The First Draft Pro Blog

We freaking love stories

You do too? Well, well, well. That smells like BFF potential.

The two people in this image look like they are having the most awkward encounter of their lives. They look like they both just saw their exes who have started dating and also recently gotten promotions. They are trying very hard to make it look like they are fake dating each other in order to save face.
Tropes
3 min read

The ultimate writer's guide to the Fake Dating trope

An overview of the Fake Dating trope, with examples and guidelines for using it in your novel.
The image is of the inside of a cabin. Or perhaps an inn. There is one bed, and she's sitting on it. He's leaning against the doorframe, staring at her.
Tropes
3 min read

The ultimate writer's guide to the One Bed trope

An overview of the One Bed trope, with examples and guidelines for using it in your novel.
The image is of a morally grey character. How do we know that he's morally grey? Shadow magic, obviously.
Tropes
3 min read

The ultimate writer's guide to the Morally Grey Hero trope

An overview of the Morally Grey trope, with examples and guidelines for using it in your novel.
The image is of two princes in full regalia. Is the one on a state visit to the other? Are they forced to tour the country-side together? Do they hate each other? Are they going to fall in love. Absolutely. All of the above.
Tropes
3 min read

The ultimate writer's guide to the Forced Proximity trope

An overview of the Forced Proximity trope, with examples and guidelines for using it in your novel.
The image is of a mysterious man. We don't know much about him except for the fact that he has a pretty spectacular coat on. What could it mean? We may never know.
Tropes
3 min read

The ultimate writer's guide to the Secret Identity trope

An overview of the Secret Identity trope, with examples and guidelines for using it in your novel.
The image shows two political leaders. They might be politicians. They might be presidents. They shouldn't be together, it's not allowed. But here they are, and they can't stay away from each other.
Tropes
3 min read

The ultimate writer's guide to the Forbidden Love trope

An overview of the Forbidden Love trope, with examples and guidelines for using it in your novel.
The image is of two women, one holding the other hostage. They are enemies, but not for long.
Tropes
3 min read

The ultimate writer's guide to the Enemies to Lovers trope

An overview of the Enemies to Lovers trope, with examples and guidelines for using it in your novel.
The image shows two academic rivals in a library. The vibe is very dark academia.
Tropes
3 min read

The ultimate writer's guide to the Academic Rivals to Lovers trope

An overview of the Academic Rivals to Lovers trope, with examples and guidelines for using it in your novel.
The image shows two rivals who have an undeniable attraction.
Tropes
3 min read

The ultimate writer's guide to the Rivals to Lovers trope

An overview of the Rivals to Lovers trope, with examples and guidelines for using it in your novel.
The image shows two childhood friends, adults now. They have just realised that the affection they share is not platonic.
Tropes
3 min read

The ultimate writer's guide to the Friends to Lovers trope

An overview of the Friends to Lovers trope, with examples and guidelines for using it in your novel.
An illustration of writers working in a library.
Tropes
3 min read

A complete guide to book tropes – including a list of 20+ tropes you can use

Utilizing and subverting common narrative themes and devices effectively.