[Tipster] How to Make Your Story Idea Unique – Genre-Based Tropes

 My sister and I love to watch Pride and Prejudice (2005).

Historical romance with a witty, relatable main character who refuses to settle for a loveless marriage? Yeah, it’s a favorite of ours.

The other night, I had dinner with my family, and my sister told me that Pride and Prejudice is now available on Netflix. Obviously, we were ecstatic.

We were planning to watch it when my dad scoffed and said, “Didn’t you just watch that?”

Cue a dramatic eye roll and shared, annoyed look.

“No,” my sister said. “We watched Bridgerton. They’re different.”

To an outsider—like my dad—the movie and TV show appear to be the same:

• Independent female main character (FMC) who refuses to marry a random man;
• Family-oriented male main character (MMC) at odds with the FMC;
• Enemies-to-lovers;
• Overcoming prejudices and misconceptions;
• Historical-period setting.

They are the same story.

But, like my sister said, they’re also different.

How?

Your Book: The Same but Different

Bridgerton took the same tropes and plotline from Pride and Prejudice and twisted them in a way to make the story fresh. It differentiates itself through racial commentary, a marital plotline that involves the MMC, and an exploration of the vulnerabilities of love.

The same. But different.

That’s why my sister and I love the TV show. We wanted a story similar to Pride and Prejudice—a lovable FMC, realistic dramatics, social commentary on marriage, and the tension of a good romance—but we wanted it to be a new story. Something unique.

Readers are the same with their books.

They return to specific genres—historical fiction, Westerns, sci-fi—because they like a certain type of story. 

They want the same story. But they want it to be different from what they’ve already read.

Understanding genre-based tropes is key to writing a fresh story readers of your genre will love.

What Are Genre-Based Tropes?

Genre-based tropes are the recurring themes or ideas that pop up in a certain genre.

Every genre has its well-known tropes.

For fantasy: the wise mentor, chosen-one prophecies, good vs. evil, a major quest, reluctant hero, orphan hero. 

For crime-thriller: incompetent police, early suspect, unassuming suspect, the serious detective and comedic sidekick, femme fatale.

For romance: soul mates, forbidden love, work-based, holiday romance, secret identity.  

We all have our favorite genres. And every genre has specific tropes that we, as readers, crave.

Readers expect the tropes they love. So it’s important that you, the writer, portray these tropes in your story.

But there is a catch.

Your story must be unique.

How to Make Your Story Unique

One way to make your story unique while still exploring genre-based tropes is to reorient the Leading Story Question (LSQ) of your book.

The LSQ is the question you don’t answer until the end of the book. It’s the question that drives your plot.

Almost every book in a certain genre is answering the same LSQ.

Think about any and every war-based movie. There are dozens—probably hundreds. At their core, they’re all war movies. They’re all answering the generic LSQ: Will they accomplish their mission, and who will survive?

Here are some examples:

• Dunkirk: Will boats arrive to evacuate thousands of Allied soldiers from Dunkirk Beach before German soldiers arrive?
• 1917: Will two soldiers survive enemy territory to deliver a message that can save 1600 soldiers?
• All Quiet on the Western Front: Will the young, naïve main character survive World War I?

All three movies are your classic war genre: high-stake battles, loss of major characters, commentary on bravery and/or innocence of young soldiers. And each is rooted in the same LSQ.

How Do You Make It Different?

So what makes them different?

They twist the LSQ by focusing on unique perspectives.

Dunkirk balances three separate stories (Allied soldiers stuck on Dunkirk, an Allied pilot, and British citizens who own private boats) to showcase the daring evacuation of Dunkirk Beach.

1917 is almost a complete one-shot of two British soldiers crossing no-man’s land and trying to survive the terrors of enemy territory without military aid.

All Quiet on the Western Front explores the brutality of war on young, impressionable German soldiers.

Each movie has a similar plotline—accomplish a mission and survive the war—but their unique perspectives create a fresh and riveting storyline fans of war movies can appreciate.

Readers, like movie watchers, choose books in a specific genre because they expect a certain type of reading experience.

You, as the writer, have to deliver the reading experience they expect.

Think about your book. What makes it the same but different from the most popular books in your genre?

Now buckle up and write.

Allison Parks
Production Manager and Book Coach