current project, use these prompts to reimagine familiar patterns:

• Reverse the power dynamic: Is your character in control of the situation (hero, vampire, detective)? Flip it. What happens when they lose that power?

• Swap the setting: How would your story play out in a radically different place—like underwater, on another planet, or in a virtual reality game?

• Reassign the role: What if the "best friend" is the real villain? What if the “final girl” doesn’t make it, and someone unexpected steps into the lead?

• Mash two tropes together: Combine “reluctant hero” with “fake dating.” Or “found family” with “locked-room mystery.” New combinations = new story possibilities.

Examples of fresh takes on familiar tropes

Let’s look at how authors are twisting common tropes in brilliant ways:

The vampire trope

• The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix: A vampire moves into a suburban neighborhood, preying on the overlooked. The story explores misogyny, power, and violence—all through a fresh lens.

• Fledgling by Octavia Butler: A young amnesiac discovers she’s part of a genetically modified vampire species. This story tackles race, consent, and identity in a wholly unique way.

  
  

Love triangles

• The Selection by Kiera Cass: A competition to marry a prince combines the love triangle with dystopian politics and class conflict.

• Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: This political enemies-to-lovers romance adds global stakes, queer representation, and family legacy into the traditional romantic arc.

  
  

The unreliable narrator

• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: You’re not just being lied to—you’re being played. This isn’t a twist for shock’s sake. It redefines your entire understanding of the story.

• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart: This YA psychological thriller uses memory loss to create an emotional gut-punch that only works because of the way the trope is handled with care.

  
  

make it yours

Tropes become clichés only when used without intention. But when you understand them—and bend them to your will—they become storytelling gold.

Start by asking:

• What do I love about this trope?

• What frustrates me about it?

• What would my version of it look like?

The best stories don’t ignore tropes. They embrace them, twist them, and make them personal.

Up next: how clichés happen (and how to avoid them)

In next week’s post, we’ll explore what happens when tropes go too far and slip into cliché. We’ll talk about:

• Common clichés in fiction

• How to identify one in your own work

• Strategies for rewriting clichés into stronger scenes

• What readers really mean when they say “this feels cliché”

Until then, keep writing boldly. Your twist is what readers are waiting for.