Are You Just Copying A Storyline Or Building On A Trope

Writers are often told to by editors "read what we publish". The purpose is really simple. To understand the voice of the line. To understand the tropes and the style of the writing. Unfortunately, too often, writers hear this and end up taking this to an extreme when they write their own stories. What do they do? They make carbon copies of the books already out there.

And what happens?

They get rejected! Ugh! Ugh! And double Ugh!

"But Scott, they told us to read what they publish!" 

Yes they did, but did you hear what I said up there in the first paragraph? They want you to look to the style of the writing and the voice. They want you to see if you can follow some of those smaller ideas and nuances. It does not mean to take the same plot lines and just move the story to a different setting. And honestly, this is so important for those of you who want to write for publishers who have a clear "Series" or "Category" line.

Many publishers out there have dedicated lines that follow a unique pattern. Obviously Harlequin stands out as well as Entangled and Wild Rose Press. But others out there are doing the same thing. They have found they can draw in a group of readers who love to stick to that line, which is awesome for sales. You get hooked there and then get drawn in for the other books at that publisher. 

Now, this is what I often see. Let's say, for example, that someone wants to write for Harlequin Presents. They see a word count that is short. They see hot rich guys, often royalty or filthy rich CEO's and then there is a sudden pregnancy. So they write the same dang story. Now, when an editor (or an agent like me) reads the story, we have the "been there done it" approach. Give us something new! We already have people who are in those niches.

Remember, the idea of a trope is to use it as PART of the story, not the whole story. The idea is to figure out how the story "READS". Follow the flow of it, the rhythm of it, the style of the writing. Then, toss in maybe one trope but add in your own flare to make it unique.

Doing that might get you noticed faster!