One of the first (and most important) stages of the hero’s journey is the call to adventure. It happens when the hero first confronts something outside the experience of his ordinary world that beacons him to leave it. It overlaps closely with the inciting incident, and marks the point at which the hero’s journey begins. However,… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: The Call to Adventure
Tag: Trope Tuesday
Trope Tuesday: The Hero’s Journey
For the next few Trope Tuesday posts, I’m going to pick apart one of my favorite story patterns, the monomyth or “hero’s journey.” Other tropes come and go, but the hero’s journey is truly timeless. If you can get it to work for you, it can do wonders for your ability to understand and tell… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: The Hero’s Journey
Trope Tuesday: Accidental Marriage
When it comes to weddings, most of us like to plan things out in advance. It’s not uncommon for couples to spend years figuring each other out before they finally tie the knot. So what happens when you wake up one morning and find yourself married by accident to a complete and total stranger? This… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Accidental Marriage
Trope Tuesday: Deus Ex Machina
This one is by request. A Deus Ex Machina, or “God from the Machine” ending, is basically when the author writes himself into a corner and pulls something out of his butt to resolve the story. The term comes from ancient Greek theater, which often employed this technique–probably because the audience was known to get violent… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Deus Ex Machina
Trope Tuesday: Dreaming of Things to Come
When a character in a story has a dream, there’s almost certainly a reason for it. If it’s not thrown in just to show how scarred or tortured he is (or alternately, how repressed he is), chances are good he’s dreaming of things to come. I’m a huge fan of this trope, as you may be… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Dreaming of Things to Come
Trope Tuesday: Slap Slap Kiss
Unless you have an unhealthy aversion to kissing books, you’re probably familiar with Slap Slap Kiss. It’s common in genre romance, but you’ll often find it in science fiction & fantasy too. When done well, it’s a great way to make sparks fly, but when done poorly…I think you can fill in the rest. The… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Slap Slap Kiss
Trope Tuesday: Freudian Trio
Last week, I blogged about the Three Faces of Eve trope. But if we’re going to discuss power trios in any depth, we first need to examine the classic Freudian Trio, one of the most prevalent combos and, in some ways, a precursor to all others. As you might expect, the Freudian Trio borrows heavily from Sigmund… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Freudian Trio
Trope Tuesday: The Three Faces of Eve
Why do so many character combinations come in groups of three? Unlike love triangles, where the combo is primarily a way to build conflict, the characters in power trios all build on each other in some way. They might be foils for each other, but as complementary archetypes, they do far more to drive the… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: The Three Faces of Eve
Trope Tuesday: Hoist By His Own Petard
One of the most satisfying ways to defeat the villain is to have his own nefarious scheme bring about his downfall. In Hamlet, Shakespeare described this as “hoist by his own petard,” or blown up by his own bomb. Basically, it’s a self-deposing villain whose evil plans have gone horribly right. Not only is this a… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Hoist By His Own Petard
Trope Tuesday: The Cavalry
Things look bleak: the Big Bad is on the verge of conquering the world, and the heroes have gathered for one last stand. Just when it looks like all hope is lost, a horn sounds in the distance, and the cavalry arrive to save the day. Whether a ragtag bunch of minor characters, an army… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: The Cavalry