I have spent
most of the past week rereading Clouds Over Bishop Hill, my first cozy
mystery, looking for signs that my two main characters, protagonist Shelley and
tow truck driver Michael, were doing more than a little superficial flirting.
In the process
I found a list of 150 Romance Tropes. I believe that the list uses a modern
definition of “trope” and not just different figures of speech, such as puns,
similes, and metaphors. More in the vein of an overused theme or device.
I didn’t
have to look far. There it was on the first page, “Old enemies from school.”
In my defense
I had to throw Shelley and Michael together often to advance the plot and the
important themes I wanted to explore. And I do love writing witty dialogue (my
opinion here). So, to develop these characters, did I go too far? It wasn’t my
intention to write a romance.
The mystery
had to come first. I wanted to learn plotting. I wanted to work with the themes
of preservation and community, family and career, past mistakes and
forgiveness. Those sound more like conflicts than themes. Indeed, I’m told that
conflict is at the heart of good storytelling. But what is my story and what is
the subplot?
In going
through Evie Alexander’s list of 150 romantic tropes I picked out ten that I’ve
used in my writing without really spending an inordinate amount of time or thought
on the consequences. Serendipity? Perhaps. But it gives me something to discuss
with the REAL romance writers, Misty Urban and Kitty Bardot, when we gather at
the BREWED BOOK on Saturday, Feb 10th, from 1-3 p.m.
Join us if
you can.
Check out: https://thebrewedbook.com/
