10 Worst Romance Tropes

[NiQuinn]

Just wanted to share this vid of Jenna Moreci's 10 Worst Romance Tropes. Not sure if any of you know her. Personally, I haven't read any of her works but I find her videos to be funny. If her humor is not your cup of tea, then oh well.

P.S.
The reason why I put this here in Discussions & Writing Tips is coz you might find some of what she says to be sensible.

That's all. On to the video!

 

[mrsimple]

I am guilty of some tropes on that list. Is she gonna come after me?

 

[XianPiete]

I see a lot of these opinion videos posted online these days where you get someone like the lady in this video you posted giving their opinion as if it is some kind of well-known fact or common sense message everyone should know. In the end, it's just her personal opinion.

 

[NiQuinn]

I see a lot of these opinion videos posted online these days where you get someone like the lady in this video you posted giving their opinion as if it is some kind of well-known fact or common sense message everyone should know. In the end, it's just her personal opinion.

She's posting this for her fans. She's got patreon where they request for stuff like this. Plus, it's a rant. Also, she never claimed it was a universal thing. It's her thing. But her points make sense. Which is why I posted it here.

 

[XianPiete]

She's posting this for her fans. She's got patreon where they request for stuff like this. Plus, it's a rant. Also, she never claimed it was a universal thing. It's her thing. But her points make sense. Which is why I posted it here.

I dislike videos like these on the whole due to the dishonest nature of presenting an opinion in a way that makes it seem like common sense or fact. I understand that you felt the video was speaking some opinions that you agree with, and you were eager to share them. I am also not saying that you are a lesser person for agreeing in part or entirely.

I feel like this style of attacking elements of someone else's content through these sarcastic video rants is something we shouldn't encourage. It was clear that her main focus in making the video was to get her own works acknowledged as she had mugs, scented candles, t-shirt and books prominently displayed around her, instead of talking about the positives in her own book, she grabbed the low hanging fruit of passive-aggressively attacking other author's work. By that, I mean she doesn't mention any specific work, and instead picked a collection of things she personally doesn't write into her works to attack. Why? Because she wants potential readers to see works with these things as bad, and to simultaneously remember that her works don't have these things.

It's dishonest and I don't care for it. I just hope that people who watch this will understand that they are watching an ad, and not hearing common sense fact.

 

[NiQuinn]

I dislike videos like these on the whole due to the dishonest nature of presenting an opinion in a way that makes it seem like common sense or fact. I understand that you felt the video was speaking some opinions that you agree with, and you were eager to share them. I am also not saying that you are a lesser person for agreeing in part or entirely.

I feel like this style of attacking elements of someone else's content through these sarcastic video rants is something we shouldn't encourage. It was clear that her main focus in making the video was to get her own works acknowledged as she had mugs, scented candles, t-shirt and books prominently displayed around her, instead of talking about the positives in her own book, she grabbed the low hanging fruit of passive-aggressively attacking other author's work. By that, I mean she doesn't mention any specific work, and instead picked a collection of things she personally doesn't write into her works to attack. Why? Because she wants potential readers to see works with these things as bad, and to simultaneously remember that her works don't have these things.

It's dishonest and I don't care for it. I just hope that people who watch this will understand that they are watching an ad, and not hearing common sense fact.

I'm curious if you actually saw her other videos. I'm gonna choose not to say anything else besides the fact that most often than not, I feel like you're easily offended by a lot of things.

 

[XianPiete]

I'm curious if you actually saw her other videos. I'm gonna choose not to say anything else besides the fact that most often than not, I feel like you're easily offended by a lot of things.

Why would that matter? If I had sat and watched her entire catalog of videos if I had read all of her books if I had built a shrine to her existence, how would that have anything at all to do with my point? You say that you feel I am easily offended by a lot of things based on what, exactly?

It seems to me that you are emotional about me not enjoying this advertisement for an author's work that you enjoy.

