12 Character Archetypes Every Writer Must Know

Trope = yes

Stereotype = no

A stereotype is an oversimplified view of a type of person, based on one aspect of their identity, like race or gender or hair color or where they're from. It's important to know stereotypes so you can avoid them in your writing, both so you won't be generic and so

Tropes, on the other hand, are like adding sugar to cake, rather than salt: You want to know what your audience came for, so you can give it to them!

Tropes are things with universal appeal that audiences come back for time and time again. (Not to be confused with a cliche, which is just something that has been overused until it's cringey. For instance, the villain in a YA novel being a mean blonde cheerleader is both a cliche and a stereotype. But a trope might be that the main character is an underdog who manages to win the heart of the most high-status boy in school!) Examples: enemies to lovers, amateur detective, chosen one, only one bed...

Intelligent use of proven tropes, combined in a new and unique way, are the fastest way to genre writing success!

A trope is something that is instantly familiar to readers: a character type, setting, plot point, or style of writing that is recognizable and tied to a specific genre.

For example, one familiar romance story structure is the “enemies to lovers” plot. This pattern is immediately recognizable to readers, and although it is used often, writers are still finding new and unique ways to spin it, and readers still love engaging with it.

Another popular trope is that of “The Chosen One.” Think about it: Both Luke Skywalker and King Arthur find a magical sword, receive the guidance of an older, wiser mentor, and go on a journey to storm a stronghold to save a princess. Even though the building blocks are the same, the stories are vastly and entirely different…and centuries apart!

There are hundreds of ways to apply this trope and come out with a unique and fresh story.

Tropes are the conventions, ideas, or motifs that make up these basic building blocks of all storytelling. In order to tell a fantastic story, tropes are necessary (and not to be confused with clichés, which are devices, expressions, or phrases that have been used so often and in so many places that readers have become tired of them, and desensitized to them). But why are they necessary?

Well, tropes are baked into every genre that we know and love. If you’re writing a western novel, odds are you might have a lone cowboy or a bumbling sheriff in there. If you’re writing a thriller or mystery novel, you might find yourself creating a gritty, lone-wolf detective, who acts first and asks questions later. Just because these tropes have been used before, doesn’t mean they’re tired!

If you’re writing in a specific genre, in order to use tropes effectively, you should be intimately familiar with the tropes of that genre. Knowing them inside and out means you’ll have your best shot at subverting them and spinning them in new ways that readers will enjoy (and avoid veering into cliché territory).

Think of books in the genre that you’ve read before. Was there one that you didn’t like? Ask yourself: What specifically made you dislike it? It might be that a trope wasn't used effectively, and if you can identify exactly what disappointed you about the way that trope was used, it can help you discover what you wished that writer might have done differently. And then: poof! Suddenly you have a thread of inspiration you can pull on to get some ideas for your own story.

Remember: tropes are patterns. And patterns can be twisted, bent, and manipulated. Just be careful not to break the pattern, or you risk readers finding it difficult to relate to a trope they cannot recognize and therefore relate to.

Writers just like you are still finding fresh ways to put a spin on tropes of all kinds, and using those building blocks to build entirely new and unexpected things for us to read!

When it comes to building characters, tropes and stereotypes get trashed. Authors shy away from them, not wanting their stories to sound stale because they're leaning on well-worn tropes. But applied sparingly, these storytelling crutches can enrich your characters, allow readers to jump in easily, and even lay the foundation for surprise and depth.

Tropes are a short-cut for your readers. They give readers a feeling of who a character is and where they stand in the story. A "mentor," for instance, gives a feeling of guidance, a "reluctant hero" gives a feeling of inner conflict, and a "grizzled detective" gives a sense of experience and exhaustion. These archetypes shave space out of your storytelling so readers can catch on to relationships and dynamics immediately. The art is to combine them with unique characteristics that make your character stand out.

Stereotypes are worse. They can establish context rapidly, but they can also be lazy or toxic if they are not challenged. The trick is to use them as a springboard, and not an endpoint. A character who holds the "shy bookworm" description might secretly be a social master manipulator. That interplay between expectation and reality keeps things interesting and provides depth.

Another great way to use tropes is to subvert expectations. Use a "princess in distress" who saves herself or a "charming rogue" who has imposter syndrome. By turning the expected tropes on their head, you catch the reader off guard without losing respect for those conventions.

Ultimately, the most compelling characters are born from layers beyond the trope. Surface traits like charm, wit, or wisdom draw people in, but motivation, flaw, and contradiction create a character. Tropes will also support your themes—whatever they may be, from redemption to generational insight to ambition's cost—adding cohesiveness to your narrative but still permitting complexity.

The issue happens when writers rely on tropes or stereotypes without questioning them. Does every single one serve the story, add depth, and make your character more human? Used consciously, tropes and stereotypes are not clichés—they are tools used to make your characters immediately recognizable, resonant at a thematic level, and unforgettable.

