Okay, okay, okay, okay…stop twisting my arm already. I will write a post about tropes, happy? Geez. We all know about the common tropes, right? Forced proximity, enemies to lovers, found family, touch her and die, one bed, etc. Don’t get it twisted; every single one of the popular tropes are my catnip. Except for pregnancy/secret baby because nobody likes pregnancy/secret baby. Or, maybe you do? Actually, okay, if you like pregnancy/secret baby, I spread my arms and welcome you to hold court in my comment section below. Convince me otherwise. The proverbial gauntlet has been thrown.

But I digress. Where was I? Oh, right, my fav tropes. There are two that I don’t think I’ve heard talked about: language and music. What do I mean? I’m so glad you asked.

Let’s start with music, shall we? I’m a SLUT for a spotify playlist before the preface. I will listen to each and every one of these songs. It gives me a feel for the story even before it begins. I can already envision the setting, the types of characters I might encounter, and, depending on the tone, how hard my feelings are going to shatter. All important things, especially that feelings one. Sometimes authors will gently place their playlists in the preface and just let them be. Other times, authors will provide a guide for which songs apply to which chapters.

The ultimate flex is when songs are seamlessly weaved into the story, which brings me to my next point: do yourself a favor and Make. It. Cinematic. If you haven’t started listening to music specifically designed to match the current mood, then what are you doing with your life? I have two main playlists: one is called “Red” and the other is called “Blue”. I used to have a “Black” playlist, but I just looked at my Spotify account and I think it fell victim to my end of 2022 manic purge. “Red” is for spicy scenes, “Blue” is for sad scenes, and “Black” (RIP) used to be for violent or fight scenes. I’ve also listened to background type sounds when the characters are in a tavern or dancing at a festival. I’ll put on club music to enhance the characters’ club experience. And if the author delicately weaves those songs into their stories? Oh you betcha I’m listening while the scene is playing out.

Equally as interactive (for me at least) is language. I don’t care if it’s Russian, French, Spanish, or some made up Fae language that sounds a whole lot like Khal Drogo’s sexy sexy Dothraki (I’m looking at you Laura Thalassa…War was…chef’s kiss…), I am sounding it out loud with my whole chest. The best is when one lover speaks to another during spicy fun times in their language. That is next level. Have you read Follow the River by CE Ricci? One of the main characters speaks Gaelic. GAELIC, people. There aren’t many more beautiful languages on the planet than Gaelic. Let me tell you, I am endlessly grateful that youtube exists.

What are your favorite tropes? Do you have any that you haven’t seen talked about often? Do you like the *shudder* pregnancy/secret baby trope? Do you make it cinematic when you read? Do you sound out languages? Let me know in the comments!