trope reboot

In the battle between good and terrible storytelling, we look for personal conflicts with complex characters.  Yet one trope gives our villain vague power and simple goals. It promises our readers a straightforward fight against the forces of evil. There’s one trope that just wants to rule them all. So let’s reboot the Dark Lord. … Read more

We can use any storytelling trope to write powerful novels.  But there’s one trope that angers many readers because it’s close to cheating.  It takes an ordinary character, steals his or her agency, and shoehorns them into the conflict. It’s a trope for forcing an abrupt call to action. So let’s reboot the Chosen One. … Read more