To Trope or Not to Trope

We love a good corruption arc, almost as much as we love a good redemption arc. Whether your good guys are joining the villains or your bad guys are teaming up with the heroes (or your morally gray characters can’t decide either way), this episode is for you. Featuring such groundbreaking revelations as “it’s not a redemption arc if the character doesn’t actually do anything” and “being hot isn’t the same thing as being redeemed,” this episode covers the worldbuilding, plots, circumstances, and character motivations necessary for a functional and satisfying redemption arc or corruption arc.

Have a trope you want us to talk about or a question about the episode? Email us at [email protected]!

Libra season is almost upon us, so we’ve got an episode for you all about that indecisive Libra energy and how it may or may not manifest in fictional characters. No matter how it’s branded—thoughtfulness, reluctance, introspection—indecision can be a key trait in character-driven stories. It can also make readers want to throw a book across a room, though, so choose your brand of indecision carefully.

Disclaimer: We are in no way making a comment on actual Libras, nor are we talking about canonically Libra characters—we’re simply using Libra traits as a frame to talk about writing fictional characters.

Have a trope you want us to talk about or a question about the episode? Email us at [email protected]!

It’s Virgo season and we’re back with an episode all about that analytical Virgo energy and how it manifests in characters. From social manipulators to social malcontents, from eclectic eccentrics to nonhuman entities, this episode is here for all your analytical character writing needs.

Disclaimer: We are in no way making a comment on actual Virgos, nor are we talking about canonically Virgo characters—we’re simply using Virgo traits as a frame to talk about writing fictional characters.

Have a trope you want us to talk about or a question about the episode? Email us at [email protected]!

It’s…ALIVE! Sometimes dead characters are still necessary to the plot, and sometimes they’re just too beloved to stay off-screen for long. Whether you’re writing a miraculous recovery, a ridiculous misunderstanding, or a magical resurrection, this episode is here for all your Faking the Dead needs. Tune in this week for such fascinating topics as the difference between faking your death for the government and faking your death for your friends, long running series that just need to stop, and why Gandalf is the only acceptable character resurrection.*

*okay, fine, some of us have stronger opinions than others

Spoilers for Lord of the Rings, The Princess Bride, Harry Potter, Fullmetal Alchemist, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Lost City

Have a trope you want us to talk about or a question about the episode? Email us at [email protected]!

Accidental cuddling? Blanket hogging? Deep, dark secret sharing? Pick your favorite forced proximity ending in this episode on There Was Only One Bed. Join us as we rant about how this trope (and others) can and should be subverted, and how it very much shouldn’t. A little bit of lampshading, a dollop of deconstruction, and heaping side of subversion mix to make this somewhat meta episode one that shouldn’t be missed. If you’ve ever written any trope, this one’s for you. And if you’re a writer and you haven’t ever written a trope, really, what are you doing?

Have a trope you want us to talk about or a question about the episode? Email us at [email protected]!

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow Archetype does, because if you do it right, it’s literally that darkness personified. Sort of. Sometimes. Join us this episode as we try to pick apart what a Shadow character is and isn’t and come to some (fittingly) murky conclusions. Villains and foils and mirrors abound in this conclusion to our Archetype series, filled with a little psychology and a lot of writing advice. So sit back, delve deep into your subconscious, and work on coming to terms with your Shadow self. Or, you know, just write a good story about it.

Have a trope you want us to talk about or a question about the episode? Email us at [email protected]!

We’re getting freaky this week with the Freaky Friday Body Swap trope. Join us as we dive into the philosophical and ethical implications of mind vs body and autonomy and consent, and discuss whose bodies we would and absolutely would not want to be swapped with. Also in this episode are totally foolproof ways to tell if your friends have been body swapped against their will and a heap of writing advice if you’re thinking about writing a Body Swap (or Body Swap adjacent) story.

Have a trope you want us to talk about or a question about the episode? Email us at [email protected]!

He’s witty, he’s unhinged, and he’s here to give your Hero a hard time. From comic relief sidekicks to actual trickster gods, the Trickster Archetype is a meta character that keeps your protagonist guessing (and occasionally gives them a swift kick in the pants). Join us this episode as we discuss whether it’s possible to write an unlikable Trickster or write from the Trickster’s point of view, and whether you should even try writing a Trickster at all.

Have a trope you want us to talk about or a question about the episode? Email us at [email protected]!

Breaking News! According to recent studies, women are, in fact, people. Who knew! Tune in this episode to learn how to write female characters that don’t suck. It’s not that hard, and yet somehow we had to make an episode about it. Including such groundbreaking revelations as “strong female characters shouldn’t be male coded characters with boobs,” “characters who claim to be able to kick everyone’s ass but just fall down a lot are the actual worst,” and “even the strongest female characters who can never quite be stronger than your main male characters are not, in fact, good enough strong female characters.” Learn how to avoid all these pitfalls and more in this far from comprehensive rant about why so many existing Strong Female Characters™ suck. Oh, and there’s some writing advice, too.

Have a trope you want us to talk about or a question about the episode? Email us at [email protected]!

Werewolves and werebears and Norse gods, oh my! The Shapeshifter Archetype encompasses so much more than just your typical shifters, and in this episode we cover all of it. From repressed emotions to unreliable narrators to sexy boys with bat wings, we cover the big questions, like “how many times can a shapeshifter shift before becoming unbelievably annoying?” and “how morally gray is too morally gray?” and, of course, “but why are so many protagonists so DUMB?” If you’ve ever had questions about writing a Shapeshifting character—either literal or archetypal—give this episode a listen.

Have a trope you want us to talk about or a question about the episode? Email us at [email protected]!