Everything you need to know about romance tropes and microtropes
Esme holding a stack of romance novels with purple spines
What’s a trope?
A plot, theme or device used often enough that its become a genre convention.
Tropes are what we expect from romance.
They’re a promise to the reader.
Tropes are staples of the genre and a frame for the story. They aren't the same as cliches.
At the bottom of this blog I have a free spreadsheet listing all the tropes, microtropes, categories and archetypes in romance
Common questions about tropes
Common questions about romance tropes include:
How do romance tropes work?
How many romance tropes are there?
What’s the difference between a trope and a microtrope?
What are the best tropes to use to go viral?
What is the difference between a trope and an archetype, or a genre category?
Let me answer these for you.
What’s my qualification to talk about this, you might be wondering? Well, I’ve read about 100 spicy books every year for about fifteen years. I know a trope when I see it.
And not only am I a romance superfan, I’m a writer who needs to procrastinate.
So here we are, I’m making lists and yapping about them.
How do tropes work?
If you want to be hardcore about it, think of romance tropes as a contract with readers.
Take for example the only-one-bed trope.
The gag of this is, it isn’t about the bed.
😱
It’s about tension and capitulation.
If a book is promoted as an only-one-bed story, that’s the contract readers are entering into, and they expect one or both characters to be lying awake deep into the night because they can’t keep a single thought in their head other than, ‘did he/she/they move? Are they touching me? DO THEY WANT ME????’
If you don’t effectively deliver on this promised tension, some readers might feel like there’s been a breach of contract.
How to distinguish a trope from other elements
TBH there are lots of tropes you could class as microtropes and vice versa, it’s a subjective art.
I approach it by distinguishing what’s a set-up/situation, what’s a motif, and what has single-scene payoff.
Here’s how I cut this trope cake:
🛎️ Category: the world of the book
(Billionaire, royal, mafia).
This is the world of the book, the story fabric is made from this. It’s often an Amazon category, but not always.
🍏 Archetype: the character’s label or typecast
(Rake, golden retriever, cinnamon roll).
This is the personality type you’re dealing with. Often it’s a stereotype the story will pull apart, and it’s usually linked to the character’s wound.
💌 Tropes: the pairings & placements
(Fake dating, mistaken identity, fated mates)
This is what you’re here for, baby! These are the elements readers will recognise and have expectations around.
💕 Microtropes: single scene goodies
(Who hurt you, mutual pining, hand necklaces)
As it says on the tin, it’s a smaller version of a trope, I usually decide whether this is a full blown trope or a micro trope based on the page-time it gets.
What are the best romance tropes to use to go viral?
On TikTok, I see the most love for the tropes that specifically promise upcoming action or emotion, like touch her you die.
Tropes like enemies to lovers and only-one-bed definitely attract readers, but from a marketing POV I don’t think they’re sufficient on their own, because they’re so broad and if you’re not already a household name (same girl, sucks to be us), then readers that are new to us don’t yet know if we can execute these tropes well or not.
So, with that in mind, the secret sauce is to pair your general tropes with microtropes.
Example time!
Heart Eyes is a spicy grumpy & sunshine fake dating romance, but that’s just the story frame.
Heart Eyes tropes and microtropes breakdown
The thing that sets this story apart is the sexting scene (Hannah is a boudoir photographer, so she’s bringing skills to the table).
Also the scene where Dean jumps in a lake wearing a white t-shirt. I call this Firth-ing.
My marketing for Heart Eyes is based around these microtropes.
Are romance tropes derivative?
Nah.
Horror has the jump scare, fleeing to the basement/attic, the nightmare that might have been real, found footage, the final girl etc etc. Thriller has the broken down vehicle, mysterious stranger, secretly badass weedy dude who bears a strong resemblance to the author …
The same critiques that are applied to romance can be applied to every other fiction genre, it just doesn’t seem to happen as much. HUH, I WONDER WHY (misogyny).
There are a billion ways to execute a theme. I don’t think it’s especially creative to eschew tropes under the guise of originality, I think it’s way harder to deliver tropes in a fresh, exciting way, and make the familiar feel as exhilarating as it is comforting.
A complete list of every romance trope
… That I could think of.
This is my master spreadsheet of all the tropes, categories, archetypes and micro tropes in the romance genre. 🤓
Have a good time! I hope this spreadsheet is useful to you.