Welcome to Tuesday Book Chat.
We know this is a few days late but the site is back up and we didn’t want you to miss out on this week’s Question.
This is where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week. As we are a faith-based group the questions refer mainly to Christian fiction or non-fiction.
Today’s question is:
As a reader do tropes matter to you?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join in the conversation by commenting on this post or on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group. Remember to comment today on Tuesday Book Chat to enter the giveaway.
Let’s chat!
Honestly NO. I actually get put of by tropes. If you tell me the trope is enemy to more I am nope not for me because to me an enemy is just that. Think two sides of the war. In fact most are more rivals or competitors and the animosity is due to a miss understanding. The same with secret baby I will often leave it because I struggle with this trope. Again often the book works due to circumstances. I tend to read the blurb and ignore tropes. Ironically many books are not the trope I would have called them. I also wonder how many books are missed due to the incessant mentioning about the trope.
Your turn.
I look forward to reading your comments here or at the FB group.
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Most blurbs used to mention tropes subtly, weaving the major plot points (minus spoilers) into the blurb. And without knowing it, I’d be drawn to the ones I like and put off by the ones I knew I wouldn’t like (like secret baby. I rarely read one of those that I actually like). But I prefer knowing beforehand. I’ve been burned too many times to enjoy surprises, and I’d rather just avoid what I don’t like to read.
True I liked that it was more subtle than the marketing. You often could tell from the blurb. I think the one I mostly avoid is secret baby unless I am told by someone its different or a reason. The best one I read was by Virginia Smith and it was LIS, they had been married and the hero had broken up the relationship to save her (not knowing she was newly pregnant) But by moving away he thought he would be protecting her cos he was being hunted by bad guys. It worked really well cos their was a reason and at the time they would have used the wife and she probably wouldn’t survived. That one worked. but often I am left with why. On any that say enemy to more I ignore the trope and read the blurb and then see its more rivals. Some tropes I don’t even get.
I had never even heard of the word “tropes” until a few years ago and then it seemed that was the only way that people promoted books. I read a blurb to get an idea of what is in a book, rather than looking for a trope. If I think something sounds interesting from the blurb I will read it, though there are topics I avoid – like secret babies and serial killers. I guess that’s what it is for me, thinking in topics rather than tropes. Maybe it’s because I’m a reader not a writer that I think this way or it could be that I prefer simple, understandable words, rather than jargon.
I was the same 5 years back tropes were not a thing now they have these mood board type graphics and to be honest I tend to totally ignore them too. I see them and skip them on social media. I actually agree its writers that decided tropes was the big marketing thing. I still remember asking on a blog post when they were talking about the trope. In my comments What are tropes? I think they all thought we readers should know what the writing lingo was. Like using POV. (asked about that too and now know its Point of View) HEA that stumped me for ages till I learnt happily ever after. Sometimes I think there should be a list of abbreviations to know what is being talked about. (Ask Narelle I often have to ask her what is ….)