Karen Winter - Romance Tropes and Hooks

Table of Contents

Romance Tropes and HooksFirst Edition (2017)Copyright 2017 Karen WinterAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.Print Edition ISBN: 978-0-473-40358-4ePub Edition ISBN: 978-0-473-40359-1Amazon Edition ISBN: 978-0-473-40360-7Web PDF Edition ISBN: 978-0-473-40361-4iBook Edition ISBN: 978-0-473-40362-1Published by Fountain Pen Publishing LimitedEditing by Lesley Marshallwww.editline.co.nzCover Design by Steven Novakwww.novakillustration.comInterior Design by Jacob Hammer

Romance Tropes and Hooks

An extensive collection of over 500 tropes and hooks. Each has a description, and some include examples and variations for crafting romance stories your readers will love.

Karen Winter

Dedication

I would like to thank my children, Samantha and Bryce, and my two special writing friends, Toni and Sue, for their support and encouragement while writing this book.

Introduction

Ask any romance reader what her favourite type of story is and she will no doubt be describing the tropes and hooks used in the story. Her preference may be for enemies-to-lovers stories, reunion romances, alpha heroes, vampires, or arranged marriages.

As readers, were familiar with these kinds of stories and character types, but as writers we need to know more about exactly what they are. And more importantly where can you find a handy collection as your go-to resource when you want to browse for new ideas that you will feel enthusiastic about?

Well, thats the purpose of this bookto provide you, the romance writer, with a collection of tropes and hooks to use in generating ideas while crafting your romance stories.

Ive had some fun doing the research for this book and learning about tropes and hooks Id never heard of before. I hope you find it a valuable resource for your craft library and keep it handy for when youre pondering on your next romance.

This book is an extensive collection of romance tropes and hooks (over 500)but is a guide only. It is by no means a definitive list of every romance trope and hookinstead it is a collection of those familiar to romance writers, and some perhaps less familiar that I found during my research.

Defining Tropes and Hooks

Tropes are basically plot scenarios that we see repeatedly in stories, e.g. friends to lovers, marriage of convenience, secret babies. Regency stories were originally created by Georgette Heyer. A writer will create a plot situation which readers love so much that they keep buying books that have ithence the appeal to readers has been tested over time and the plot scenario becomes a trope.

So, a trope is a recurring plot device thats used to create stories that are familiar to readers. The fact that the reader will have a rough idea of what is going to happen in the story or what the story is about is their appeal.

Because these familiar tropes are written repeatedly, writers need to think hard to give a well-used trope a fresh look; otherwise their story will simply become clichd.

A hook, in contrast to a trope, is an element of the story intended to draw the reader in, e.g. pirate, vampire, alpha hero, billionaire hero, sheikh.

The terms trope and hook are often used interchangeably since there are similarities between them. But the one fundamental difference is that a trope is a tried-and-true plot device (a plot scenario), having been used repeatedly, whereas a hook (an enticing element in the story) can be familiar or a brand-new enticement.

Furthermore, tropes determine the story idea or scope, driving the initial (or underlying) cause of conflict between the couple, e.g. a story with a secret baby trope will most likely be about the heroine having a baby to the hero who is unaware of its existence. When he finds out this will be the initial cause of conflict for the couple, as well as driving the undercurrent of distrust and resentment.

Hooks can encompass many different elements in the story:

• Character-based hooks may involve the characters personality, family, morals or career, and so become the motivation that determines the characters behaviour and how they interact with other characters - independent heroine, governess, military hero, duke, virgin, entrepreneur.
• Setting-based hooks may involve the characters home, workplace, town/city or a setting where the story takes place - arena, treasure hunt, haunted house, castle, harem.

Here are some hooks based on the romance genre:

• Contemporary romance - cowboy, firefighter, baby, single parent.
• Historical romance - virgin heroine, lord, house party.
• Paranormal romance - vampire, werewolf, shifter, the change.
• Romantic suspense sheriff, mystery, murder.

Tropes build on the character hooksso if you start with a lord and a virgin heroine as your hooks, then add marriage of convenience as the trope and you have the basis for a story. As you add more elements the story starts to come to life.

When youre plotting, look to have at least three tropes and hooks in mind to start off with, then build on this to create a unique and entertaining story your readers will love.

An authors skill is proven by her ability to take these classic tropes and hooks and turn them into a story that is fun and original.

Readers will often gravitate towards a story because of its tropes and hooks. To grab a readers attention, mention them in your tagline so she will know instantly if your book has one of her favourites.

Romance Genres

All romance novels have a central love story and an emotionally satisfying ending. Beyond that, however, romances may have any tone or style, be set in any place or time, and have varying levels of sensualityranging from sweet to extremely hot. Romance fiction may be classified into various genres depending on setting and plot elements. These genres include:

Contemporary Romance

Romance novels set in modern times, i.e. from 1950 to the present, with the emphasis on the development of a romantic relationship. Contemporary romances vary in tone, sensuality and content. Some stories may contain an element of suspense, others may have comedy. The settings for these books vary, but most seem to be set in America.

Erotic Romance

The focus is on the sexual adventures of the characters and usually, but not always, have the happily ever after resolution that is common in most romance. They have a strong, often explicit, sexual interaction as an inherent part of the love story, character growth and relationship development including BDSM, mnage situations, and same-sex partnering. These novels may contain elements of other romance genres (such as paranormal, historical, science fiction/fantasy, etc.).

Fantasy Romance

The plot is focussed primarily on the effect of magical elements on the characters lives, often while the characters are on a quest. Some popular themes are historical fantasy, mythical creatures and magical abilities.

Historical Romance

Books are set prior to 1950. Their emphasis is on the development of the romantic relationship, as well as the constraints, scandals and issues facing the characters during this time. More recently, historical romance stories tend to have a feisty heroine with character traits similar to modern young women of today.

Inspirational Romance - with Religious or Spiritual Elements

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