The First Draft Pro Blog
We freaking love stories
You do too? Well, well, well. That smells like BFF potential.
![The image is of two fae mates. Honestly, he looks like he might be half fae, which would make for a much better story. She has wings, he doesn't.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/643aa33f29c3ea83de1a1893/661d9b40e6e30b11a6b910c6_Fated%20Mates.png)
The ultimate writer's guide to the Fated Mates trope
An overview of the Fated Mates trope, with examples and guidelines for using it in your novel.
![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.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/643aa33f29c3ea83de1a1893/661d9bd7f6d095d7bd29feb6_Fake%20Dating.png)
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.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/643aa33f29c3ea83de1a1893/661d9c4a7b5990dc85adbffa_One%20Bed.png)
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.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/643aa33f29c3ea83de1a1893/661d9c8bf332c6d6a07be835_Morally%20Grey.png)
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.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/643aa33f29c3ea83de1a1893/661d9ce8a2cd2202e3876188_Forced%20Proximity.png)
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.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/643aa33f29c3ea83de1a1893/661d9ef7b4f234a689fdc974_Secret%20Identity.png)
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.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/643aa33f29c3ea83de1a1893/661d9f47458d157b4af4e94d_Forbidden%20Love.png)
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.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/643aa33f29c3ea83de1a1893/661d9f9464fb064c1e109e72_Enemies%20to%20Lovers.png)
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.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/643aa33f29c3ea83de1a1893/661da8c6ec7778423915dd07_Academic%20Rivals%20to%20Lovers.png)
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.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/643aa33f29c3ea83de1a1893/661da00618edaf9ccef9a107_Rivals%20to%20Lovers.png)
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.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/643aa33f29c3ea83de1a1893/661da02ff2c1f65ef2e287c7_Friends%20to%20Lovers.png)
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.
![Three genius characters in a novel.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/643aa33f29c3ea83de1a1893/660effd7a041930767e76c7f_Character%20Templates%20(1).png)
How to write a believable genius character
Discover how different forms of intelligence can shape a character's interactions, decisions, and roles within a story.