21 Popular Romance Tropes for Writers
Whether I’m reading a mystery or fantasy novel (or another genre completely), I’ve always been a huge fan of love stories. There’s a reason why I always work writing a love poem into my daily poetry challenges. And it’s the same reason I enjoy a good romance novel. There’s just something soothing about the Happily Ever After (HEA) or Happy For Now (HFN) that comes with the romance genre.
Another strength of the romance genre is that it’s filled with a variety of popular tropes. And writers who are trope-aware can subvert those tropes judiciously for effective emotional impact. Or just lean into the tropes, knowing that readers love them as much as your characters adore each other.
21 Popular Romance Tropes for Writers
Here are 21 examples of romance tropes for writers to consider and subvert when writing their love stories.
Love triangle. In the love triangle, there are three people and two of them have their sights set on the same person within the triangle. That third person may or may not be interested in those other two. Of course, it’s also possible to have Person 1 be interested in Person 2 who’s interested in Person 3 who’s interested in Person 1 (or someone outside the triangle).Second chance. Two ex-lovers find they have the chance to try hooking up again and/or just become friends (until they fall back in love) and/or cross paths as enemies (until they fall back in love). Speaking of which…Enemies-to-lovers. The power of love is amazing, isn’t it? I mean, it can bring together two people who consider themselves more than incompatible—actual enemies—and somehow they still end up happily together. Wow!Friends-to-lovers. But your characters don’t have to be enemies to fall in love. They could, instead, be two people happily in the “friend zone” until they begin to realize maybe there’s more to their relationship than friendship. And that brings us to…Aloof couple. Whether they consider themselves friends or acquaintances or colleagues or (fill-in-the-blank), this couple is so infuriatingly perfect together—infuriating because they’re the only ones who seem unaware of their obvious chemistry (until something or someone forces them to confront their dynamic).Office romance. This type of situation could happen in an office where characters are forced together on a daily basis for hours at a time, running into each other in meetings, hallways, break rooms, etc., as the romantic tension builds one encounter after the other. Actually, this trope is a form of…Forced proximity. This is the romance trope where two characters are forced to be near each other, because it’s hard to get the sparks going without proximity. Here are 50 reasons for your characters to be stuck together (just in case you need any ideas).Fake dating. In this trope, two characters pretend to be in love or at least together (for whatever weird reason) …. until, well, they realize they don’t have to pretend any more … because they are, in fact, in love. (Fake it until you make it, right?)Betting. For this trope, there is a bet made that one character can either seduce (or be the first one to get with) another character. The character who makes the bet usually doesn’t care about the object of their gambling affection … until they are (and that’s usually when that person finds out it was all a stupid bet). This trope is closely related to…Secrets. One character in the romance has a secret (or many secrets) they’re trying to keep hidden. Maybe they have a sketchy past, another identity, or (fill-in-the-blank). This could include a certain hidden stature (like the secret keeper is actually a billionaire or royal or pop star or superhero). The secret is usually kept intentionally, but it could also be a result of…Amnesia. For this trope, one character gets amnesia, and the other was either already in love before the amnesia (and have to reignite the spark) or they weren’t, but this new amnesiac is so lovable.Different worlds. For this one, there are two characters who are attracted to each other, but they both travel in different social circles. One might be rich, the other poor. One might hang out at punk rock shows, while the other is more into rodeos and biker bars. Or whatever makes their worlds different, putting a strain on their relationship. Sometimes this trope leads to…Forbidden love. Maybe a royal can’t be with a commoner. Maybe same sex relationships aren’t allowed. Or there’s some other reason why one person isn’t allowed to be with another, which only adds fuel to the fire of romance.First love. Maybe I should’ve started with this one, but this trope plays with that magical first love, and probably dives into the depths of that first heartbreak preceding the HEA (or HFN).Holiday romance. Holidays are a great time for bringing people together at events and gatherings. So yeah, hooking up happens when people come into contact. For some holidays, this trope could cross with…Grump and sunshine. One character is so grumpy all the time; the other character is so bubbly all the time. And somehow, through that power-of-love thing, they end up balancing each other out. The grump sometimes has…Sworn off love. With this trope, one character just isn’t interested in love. Maybe it’s how they’re wired, but it’s usually because of some event that happened to them earlier that hurt them so bad (maybe in a first-love romance that didn’t have a happy ending) that they’ve sworn off love forever … until someone makes them reconsider. Related to this…Allergic to commitment. One character has no trouble getting into relationships; the real problem is staying in them. Because once things start getting serious, that’s when that character starts looking for a way out. Maybe because of a past event or fear of the future.Suspect and investigator. For this trope, one person is investigating another for some reason, whether it’s for a crime or bad accounting or whatever. This would seem like an antagonistic relationship, but the forced proximity increases the chances of the two characters clicking (and questioning the motives of each other at the same time).Other person’s lover. For this trope, maybe one person falls for their best friend’s lover … or their enemy’s lover … or their boss’s lover … or (fill-in-the-blank)’s lover. This crosses over with forbidden love, but it’s often compelling because of the external conflicts amplifying the romantic conflicts.Fish out of water. For this one, a character who is new to a place or situation and feels overwhelmed finds themselves in a romance with someone who is perfectly at home in that place or situation. An example would be a city slicker trying to make their way in a small town or rural setting (and falling in love, of course).
Hope this list helps get you started. There are definitely more romance tropes, and I’d love to know your favorites in the comments below.
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