While it's worth noting the use of tropes and stereotypes can be comforting -- I love an enemies-to-lovers, "Who did this to you?" trope in romance, and the Chosen One in young adult makes me nostalgic for the golden age of dystopian; however, you can also use stereotypes and tropes by subverting them.

A great example is Victoria Aveyard's RED QUEEN. I won't reveal the twist, but it took a certain romantic stereotype, crushed it to pieces, and surprised readers in a way that still gives me (delightful) trauma! Another more general example is the Game of Thrones series and the way that George RR Martin kills characters off left and right. Those you thought were heroes or "chosen" are not guaranteed to be around long enough to fulfill any destiny.

So by all means, embrace tropes and stereotypes to give readers what they want; however, think about surprising them a little bit. See how you can tell a different story.

There is a common misconception within writing circles that "trope" = bad or cliche. While yes, certain tropes and character traits can become overused and cliche, tropes are more like reader expectations when they pick up a book from a certain genre. For instance:

1. In romance, tropes are things like friends to lovers, enemies-to-lovers, he falls first, grumpy neighbor
2. In YA fantasy, tropes can be things like the Chosen One, Love Triangles, or Hidden Magic
3. In middle grade, tropes can be the power of friendship, magical animals, magical academies

While not all books in these genres include all of these things, and while these things can certainly be cliche if you don't put your unique take on it, they are what readers enjoy about a genre. After all, isn't that why you read a certain genre, because there are tropes and elements within that you enjoy?

The way to use these stereotypes and tropes to your benefit is to use them as a framework, understanding how they operate and why readers enjoy them. Then, sprinkle your unique author magic on them. How you describe characters, the dynamic between two characters, how certain elements show up or are utilized, all these can be unique to you and your book. You're not looking to reinvent the wheel, but rather give it a new coat of paint, your coat of paint, so that you write the story you want while delivering a satisfying reader experience.

No. But in most cases, it's probably a good idea.

This criticism ("protagonist needs development/arc/change") is often shorthand for "this story doesn't have much craft to it" or "there's no arc to this thing." If the protagonist has no arc, good chance the story doesn't, either—but this isn't a hard-and-fast judgment.

The better question to ask is whether your protagonist should change. If not, you should have a firm idea why not, and so should your reader by the end. What would the character's not changing say, mean, or do? Is it a tale where everyone knows the protagonist needs to change, but he doesn't? Does he suffer the consequences? Get away with it? And so on.

Unless you can articulate why your character shouldn't change, then your editor is probably right: change would help the story along. But before you get rewriting, decide how this change will advance the story, what effects it will have.

In other words: Don't just change a character arc because an editor said you should. Change it because the story will be stronger for it.

This is what is usually expected, especially in coming-of-age stories for teens. However, in some cases, the point of the story might be that the main character does NOT change. And if this scenario works best for the story you are trying to tell, then the protagonist does not have to change.

While growth in the protagonist by the end of the story is the "norm" for most books, sometimes the growth comes from getting what they wanted at the beginning. There are many ways for "growth" to occur. Whichever path is chosen must make sense for your story and feel organic to the narrative, not forced.

Example of a "stuck" adult character that doesn't change:

Archie Bunker from the TV show All in the Family - always a cynic and pessimist

Example of an adult character who is "stuck" at the outset, but grows by the end of the story:

Macon Leary from The Accidental Tourist - becomes "unstuck" and more independent

So, you have to do what works for your story and makes sense in the overall plot scheme.

As they say, "change is the only evidence of life." So as a rough, general rule, it's a good idea to have character development.

As well as being an editor, I'm a screenwriter, and protagonist change is often stressed as essential in films to keep an audience interested.

But it depends on the type of story and character. If a character is interesting enough, and the point of the story includes that they don't change, then don't force them to.

There are no infallible rules about storytelling.

Curious, rebellious. A character that doesn't quite "fit the mold" will usually be interesting to readers.

Characters are best described through body language and dialogue. Avoid overusing adjectives and let your readers do some of the interpreting. There is no need to spell everything out for them. The best way to convey a character's personality is through action, dialogue and body language.

This is so important because the character will drive your story.. You reader has to be fascinated by your protagonist and be routing for him or her. I always interview my characters in depth. I don't just ask them about the basics of their lives and history. I ask them what they fear most in life, what makes them get up in the morning.

I provide all my clients with a template that I devised myself for ensuring that every single character in a novel is fully fleshed-out, colourful and contrasting, both within themselves and to other characters.

I've had success doing Enneagram quizzes in each character's persona. Even if you don't believe in personality profiles, it's a good way to check whether a character's goals, motivations, and considerations are consistent. They can reveal gaps where you still have a question to answer about a character's background and, best of all, it reassures you that you're writing characters who contrast with one another, rather than representing different aspects of your temperament as the writer.

The most important issue for each character is what they want. Desire and wants fuel the story, especially regarding what the main character wants. When two characters want the same thing, this is when tension can arise organically.