Plot Devices and Tropes

Now that you know the basic elements of the plot of a story, and you've been educated on how to effectively divide your large novel into chapters, it's time we learn about another thing that's been cluttering up the Improve Your Writing Club: plot devices and tropes, or most commonly known to most teenagers nowadays as "cliches."

It's a common connotation in teenagers, especially in places like Wattpad, that tropes like "The bad boy and the good girl," "student-teacher romance," "The Chosen One," "The Rejected Alpha Mate," and other common tropes you can see in novels are cliches. But the truth is, they are just tropes. Tropes are the basic archetype of a story--the structure of the story. The basic skeletal foundation of a possibly complex story. A lot of times, tropes aren't even voluntarily chosen by the writer; they just write, starting from the characters themselves, and as the story slowly progresses, the trope begins to reveal itself. That's called a character-driven story--we'll get to that later. However, authors do decide that their story will be, say, a bad boy and a good girl story, make up characters that fit the trope, and assign plot devices that would supposedly make the story their own. That's called a plot-driven story--again, we'll get to that later.

Either way, choosing a trope, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, aren't meant to be classified as cliches, no matter how overused they are. Remember, there are only a finite amount of basic tropes in literature, and since people have been writing stories since the beginning of time, chances are, every trope, one way or another, has been overused to the point that many people would consider it cliche. If tropes are meant to be classified as cliches, then let's call romance, fantasy, action, horror, mystery, comedy, drama, science fiction, thriller and classical fiction cliche. In fact, let's call the entire world of literature "cliche."

Let's go and define first the meaning of the term cliche. "Cliche," a noun, is a term used for phrases, sentences or lines that are trite and overused to the point that it has completely lost its essence or that it is no longer effective in literature. You can't even call tropes a "cliche," neither can you call plot devices "cliches." Famous lines like "to be or not to be," "what's done is done," "that's all folks," and the like can be considered as cliches if used almost consistently out of context to the point that saying that particular phrase or line is no longer effective, or that it has completely lost its meaning.

Let's give a Wattpad example, and let's not go that far: the phrase "that is so cliched," or any variants, or simply the word "cliche" itself. The word cliche, for everyone's information, is a derogatory term. If someone tells you that your story is cliched, it means it's filled to the brim with lines, sentences, phrases, and even plot devices that you have been using out of context to the point that your story has completely defeated those lines/phrases' purpose or meaning. In short, if someone calls your entire story "cliche," it means it's utterly terrible. Meaning, a person can only call an entire story "cliche" if they have read the entire thing with a critical eye. But most recently, the word "cliche" is just being tossed around the forums, and apparently, it now refers to tropes and plot devices that people think are very overused, just because they find it a lot in the Hot List, or that 90% of the time, it's done terribly. Sometimes, people even judge a story as "cliche" just by looking at its blurb. Seriously, the word "cliche" has officially lost its essence. The word "cliche" is, in itself, a cliche.

So, believe it or not, you can't just call an entire plot trope a cliche. It's like calling someone an utterly terrible douche before even meeting them. Eh, a lot of people do it anyway, so. Anyway, let's go back. Tropes are just the basic foundation of a story, and while people can manipulate this trope by creating three-dimensional characters and by enriching every element of that plot, you can also add something called "plot devices." From the phrase itself, they are devices used to enrich and enhance the plot. When used correctly and effectively, the author can make a wonderful story with these. Examples of plot devices or narrative techniques used in literature are: backstory; the famous cliffhanger; deus ex machina, wherein for some unexplainable reason, a main character gets out of a very tight, almost inescapable life-and-death situation (be it literally or figuratively), as if a god has appeared to set a character free from his villain; flashbacks; flash forwards; prologues and epilogues--which is usually done out of context in Wattpad stories; the ever popular plot twist; and the unreliable narrator.

A lot of these techniques, plus a lot more examples that I haven't mentioned, can make a very good story if done well and effectively, and can make for a bad story if used out of context or overused. Among the examples presented above, the ones that are usually just thrown around are: cliffhangers, which, instead of being used for suspense, is commonly used for hype, for to advertise the sequel, which is technically the continuation of the first book; prologues, where instead of being a mere introduction to what might happen in the story, is usually functioning like either the extended summary of the story or the first chapter itself; and plot twists, which are usually just thrown around to desperately make an "overused" trope original and supposedly creative but end up just confusing the readers in general.

Learning how to correctly use these techniques in writing a story is like learning how to use your tools like hammer, screwdriver, pliers, drills and the power saw. You need accuracy, precision, and you need to make sure you are doing it right in order to make for an erect structure. Again, using the plot devices mentioned above, here are the correct ways of writing them:

Backstory - though not meant to be confused with the background of a character, the backstory does refer to background--the background of a setting, wherein preceding events prior to the main premise of the story is told to somehow create a connection to the current circumstances. Usually done in either the form of a prologue or in the first chapter, this serves as a prelude to the events that might happen in the story--this may not make sense at first, but as the story progresses, the readers may grasp the connection between them.

Cliffhanger - this is commonly done in order to keep readers waiting for another episode or another chapter of the story. Originally meant to be used for suspense, a cliffhanger is an event in a chapter where the events in that particular chapter remain inconclusive until the first paragraphs of the next chapter. This can be used for climactic events where suspense is usually a key factor in creating an effective action, or mystery story. However, it isn't meant to be used to keep the readers waiting for the next installment of a book or movie to find out what happens to the main plot of the first/previous story. Again, like I said in the previous lesson, it's like having to tune in to the next season of American Idol to be able to find out who won in the current season.

