WriteHive 2025 Online Conference: Troubling Tropes
During the WriteHive Online Conference in July, I watched a panel called “Troubling Tropes,” which was a fantastic panel for learning about tropes that can be problematic and how to work with them.
The panelists talked about identifying tropes that are problematic, particularly those that rely on stereotypes for people from marginalized groups. They also recommended that when you’re writing something that involves a trope that you should think about why you’re using that trope, as oftentimes, authors rehash tropes as part of their genre without putting much thought into the why.
Another topic was subverting tropes but also watching for pitfalls that can come even from that aspect of trope use, particularly when a trope is so far subverted that it harms the story you’re telling. The panelists also cautioned against using the TV Tropes website to identify problematic tropes, since it does not always have the best insight on that topic.
Overall the panel really emphasized being thoughtful about your use of tropes while writing and making sure that if you are using a trope, you’ve thought about how it could harm readers and the stories you’re trying to tell. If you’d like to watch the entire panel, it runs just a bit over 53 minutes and is available at WriteHive’s YouTube channel!
Comments