Thread by @TheBrometheus

Tropes are the story arrangements which appeal to the widest audience of people. Authors twist tropes to remain fresh. As you twist them, you slide away from what attracts the greatest number of people.

Slide as far as you like, but be aware of your changing marketing target.

But if you twist correctly, that narrowed audience becomes obsessive and desperate to get your product.

You generate interest by making your twist fun enough that the new target audience craves the new take.

“Man seeks revenge”
“Man seeks revenge FOR BURRITO”
That’s my twist and people are eating it up.

“Boy meets girl”
“Boy meets seven girls”
Welcome to harem stories, one of the most popular genres for young men.

The trick is to keep the tropes recognizable while adding new complexities which attract a specific audience hungry for your narrow twist.

You don’t want to go too far because you narrow your audience.

“Boy meets seven girls who are not humanoid and the boy is a robot artist.”

You keep the tropes recognizable not so that people point them out, but so the brain of your target audience can see something familiar to grab onto, something similar to other stories they’ve enjoyed. Genre marketing.

And that’s how you use tropes. Twist and change however you like to stay fresh, just be mindful that each twist narrows your audience (for good or ill).