Deus ex machina - is also a common plot device used in action, adventure and horror stories wherein a character gets out of a technically inescapable/inevitable life-and-death situation, literally or figuratively, by an unexpected turn of events, or through an unexpected appearance of a character or event. This is referred to as "deus ex machina" due to the fact that this particular event is technically caused by divine intervention, or some god that appeared to set the main character(s) free from death, against all odds. This is either used to create a "roller coaster" effect in an action story, mainly for suspense and thrill, or for comedic effect. This, if used incorrectly and/or clumsily, can make for a bad ending or resolution. For example, a character surviving a stage 4 cancer without a series of operations/medications can be effective when used for comedic effect, but if used in a serious story, can lose the readers' suspension of disbelief.

Flashbacks - is one of the most common plot devices used in a story, wherein the narrative jumps back in time to narrate a part of a character's background, whether technically an earlier part of the story or just added for this purpose, to be able to elaborate or illustrate the current events of the story. For example, in my story, "A Criminal's Confession," when Carla narrated how her older brother was killed when she was young, Nick had some sort of flashback to the prologue of the story where it was shown that the man who killed Carla's older brother Dominic in April 12th, 1983 is in fact Nick himself. Now, flashbacks are commonly used as a means to avoid having unnecessary prologues, but it still depends on you, the writer, if you need a prologue, a flashback, or both, because using too many flashbacks can have a negative impact on the flow of the story, especially if you're creating unnecessary flashbacks--it distracts the readers from immersion to the flow of the story.

Flash forwards - a flash forward is basically similar to a flashback, only that the time skip is ahead the current events of the story, to tell a future event that may or may not be elaborately narrated in future parts of the story. Flash forwards can be used in the epilogue of the story, when trying to create comedic effect on narrating what happens to the main character(s) after the end of the story. This is also the technique I used in "The Band Code," wherein, after last chapter, where Ria ultimately moves to New York to live with her aunt, leaving the main protagonist Mark in Chicago, the story transitions nine months later, wherein Mark recounts whatever happened to several minor and supporting characters during those nine months, mainly for comedic effect.

Prologue - is basically a prelude to the narrative of a story, wherein a certain event is narrated, which, at first, may not seem to play a part in the main premise, but will make sense later on in the story. This can serve as an introduction to the story, but it can never be used as either an extended summary of the story, or as a first chapter in disguise. Most authors in Wattpad fail to make an effective prologue by using it for the purpose of either of the above, which sparked the outrage of disgruntled readers against prologues in general. This isn't really required to the story, but it should be used effectively, since it can also make or break a story.

Epilogue - is at the opposite end of the spectrum as the prologue; it goes after the last chapter, wherein the author tells what happened after the main premise of the story. Like the prologue shouldn't be a first chapter in disguise, the epilogue shouldn't also be used as a last chapter in disguise. If it feels necessary to make for a better resolution than the last chapter, or to narrate (either for comedic effect or for the purpose of setting the stage for the next installment of a possible sequel) whatever happens to a set of characters after the events of the story, or as a teaser--do readers have to expect a sequel coming?

Plot twist - from the phrase itself, "plot twist" is used to, literally, twist the plot, to deviate from an expected outcome or turn of events in a plot. It is also mainly used for suspense, and possible comedic effect, but it is also a critical plot device--it can also make or break the story, especially if just thrown around for the sole purpose of "avoiding cliches." For example, the most common plot twist used in Wattpad nowadays is an alteration of the "bad boy and good girl" trope by simply inverting the genders, therefore ending up with a "bad girl" and "good boy." Genius, right? Where have I seen that before? Oh, right, everywhere. And it seems like that these "bad girl and good boy" stories are being done more terribly than the trope where it came from. Why? Because people are under the assumption that just because you do a plot twist, it already is 100% better than the original plot, even though they don't do any effort in the actual writing process.

The best plot twists are those who do not appear in the blurb, at all. You do not announce plot twists. You give a little heads up when you're about to do it somewhere in the story itself, but you do not broadcast it; that way, it adds the element of surprise. But then again, how you execute it or what kind of plot twist you put into the story still matters. If you build up that much on an event then add a plot twist saying it actually didn't happen, especially when not executed very well, can be very off-putting. Also, having too many plot twists can be very confusing in general, so be careful; you don't wanna lead your readers in some sort of a hedge maze and have them get lost in there.

Unreliable narrator - this is a technique in writing on a first person point of view where the main character, in first person, who is narrating the story, is basically "unreliable" in telling the story due to the fact that the narrations and the delivery of information may be heavily biased, the turn of events might be excessively exaggerated, and the views and opinions of that particular character may affect the entire story. This is almost only effective in comedy; be very careful otherwise. If you have watched the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, it is notoriously known for using the unreliable narrator plot device and pulling it off. Although, then again, the part where 2030 Ted Mosby is being "unreliable" is used for comedic effect. While it seems easy to pull off, it's easy to mess up as well. Sometimes, trying too hard or getting carried away leads to the story basically turning into a rant book.

Again, there are many plot devices I haven't mentioned, but these are some of the most common plot devices I see in stories. Just remember, do not rely on which of these to add in order to make the most impact in the story, because the way you execute them is also very important. Having too many plot twists, having the narrator be too unreliable while ending the entire story in a cliffhanger can make for the worst book ever.

In a couple of days, it's time we decide what type of story you want to write. Next up, genres and classifications of a story.