 

[Macronomicon]

#5, slave-fics are unbelievable to me all the way. Wish she had explained more about the goddamn blatantly obvious reasons, though. Some of us need to be handheld through our autistic blind-spots.

for example the woman has to know for a fact the man can resell or dispose of her whenever she wants and is therefore terrified of losing his affection, which in turn makes true love rather difficult to attain.

 

[Scribbler]

I agree with XianPiete. I believe videos titled TOP 10 BEST/WORST do more harm than good for aspiring writers because they give the sense of saying what you should or shouldn't do even if it's not the original intent of the video.

 

[Devils.Advocate]

do more harm than good for aspiring writers because they give the sense of saying what you should or shouldn't do even if it's not the original intent of the video

I don't know... I think yes... and no....
I think... if an aspiring writers watches it and follows these video as a guide-line to dos and don't... Yes it is harmful.

But having that harm done and learn from is actually very good.

I don't know if you lot would agree, but writers tend to be fairly opinionated and we all have a our own ideas and the will to express them, right?
We discuss but we don't always agree. Which i think is fine (though you may disagree on that, )

Disagreeing solidifies and sharpens out own ideas, when we try to justify our reasons. I help with how we think of ourselves, our style and our writing.

Someone who watches these vids and say "yea, I agree or no I don't know agree." follow by why? why do i agree and why don't I agree, lends to a deeper understanding of the writer's craft.

I remember reading Robert Mckee's book, Story..... The perspective from way back when all the way up to the 2000s, screenwriters took that book like it was sacred text. (it's not). But is was a starting point.

There were things in the book i disagreed with but i did not know why. Only after many more books, listening to many more varied opinions, and writing myself. I understood better and made up my own mind.

So in short, yes. It is harmful, but these videos are not the only place where other people will tell a writer what is 'good'. They are more "official-like" but in essence they are no different from fan tell writers what to write.

And if a writer can't survive that and still come out with their own agency.. then... *shrug*

 

[Scribbler]

I don't know... I think yes... and no....
I think... if an aspiring writers watches it and follows these video as a guide-line to dos and don't... Yes it is harmful.

But having that harm done and learn from is actually very good.

I don't know if you lot would agree, but writers tend to be fairly opinionated and we all have a our own ideas and the will to express them, right?
We discuss but we don't always agree. Which i think is fine (though you may disagree on that, )

Disagreeing solidifies and sharpens out own ideas, when we try to justify our reasons. I help with how we think of ourselves, our style and our writing.

Someone who watches these vids and say "yea, I agree or no I don't know agree." follow by why? why do i agree and why don't I agree, lends to a deeper understanding of the writer's craft.

I remember reading Robert Mckee's book, Story..... The perspective from way back when all the way up to the 2000s, screenwriters took that book like it was sacred text. (it's not). But is was a starting point.

There were things in the book i disagreed with but i did not know why. Only after many more books, listening to many more varied opinions, and writing myself. I understood better and made up my own mind.

So in short, yes. It is harmful, but these videos are not the only place where other people will tell a writer what is 'good'. They are more "official-like" but in essence they are no different from fan tell writers what to write.

And if a writer can't survive that and still come out with their own agency.. then... *shrug*

It's also harmful in the sense that it calls tropes bad. They aren't inherently bad, they simply happen often. And you can't really say you disagree or agree with this video since it's just a list of tropes.

Sure, you can try and open up a dialogue, but most of writing or learning to write better is self taught. And if a person is impressionable enough to follow the lessons of a video then they may make mistakes and learn from them. But they might not have made that mistake in the first place or had to have learned that it was a bad or good thing since they could have achieved that understanding themselves simply from thinking about it instead of accepting it. In other words, learning something obviously bad is bad is a waste of time. 90% of the time the best thing you can do is think about it yourself.

And I don't think authors are opinionated. They offer a service exactly like a chef or a film maker. If they don't listen to their audience they'll drown in seconds and any creator worth their salt knows that.

