Learning the RomCom Tropes

If you've read any romantic comedy books or seen any RomCom movies, you're familiar with tropes. Tropes are plot devices or themes that regularly appear in romantic comedies (and probably elsewhere, but my interest in them ends at the RomCom border.)

These tropes occur regularly, not because the writers can't think of any new ideas, but because readers and viewers seek them out. Who am I kidding—they DEMAND their fave tropes! (RomCom'ers aren't afraid to ask for what they want.)

The writer's creativity shows up in what they do with those tropes—the characters they create, the settings they evoke, and the chaos they inflict.

Some common tropes are:

• Friends to Lovers: One friend has been secretly pining for their best friend and the clueless bestie takes two hundred and fifty pages to realize it is love, not indigestion, they feel whenever the other is around. Awww.

• Enemies to Lovers: Two clueless people take two hundred and fifty pages to realize the skyrocketing pulse and tingly sensation they feel whenever the other is around is not abject loathing, but rather true love. Awww.

• Fake Relationships: Two ridiculous people pretend to be in love, usually to trick one of their mothers into believing they might one day get grandkids. But in a twist none of us saw coming, they fall in love for realsies! Awww.

• Opposites Attract: (poor meets rich; good meets bad; nerd meets popular; Barbie meets Oppenheimer.) Wait, what about birds of a feather? Sure, it can work, but opposites attract provides an instant source of tension, which is like crack for RomComs (but in a good way.) It's also why Reese's Peanut Butter cups will always be the favorite Halloween choice. Peanut butter + chocolate = crazy stupid love!

Which are your favorite tropes?

Oh, and in case you read my blog entry entitled Your First Clue to What My RomCom is About (or When Sunblock isn't Just Sunblock,) the answer to your first clue is… the story takes place in the summer!

You actually read a second clue in that blog entry. I told you it was your chance to "get your feet wet." That's because the story takes place by a lake. Because summer + lake = crazy stupid love!

Can you guess which trope (or tropes) you'll find in the book? Let me know what you think below—along with your favorite tropes, of course.