5 TROPES I WILL NEVER WRITE
I think I did a piece about tropes that I love to write, and if so you can find it here. But I thought that today I would dive into five tropes that I will never write. It's not, necessarily, that these are 'bad' tropes, though some of them make me wary of reading, but they are ones that just don't jive with the way I write, or with what I want to read. I will say that some of these are a never say never, while others are very much a hard nope, not happening!
So let's dive into it!
#1 DISABLED BETTER OFF DEAD
I think it's pretty clear why I don't like this one, and why I will never ever write it. This isn't a maybe, it's a hard no. I don't know if it's something that a lot of non-disabled people realise but to be told, again and again, as a disabled person, that I am better off dead, especially in fiction, especially in romance stories or love stories, it's heartbreaking and just does not appeal to me at all. I feel like it's a dangerous narrative to put out in the world, especially with the way things are politically right now.
#2 MAGICALLY CURED DISABILITY
This is, again, another hard no from me. While I understand that sometimes there are cures, and sometimes people want to be cured, the idea that no disability exists in this world because magic, just rubs me the wrong way. I don't want to be telling teens with disabilities that the only way they'll have a happy ending is if they have a part of themselves removed in a way that is not possible in our world. Can you see the issue with that? Can you see how disheartening and devastating that is? But this is not something I will ever look at writing.
#3 ENEMIES TO LOVERS
This is one of the ones that it's a case of never say never, but it's never really worked for me. It might be that I've just never read the right version of it, but I don't feel like if someone is your real enemy, how you can forgive and forget the horrible things they've done to fall in love with them. Hell, sometimes the love interest is so terrible that it ruins the whole thing for me, and my want is to get the poor MC away from the bad person. So yeah, never been something I've written, or want to write.
#4 LOVE TRIANGLE
This is one that also has a caveat on it. I think when I've read it, both of the options have sucked. Like don't choose either one of them. And I know it can be done well, and so if I did write it, I would hope to do that. But I've never had a situation where I've felt like a love triangle works. I've had characters in a relationship break up and move on, but I've not had someone there trying to decide which one to choose. It just doesn't vibe with me, and that's fine, but maybe if I found a way to pull it off, I might give it a go, it's just not my first choice.
#5 DISABLED AREN'T WORTHY OF LOVE
This is a hard no for me. I don't like books where everyone pairs off but the disabled character because who wants to fall in love with a disabled person? It leaves a bad taste in my mouth and it makes me wonder if people realise just how hurtful that is. Since I write YA, I don't want to be perpetuating the idea that disabled people can't be loved romantically and don't deserve to have someone. It just doesn't work. I know a lot of disabled people who are very much happily in a relationship, and to try and show otherwise is out dated and just borderline cruel.
So there we go, those are my five tropes that I will never write. Some, like I said, are a if it happens, okay, but the majority are nopes from me.
Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!
I think I did a piece about tropes that I love to write, and if so you can find it here. But I thought that today I would dive into five tropes that I will never write. It's not, necessarily, that these are 'bad' tropes, though some of them make me wary of reading, but they are ones that just don't jive with the way I write, or with what I want to read. I will say that some of these are a never say never, while others are very much a hard nope, not happening!
So let's dive into it!
#1 DISABLED BETTER OFF DEAD
I think it's pretty clear why I don't like this one, and why I will never ever write it. This isn't a maybe, it's a hard no. I don't know if it's something that a lot of non-disabled people realise but to be told, again and again, as a disabled person, that I am better off dead, especially in fiction, especially in romance stories or love stories, it's heartbreaking and just does not appeal to me at all. I feel like it's a dangerous narrative to put out in the world, especially with the way things are politically right now.
#2 MAGICALLY CURED DISABILITY
This is, again, another hard no from me. While I understand that sometimes there are cures, and sometimes people want to be cured, the idea that no disability exists in this world because magic, just rubs me the wrong way. I don't want to be telling teens with disabilities that the only way they'll have a happy ending is if they have a part of themselves removed in a way that is not possible in our world. Can you see the issue with that? Can you see how disheartening and devastating that is? But this is not something I will ever look at writing.
#3 ENEMIES TO LOVERS
This is one of the ones that it's a case of never say never, but it's never really worked for me. It might be that I've just never read the right version of it, but I don't feel like if someone is your real enemy, how you can forgive and forget the horrible things they've done to fall in love with them. Hell, sometimes the love interest is so terrible that it ruins the whole thing for me, and my want is to get the poor MC away from the bad person. So yeah, never been something I've written, or want to write.
#4 LOVE TRIANGLE
This is one that also has a caveat on it. I think when I've read it, both of the options have sucked. Like don't choose either one of them. And I know it can be done well, and so if I did write it, I would hope to do that. But I've never had a situation where I've felt like a love triangle works. I've had characters in a relationship break up and move on, but I've not had someone there trying to decide which one to choose. It just doesn't vibe with me, and that's fine, but maybe if I found a way to pull it off, I might give it a go, it's just not my first choice.
#5 DISABLED AREN'T WORTHY OF LOVE
This is a hard no for me. I don't like books where everyone pairs off but the disabled character because who wants to fall in love with a disabled person? It leaves a bad taste in my mouth and it makes me wonder if people realise just how hurtful that is. Since I write YA, I don't want to be perpetuating the idea that disabled people can't be loved romantically and don't deserve to have someone. It just doesn't work. I know a lot of disabled people who are very much happily in a relationship, and to try and show otherwise is out dated and just borderline cruel.
So there we go, those are my five tropes that I will never write. Some, like I said, are a if it happens, okay, but the majority are nopes from me.
Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!
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