I still think the best way to write better is to read and write more.

 

[Devils.Advocate]

And I don't think authors are opinionated. They offer a service exactly like a chef or a film maker. If they don't listen to their audience they'll drown in seconds and any creator worth their salt knows that.

Hmmm... when you say this, do you mean it as a personal opinion, a commonly accepted truth by the writer's community, a dictionary definition in the wider world, or is it an observable truth.... or all of the above?

 

[Scribbler]

Hmmm... when you say this, do you mean it as a personal opinion, a commonly accepted truth by the writer's community, a dictionary definition in the wider world, or is it an observable truth.... or all of the above?

ALL OF THEM! Does it matter? Does it change anything? We can categorize and define things all we want. Everything depends, okay, is that good enough?

 

[Generic.Archdemon]

ALL OF THEM! Does it matter? Does it change anything? We can categorize and define things all we want. Everything depends, okay, is that good enough?

It was a trap!!! Don't engage with him!! He is Evil!!!

 

[Devils.Advocate]

He is Evil

Bwhahahahaahaa!!!

 

[Scribbler]

It was a trap!!! Don't engage with him!! He is Evil!!!

I never said that.

Isn't naming and categorizing things a waste of a time? It feels like a waste of time. I meant no malice or anything. I do not find enjoyment out of the activity is all. And I like to do things I enjoy or things that will eventually lead to my greater enjoyment. I do not think I am strange in that regard.

 

[Generic.Archdemon]

Isn't naming and categorizing things a waste of a time? It feels like a waste of time.

YEAH!! I know right! A total waste of time!!! Who does @Cascadian think he is!!! Telling people what is good info and what is harmful info! We should be able to decide for ourselves!!!

And I like to do things I enjoy or things that will eventually lead to my greater enjoyment.

Preaching to the choir man!!! I totally agree!! Its up to me to decide if top 10 whatever is harmful or not!! Why is Cascadian categorizing it as harmful and saying to me it should not exist!! I should be allow to follow those top 10 video and use them as a writer's manual if I want to!!!

YeaH!! YeaH!!
@Cascadian back off, man!!

He didn't EVEN say which and WHY it is harmful!!! HE DIDN"T EVEN SAY WHICH ONE HE DISAGREE WITH AND WHY?

Cascadian obviously doesn't know a thing about writing!!!

And like you said @Scribbler, if @Cascadian is anyone worth their salt he'd know that that!!! If he disagreed with the 10 ten video he should point it out what he disagreed with and do a point by point!! That is a discussion that is improvement.

What he did was just wrong!!!

"waste of time" you can say that again!!

 

[Scribbler]

YEAH!! I know right! A total waste of time!!! Who does @Cascadian think he is!!! Telling people what is good info and what is harmful info! We should be able to decide for ourselves!!!


Preaching to the choir man!!! I totally agree!! Its up to me to decide if top 10 whatever is harmful or not!! Why is Cascadian categorizing it as harmful and saying to me it should not exist!! I should be allow to follow those top 10 video and use them as a writer's manual if I want to!!!

YeaH!! YeaH!!
@Cascadian back off, man!!

He didn't EVEN say which and WHY it is harmful!!! HE DIDN"T EVEN SAY WHICH ONE HE DISAGREE WITH AND WHY?

Cascadian obviously doesn't know a thing about writing!!!

And like you said @Scribbler, if @Cascadian is anyone worth their salt he'd know that that!!! If he disagreed with the 10 ten video he should point it out what he disagreed with and do a point by point!! That is a discussion that is improvement.

What he did was just wrong!!!

"waste of time" you can say that again!!

I never said that. You chose to think that

 

[Generic.Archdemon]

Throw @Cascadian into the fire

GRILL IT!!! GRILL IT WITH FIRE!!!!

 

[Devils.Advocate]

Throw @Cascadian into the fire

GRILL IT!!! GRILL IT WITH FIRE!!!!

Nooooooo~~~!!!!