Is it possible to combine clichés/tropes to make it not a cliché?
I have read a couple romance books at most and so don’t claim to have very much experience with romance and clichés.
But here are the ones I can think of:
Something happens to make them hate each other when they meet even though they are otherwise compatible and they end up getting together.
Third wheel
Love triangle
A is in love with B but B is either oblivious, too focused on something else, or doesn’t love them back.
They’re in love from the start.
Getting together is blocked by one of them already being in a relationship or by one or both of them being committed to something else.
A waiting too long to confess their affection and by that time B is in a relationship.
They don’t even see each other as a potential love interest until something happens to one of them and the other flips out and has a panic attack and/or mental breakdown.
One or both people hiding their emotions by pretending they don’t like the other.
I’m not sure if all of these are stereotypes. But if they are, then I’m almost wondering what’s left.
Is a combination of these enough to avoid a cliché? Can that still be accomplished when the romance is a subplot? Are any of these such common clichés/stereotypes that they shouldn’t even be combined with something else?
1 answer
Actually, in romance the clichés to avoid are the obvious ones. "weak, helpless woman" (or princess) needs "strong, brave male" (knight in shining armor) to rescue her, and rewards him with love and affection. Or man meets the most beautiful woman alive and she falls for him, because, reasons that don't really make much sense.
For romance, we expect people to fall in love with someone. Part of that is getting to know them, part of that is physical attraction (which may be felt after getting to know them). In the process we expect them to have conflicts; first because conflicts that have to be resolved is what drives stories, and second because loving somebody is often a matter of some shared values, and some complementary values that create a synergy that makes the partnership more capable than the two individuals alone.
All your suggestions can form the basis of a successful romance; if infused with something original. In "You've Got Mail", the partners begin an anonymous friendship online without ever expecting to meet each other, but it turns out they are business rivals.
In "Sleepless in Seattle", a woman in New York becomes obsessed with a widower she heard on the radio. Plus she is engaged; though this never presents much of an obstacle, it is more of a catalyst for her to make a decision.
In "When Harry Met Sally" an idealistic dreamer (Sally) shares a road trip with a pragmatic cynic (Harry). They have a platonic relationship for many years before they become lovers. Which ruins their friendship, a complication, but in the end produces a happy marriage.
In "Pretty Woman", there is a huge social station conflict; a wealthy man hires a prostitute, and they fall in love. That kind of romance has been popular since Cinderella.
"Two Weeks Notice" is also a kind of Cinderella story; but the woman (Sandra Bullock) is extremely competent (an idealistic environmentalist lawyer); she agrees to work for an incompetent billionaire; love and complications ensue.
Sandra Bullock reverses the roles in "The Proposal", she is the dominant partner and falls in love with a man that works for her.
In "Notting Hill" We have the gender-reversed social station conflict, though not as severe. A world famous and wealthy actress meets and falls in love with a very not-wealthy bookstore owner.
All of these are wildly successful, some are considered classics. All of them could be reduced to a somewhat clichéd plot. Don't worry about the plot cliché too much, inject some originality and creativity in terms of setting and the personalities and problems they will have, and it will be "new enough" for those that enjoy romances or romantic comedy.
There are exceptions to every writing rule, but in general for a modern romance I'd avoid any woman that only exists to please a man. She needs to be an independent person that can exist just fine without a man taking care of her. (That is even true in Pretty Woman.) I would avoid men that are only attracted to super models. Maybe at first, but then he'd have to change. Now it is true in most romances the female lead is good looking, but that can be offset by having the male reject even more desirable (and possibly wealthy) women first, or to choose our female lead instead.
Although I am using "he" and "she" here, all the same advice applies to same-sex couples. The modern romance is typically a romance of equals; in the sense that neither party feels like a subordinate in their partnership (even if technically one is a subordinate in a business sense). Nobody is in charge, the romance is usually begun as a friendship, or has an established friendship stage before the first kiss (or first real kiss, in a few cases). Try to write realistic people with uncertainties, insecurities, obsessions and personality quirks or issues. You need those so both partners have obstacles to overcome in the pursuit of love.
0 comment threads
0 comment threads