So a ‘mentor’ archetype is a character who plays a role of guiding a main character. Character tropes vs archetypes: What’s the Difference?Īrchetypes refer more to a role, whereas tropes refer more to a personality. They are tools-which can be used skillfully, or poorly. While cliches are generally accepted to be ‘bad’ by definition, because they feel old and overused, tropes are neither good nor bad in themselves. And by subverting the tropes, they can create surprise and intrigue. Skillful writers can take advantage of these preconceptions to swiftly build characters with few words, knowing that the readers will fill in the blanks. The image in your mind won’t be exactly the same as someone else’s, but the stronger the trope, the more solid and consistent the associations we create. What are character tropes?Ī trope is an idea, pattern or motif that appears often enough in a particular art form that consumers of that art form begin to form particular associations with that idea.įor example, the words ‘action hero’ will likely cause many images and preconceptions to appear in your mind.
Once you understand character tropes and how to use them, you can trigger powerful associations for your readers-ones that let your characters jump off the page, either because they’re comfortingly familiar or because they’re wickedly surprising.
Why you may already be using them without realizing it… More specifically, do you know how to use them to write stronger stories?Īrchetypes inform your characters and the roles they play in your novel, but tropes can help you round out your characters’ personalities. You’ve heard of character archetypes, but do you know about character tropes?
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