Tropes
Don’t laugh at tropes! Tropes are the backbone of building a great story. Readers gravitate to their favorite tropes (or setups). It’s the job of the author to make them unique, add a twist, and delight the reader with a new take on them.
Here’s a list of fun tropes* to ignite your story building:
Accidental pregnancy – Our heroine’s pregnancy may be the result of a one-night stand, a longer-term fling, or a long-term relationship.
Alpha hero – Our hero defines “Type A” – he’s driven, assertive, and in control of the world around him, except where his lover is concerned.
Amnesia – A blow on the head, a drug interaction, or for some other reason – our lover doesn’t know how s/he got where s/he is, but now s/he needs to fit into a new family, workplace, etc.
Arranged marriage – Family expectations, cultural traditions, or religious beliefs bring our lovers together or try to keep them apart.
Athlete – Sure, there are the big four – baseball, basketball, football, and hockey – but there are plenty of other sports around for one or both of our lovers to play.
Best friend’s sibling – Usually, the heroine is the younger sister of the hero’s best friend (but other combinations are possible!). The sibling has always been taboo, but true passion upsets the status quo.
Billionaire – Usually an alpha hero, this character can buy anything s/he wants, except for true love.
Blackmail – One lover knows a secret about the other, and s/he seeks a big payday.
Class warfare – One lover comes from money and social status, the other lacks both, but sparks fly once they meet.
Cowboy – Sometimes an alpha hero, a cowboy can be historical or contemporary, in his element (e.g., on a ranch) or out of his comfort zone (e.g., in New York City).
Cyrano – A lover woos another for a friend, only gradually realizing that s/he is falling in love her/himself.
Disguise – One or both lovers pretends to be something s/he isn’t – an expert in the workplace, a member of a family, etc. – but s/he falls in love while in disguise and is forced to continue the ruse.
Enemies to lovers – Our lovers are enemies (business rivals, part of a family feud, law enforcement and criminal, etc.) until they realize the depth of their romance.
Fairytale – A traditional fairytale is retold in an alternate cultural or historical setting.
Fake relationship – In order to solve an exterior plot problem, our lovers pretend to have a relationship (often engagement, but sometimes friendship or marriage), frequently including elaborate rules and limitations for that relationship.
Firefighter — At least one of our lovers is a firefighter.
Fish out of water – One of our lovers doesn’t fit in a social or professional environment, but that doesn’t keep him/her from proving him/herself and winning the heart of the one s/he loves.
Fling – Our lovers intend their relationship to last for a short time, but their relationship grows beyond those limitations.
Friends to lovers – Our lovers have been friends for some time, but only now are discovering that they want something more from their relationship.
Forbidden love – Some outside force (cultural, familial, social, etc.) is determined to keep our lovers apart but they’re willing to fight for the relationship they desire.
Guardian/ward – A guardian and his/her ward realize they have romantic feelings for each other (difficult to make work in contemporary romance, given the usual age difference).
Jilted bride – Our heroine is left at the altar, but she discovers true love with the hero.
Kidnapped – A criminal kidnaps a victim and both parties realize they have romantic feelings for each other.
Law enforcement – At least one of our lovers works in law enforcement (bounty hunter, FBI, police, etc.)
Love triangle – One lover must choose between two potential matches.
Maid – One lover (usually female) is a housekeeper (maid, janitor, etc) for the other.
Mail-order bride – One lover (usually male) requests a spouse through print or electronic services.
Marriage of convenience – Our lovers are determined to marry but they feel no love for each other; rather, there is some business or social reason that compels their relationship. (MMM)
Matchmaker – A matchmaker unites two lovers. This story can either be about how the two lovers make their relationship work, or it can be about how the matchmaker falls in love with one of the matched lovers.
Military – At least one of our lovers works in the military (Army (including Special Forces), Navy (including Seals), Air Force, Marines, etc.)
Mistaken identity – One of our lovers is assumed to be someone s/he is not, and s/he perpetuates the misunderstanding for reasons best known to him/herself.
Office romance – Our lovers work together, either as co-workers or as employer/employee.
On the road – Our lovers are on a road trip (or boat trip or plane trip or whatever), out of their element, encountering new experiences as their relationship grows.
On the rocks – Our lovers are united as the action of the story begins, but their relationship is going through hard times.
Opposites attract – Our lovers seem to be opposites in everything they think matters (vegetarian/carnivore, Democrat/Republican, city/country, etc.), but they discover that love unites them in ways beyond those differences.
Orphan – One of our lovers is an orphan, either literally (both of his/her parents died when s/he was young) or figuratively (s/he was in the foster care system or otherwise deprived of ordinary familial love).
Parent/childcare worker – One of our lovers is a parent; the other is hired to care for his/her child(ren) as a nanny, tutor, or governess.
Performer – One of our lovers is an actor or a musician, with the temptation of other people in his/her field, often with the challenges of frequent travel.
Playboy – One of our lovers has a reputation for playing the field – until s/he meets his/her one true love.
Politics – One of our lovers is a politician, works on a political campaign, or works in a government office, frequently under the scrutiny of media and with need for an impeccable reputation.
Protector – One of our lovers is determined to protect the other’s safety, usually as a bodyguard or law enforcement agent, but a protector might be hired to protect reputation instead of physical health.
Redemption – One of our lovers has committed wrongs in the past (either against the other lover, or against someone or something else) for which s/he must atone.
Return to hometown – One of our lovers returns to his/her hometown, either willingly or unwillingly, for a short time or with the intention to stay permanently.
Reunion – Our lovers knew each other in the past and generally had some romantic relationship back then (at least a one-night stand, possibly a long-term relationship.)
Revenge – One of our lovers is determined to get revenge for a real or imagined wrong in the past. That wrong might have been committed by the other lover or by his/her relative or close friend.
Royalty – One of our lovers is descended from royalty (or nobility); this trope includes sheikhs, princes, etc.
Runaway bride/groom – One of our lovers gets cold feet on the eve of his/her wedding, but discovers in the course of being chased that s/he can truly love another.
Scars – One of our lovers lives with physical or psychological scars from the past and overcomes the pain of those scars with the help of the other lover.
Second chance – Our lovers had a relationship in the past that didn’t work out, but now they’re thrown together with a new common goal.
Secret baby – Our heroine is or was pregnant with the hero’s baby, but he does not know the child is his.
Secret/lost heir – One of our lovers is the secret heir or lost heir to a great fortune (which s/he may or may not know s/he will inherit.)
Stranded – Our lovers are stranded together, with the forced environment kindling their relationship. They might be stranded on a desert island, in an airport after a flight cancellation, in a motel on a road trip, etc.
Sudden baby – One of our lovers discovers or inherits a child s/he never planned on nurturing.
Tortured hero(ine) – One of our lovers has a dramatic, often secret past that causes him/her to live in emotional agony, cut off from the common joy of a loving relationship.
Ugly duckling – One of our lovers is not conventionally beautiful, but in the course of falling in love either becomes conventionally beautiful or discovers that conventions are immaterial.
Unrequited love – One of our lovers has long wished for a romantic relationship with the other.
Widow(er) – One of our lovers has lost his/her spouse. The widow(er) might have been happily married, or s/he might have been unfulfilled in his/her marriage.
(Wo)man in peril – One of our lovers is in physical peril from some outside person or organization; the other lover rescues him/her.