The only one I really hate is the love triangle when the MC can’t make up their mind (but not really). It is an alternate history tale … I don’t mean to say that the orphan story is better or more exciting than a story about a kid with parents, but removing the parents/guardians definitely allows an author to tell a different story. When YA novels describe their main character as someone who could win a Gigi Hadid look-a-like competition, I cringe, because they’re missing a major chance to connect with their audience. She was born, in her mother and enemy’s eyes, to do a task for them with her ability that she could only do with her blood relation to the group’s leader. And trilogies! They would die to be together! My protagonist was originally written as a recovering bulimic (because that’s what all of her friends were doing in middle school years ago, and she got addicted to the feeling of control of her body). . This leads to some very interesting and potentially treasonous thoughts and decisions on her part. Leaders of nations meet with 16 year olds all the time.— Dystopian YA Novel (@DystopianYA) December 26, 2015 You're still reading paranormal teen romance novels? I’ve picked up on all of these tropes at some point while reading YA speculative fiction (and I liked a lot of Emily Tjaden’s observations, too); and while some instances of certain tropes haven’t bothered me, all of them have at one point or another. Not that I haven’t seen people do that in books before, it just makes for more of that kind of stuff needing to be in the story. Influenced by the gamers in her household and her love of action adventure, Elizabeth delved into the realm of science fiction and wrote her first full-length science fiction/dystopian YA novel—BEFORE DAWN. On the royalty one, I once read a ya where that was reversed and it turned out she was false royalty. This YA fiction novel follows the life of Fabiola Toussaint as she and her mother emigrate to the U.S. from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. =D, Honestly it feels like too many romances focus on the getting of the girl/boy of their dreams and suddenly end afterwards. Girl sees boy. That’s the calling card of a lazy author. It was an amazingly written book but sadly didn’t have a sequel. Does every heroine have to be that way? The ugly-yet-beautiful protagonist is a relatable feeling of teenager reality, because a lot of teens have self-esteem issues (and that goes for both sexes and all genders). What do you think? PS Why in YA novels the heroine has a low self-esteem about her looks in order to play up her purity, moral superiority and innocence while the sexy villainess is proud of her looks and gets punished for it? Remind Me When "These Savage Bones" is Available! Fabiola … So this is by no means a complete … It is a bit of a personal goal of mine to break as many clichés as I can without having a super dull story. Plus, customize with colorful tabs, dividers, & covers. I also think having no parents or guardians can sometimes untether the protagonist and free them to do things that a parent or guardian wouldn’t allow. There is no clear yes or no answer on their status. Just knowing you’re beautiful to the person who loves you is nice as well. So by all means use all of the tropes you mentioned. Surprise! The world is a scary place and it’s hard not to feel a little… Love Triangles. The execution of this genre-defining cliche is frequently sloppy and tired. Literature with transgender main characters is undergoing a much-needed evolution. But be aware of the most common ones, so you can innovate beyond them. Plain Girl Protagonist. It’s an instant turn off for me. Personally, I feel the chosen one is more classic than cliche. Those are tropes not cliches. “hi i’m y/n and i have bEauTifUl dark brown hair not brown hair tHerEs a DifFeReNce and i have such borING brown eyes. By all means, use tropes. I also have a serious pet peeve with the protagonist being new kid in class, or falling for the dark and brooding new kid in class with a painful backstory with a soft side. The key to a good story is creativity and originality. Being headstrong and speaking your mind are not flaws. Nope, it can’t be done peacefully – gotta be overthrown. While I’m overall agreeing with your point, I think someone should clarify why some tropes are a bit “overused” in YA. Along with them also having names the same generic all-american rich girl names like: Alexis, Kaitlyn, Lindsay and Heather. I had no idea your site existed when I made mine! She made you love both male characters and it wasn’t obvious who the heroine would choose in the end. This makes her the responsible adult in her family and so her decisions and her actions have more weight than they might if she were being taken care of by parents. Knowing the cliches allows you to realize how they might work against you, but it also helps you to make wise, informed decisions about whether or not to use them. Your readers are already considering suicide by paper cuts. And if they do have some insecurities, for goodness sake–stop fixing them the second they get into a relationship! EVERY. I have also read many of these. I think it’s fine to use cliches and break rules–as long as you have a good story, that’s the main thing! #6 is pretty true, unfortunately. Hence, the weird parent relation and chosen-ness. Some of them manifest in exactly this way (I could tell you around ten of my former class mates who fell for this; it’s one reason why anorexy is so common among teens!). And plus, one of them is going