We all hear that we should avoid cliches and tired tropes in our writing, but sometimes it’s difficult to determine which tropes and cliches we should avoid. How do we determine if a trope is overused? The following is a list of tropes and cliches that can be seen as either overused or perfectly acceptable, but I’ve included ways you may be able to make it more interesting for your readers to sit through.

Enemies to Lovers

This trope is universally loved. It’s a mixture of opposites attract and angst, and it can be perfect for a plot. However, because it is commonly used in writing, you can switch it up a little to make your story stand out. Instead of enemies, the characters can be coworkers who aren’t meant to date or ex-lovers who swore they would never reconnect. Both of these can still have that bitterness that comes with being enemies, but they add other layers on top of that bitterness.

The Butler Did It

We’ve all heard of this cliché, and while it is definitely overused, it could be fun to use it as a way to subvert your audience’s expectations. If you build your book up, making the audience believe it was the butler or a specific person, you can still give hints and details that prove that it was actually someone else. This plot twist can leave your audience absolutely flabbergasted because they were under the impression that you were going for the cliché of the butler committing the crime, only for them to realize you were giving them the real answer the whole time.

Bad Boy, Good Girl

Bad boys or morally gray men are often the best part of some stories. However, we could mix this trope up. You can go the easy route and switch it to where the girl is the bad or morally grey one. Or you could use this trope to promote healthier relationships by making the good girl realize she should not actually be with the bad boy at all because he is, well, a bad person.

Damsel in Distress

Having the hero save the damsel in distress is a bit boring. It is what the audience is expecting. However, having the damsel in distress trick the hero by turning into his enemy after he helps her can be an interesting plot point. You could also have the damsel be the one who has to save the hero when they both inevitably get into a predicament that the hero cannot save her from.

Love Triangle

Love triangles can be interesting for drama, but it can get fairly annoying when it’s clear who the protagonist is going to pick. Spice it up by making it more dramatic. Maybe the protagonist doesn’t choose either of the love interests in the end and realizes she was only attracted to them because she thought she had to be. It could be a twist on a coming-of-age novel while still using a common cliché.

Miscommunication/Misunderstanding

Miscommunication or misunderstandings are frequently used as plot devices, but they can take a toll on your audience when the entire plot is based around them. When will the protagonist realize her love interest actually is interested in her and doesn’t just want to be friends? Or when will the protagonist realize the bad guy isn’t the real bad guy? You can use this for a subplot that is quickly resolved, but don’t let your main plot revolve solely around one conversation with a character with poor communication skills.

These tropes and cliches can be seen as overused; however, if you use it to your advantage and write them in your own style, it can work in your writing. The way you write about these tropes determines whether or not they will be seen as overused.