to be the best friend who (surprise!) Publishers are clamouring for this kind of diversity, but don’t be the cautionary tale that writes in a token character for the sake of it! If anything, her kind was trying to keep her away. Please. Unless this unholy trinity is integral to your plot (and why would you do that to your book? Sure, he’ll sneer and glare at her, make her … Everything else I can tolerate and enjoy. Each book gets better than the last!). Oh, and he finds out in the last chapter he’s of royal blood. This might have been a good plot twist if we hadn’t seen it coming from page 1…. If not, what do you suppose I do instead? Normal, happy family life doesn’t make for running around to save the world without calling home and checking in, etc. You know the drill. I did actually throw a party EVERY time my mom left town. In a story I’m writing, one of the main characters is technically the “chosen one” and is supposed to save the magic/ supernatural world, but isn’t the one to fight the evil. (Side note: one reason readers tend to hate love triangles is because they are predictable–it’s obvious who the heroine favors. She can still fall in love, but she doesn’t. “I’m not like the other girls” The world just doesn’t, like, get … I know what you mean, love triangles make me cringe. This article was awesome and very helpful, Thanks Calista, I’m glad you liked it! Do your characters come home after a 2-week odyssey without a, “Where the hell were you, the police have been looking for you! , I am in the early-mid stages of writing a dystopian story. But I think its more important that as writers we realize that we have the responsibility, as well as opportunity, to do more. While we’re at it, let’s drop the “best friend turned lover” trope. By all means – write romance into your character’s life, but his beau doesn’t need to be a walking mannequin. (I cried the hardest when Will felt Jem die. Other common thematic elements revolve around the coming-of … We can all tell! if she likes the guy. Except the trilogy / series one. Their eyes meet. Unfortunetly I have a badass lead female who happens to be into archery. Sure, this was an interesting premise in The Hunger Games, but nobody wants to read 50 books with that same basic plot. Even though they’re both in the fiction section, a book by James Joyce is going to feel wildly different to read than one by Stephen King. I think rules are meant to be broken. Their … It’s an easy answer: because YA is for teens. I know it can seem cliche for characters to come from troubled households or dead parents, but a lot of our awesome tragic heroes come from brutal pasts. So excited to see you start this blog! Closely related to Mr. Being the elderly neighbour’s dance partner for $5 an hour? ), She’s the family favourite and has a line up of guys at her locker. Hmm. Haha, I tend to overuse the dark and mysterious prologue. That scene where everyone’s arriving at the upper-middle-class mansion, the protagonist not sure if he’s going to go in, and some kind of conflict ensues, has been done. I can’t lie. I just don’t enjoy watching a girl pine over two guys, even if she has a favorite. This seems normal. Tags: book reviews books children's books ya books young adult. Insta-lust, insta-infatuation, insta-helloooogorgeous, perhaps. . It’s important that … Write a character who is actually quite comfortable in her own skin, thank you very much. Most of us don’t look for flaws in the people we desire. Way to persevere through uncertain times and finally do what you were wired to do! Almost there! But the house never got trashed and nobody ever got pregnant. That’s fine, but I finally decided that researching a bit of REAL writing tips was worth trying instead of forging ahead on my own like a bull-headed kid. Find the top 100 most popular items in Amazon Books Best Sellers. Usually they have been destined to do so because of a prophecy. Ew. – As far as missing parents, it’s a defining theme of YA. It really is annoying. So, I may just change it to depression from her relationship with her parents, because there a major plot points that go along with her actions in the past and how she’s treated at school because of it. There’s enough factions and councils to keep the flaming chainsaw going. You have so many great things to say. The other one will most likely be the handsome, dashing, new guy. But, seriously, amazing article! Get Your FREE Archery Facts Cheat Sheets! Suddenly she realizes she is beautiful after all! Okay true but characters with no insecurities or weaknesses are hard to identify with and, well, dull as a brick, I was about to start getting ready for bed, then came across your article via Twitter. Infernal Devices is one of my favorites. Anyways, thanks to you I discovered thet whole big cliche that The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer are: Also, there is a pretty good reason why most people fall in love with people they find handsome. Or she might not have to make the same decisions. And the parents part…well, he’s not a orphan! I definitely agree with the “fixer upper” romantic interest, you could theoretically apply that to the “Chosen one” scenario. /The couple with flaws./ Because it WASN’T perfect, never WOULD be perfect, and everything in that romance would take WORK on both sides of the equation. Get the story out of the parents’ liquor cabinet. No wonder no one stays with their spouses anymore. Because heaven forbid the heroine fall in love with a man with flaws! “Did your mom pass out drunk on the couch again tonight?”. Sure, some young readers are angst-y tweens who get their kicks from reading about parents getting their comeuppance, but we’d wager that most of the ones who are reading have a fairly decent rapport with ole’ mom and dad. I think it crosses into cliche territory when you try to stretch it out into a trilogy just for the sake of it because it’s the “popular” thing to do. There is an opportunity to rush in and save the day as a tiny little wonder woman, but she actually fails at her meager attempt and gets herself into a bad situation and needs rescued. Don’t tell anyone, but me too Sometimes we complain about cliches but we can still enjoy them if the author is telling a good story! It’s a source of great emotional tension for her and there are very interesting reasons for this distance that slowly emerge over the story. This is so, so true. It’s not impossible to imagine a wild, supernatural, dangerous and epic adventure in which the protagonist has regular parents. Oh, and he finds out in the last chapter he’s of royal blood. Like, A LOT. Seems someone has already beaten me to it haha . The majority of her Valdemar (her fantasy world) books are trilogies because she focuses on different times and types of people for each set. There’s something very satisfying about living with characters you love for more than just one book. They work because they mimic real life, or a iconic situation. First off, yes – I definitely understand the idea of “overly original” being off-putting. Some YA books have done it really well recently (I think Red Queen gets a pass because of how it was introduced for example) but in general it has become the cookie-cutter beginning to nearly every YA fantasy novel. It’s not set in stone. It makes one look very weak. The others can be very interesting. Is she really that desirable? Not to be outdone, the Chosen One is also a popular choice in YA. Especially this one I even would call “defining trope”, as it hits exactly the audiences experience. Great post! Who never dreamed of it?) Thjis is pure nonsense. War. YA novels – which touch on social inequality, sexuality, and identity – can help adolescents navigate this difficult time in their lives. and any kind of twisted love story (heck, I experienced so many love triangles in real life in my late teens/ early twens. Become aware of YA cliches so you can avoid them or turn them on their head. One of those moments when you think “Wow, I’m really awesome at this!” then realize you aren’t. This is a lot of responsibility, being 16 and being the only one who recognizes the problems with totalitarianism.— Dystopian YA Novel (@DystopianYA) August 24, 2015 The Commander calls me into her Chamber. However, Kies (1996) notes that during the last decade young adult horror books have decreased the number of female victims, and in many books, the victim uses her own brain, brawn and nerve to escape. There are other things she still needs to learn, other ways she needs to heal and grow as a person. Clichés exist for a reason: they usually contain a kernel of truth we can all relate to, like being the underdog. Friends, lovers, nothing at all? /He was flawed./ I did not see one reviewer who shipped the other couple! Drawing Outside the Lines and Stereotypes: Six Amazing Asian American Graphic Novels by Michelle Lee, Young Adult Librarian, Riverside Library May 31, 2018 We’re turning another corner in seeing greater diversity in comics and representation among graphic novel writers, artists, and characters. They should be used sparingly, not that they’re forbidden, because there’s a reason why they worked in the first place. Where are the normal, happy families in YA? Almost there! One of the most basic steps in avoiding the use of female character tropes and stereotypes may sound obvious. And I love Cassie Clare’s love triangle in The Infernal Devices completely. That sounds like a great idea, and pretty funny too. Resisting First Nations Stereotypes in banned YA Novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian By Angela Sparks December 2, 2015 December 1, 2015 Literature, Native American Heritage Month, Research, Special Featured Blog Series. But, as American YA author Libba Bray points out, books have no gender – titles for young adults, she argues, should have gender neutral covers. We can “turn them on their head.” Her mother has always been off to her, but the protagonist was conceived for a purpose in the future (her father originally thought she was an accident); and her mother finds her inferior and only sees her as a tool. In other words, the story wouldn’t have happened if they were still alive. There are tons of great characters who have happy families and who still face struggle (like A.L. I’m not sure about your Les Mis analogy of love at first site. I would highly, highly recommend you read The Rest of Us Just Live Here if you haven’t yet. Undiscovered powers is generally a good way to fling a character straight into conflict. We have the unique opportunity to effect the way a reader sees people and situations. This is one trope that I’m totally okay with because rather than squashing the story into a predictable formula like some cliches, it can be used as a device to create more possibilities for drama and adventure. Cliché? Another cliche that I would add is: a character who was supposed to be good and loyal, betrays the hero. I adore and annoy myself by pointing out tropes and clichés I see in books, TV, movie, etc… I’d have to say I hate the love triangle cliché the most. 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