BookTok and the everlasting case of tropes in contemporary fiction

With the publishing industry reaching new heights of oversaturation, it is imperative for new authors to stand out in the digital space, which has enabled the creation of the limitless sub-community BookTok. If you've ever scrolled down the depths of Instagram Reels, you might've had the misfortune of coming across content you wish you had never looked at, such as a snippet from a dark-romance novel.

If you're attuned to the world of BookTok and Bookstagram, you know it's not always bad. What you do know, however, is that the promo for all these books is generally the same. A reel inviting interest by offering a glimpse and a caption listing tropes that are sure to get BookTok readers spinning on their heels are among the things you'd usually find. So if you're wondering how to create your own BookTok-friendly narrative, look no further.

Cash-cow cast

If there's one thing you should know about BookTok, it is that your characters are the makers or breakers of the deal. To appeal to the young adult audience, you need to create leads with the capacity to get everything they desire. "Nuances are important," you say. But adhere to the formula, you must.

At the core of every BookTok hit is a girl whose will compels the stakes to bend before her and a guy whose tortured-boy violence is disguised as a personality trait. Now don't get me wrong, we all enjoy a turn away from pacifist characters whose motives are dependent on everyone but them. However, every turn deserves commitment, but that's not why we have BookTok.

Damsels in distress exhausted us for so long that now our favourite female protagonists must never undergo any kind of struggle. Not only is this teenager (or young adult) tough as nails, she also has the emotional capacity to pragmatically deal with every obstacle tossed her way. God forbid she runs into failure. She is the main character, so she must be strong, rational, and the best person you've ever known at all times.

Now, onto the admirable love interest. Think of the worst person you know and conjure reasons to justify their actions. Once you're done, open up a document and begin writing. And do forget to give him nuances unless you are jumping straight to his redemption arc. Can't get there before milking the grey morality first.

And remember, your characters may be young and inexperienced but should have the potential to overthrow their elders and superiors. As someone who's passionate about the Six of Crows duology, I can affirm with absolute certainty that those kids should not be able to accomplish more than half the things they do.

And yet I enjoy the books all the same, which should give you a sense of the power that these books have over their audiences. As long as your characters are memorable, no force on earth—not even the stride of the author's pen—can stop them.

Rugged dynamics

Now that you have the skeleton, it's time to flesh out your story. Usually, some amount of political intrigue works in a romance-fantasy setting. But the genre is less fantasy than it is romance, so bring in the tropes.

BookTok appreciates animosity, so you'd do wonders making them enemies from the get-go. Even better, force your characters into a marriage of convenience while they are openly hostile towards each other. Sarcasm aside, I should mention that I enjoy a good back-and-forth, though I'd prefer if it didn't involve attraction during the enemies phase.

But BookTok demands its endgame to be spelled out, so an author wishing to cater to the young adult audience of today need not worry about incorporating too much eroticism in the stabbing portions of the book. As a big fan of Holly Black's The Folk of the Air, I admit that even my favourite, BookTok-beloved romantasy series employs this technique. However, the series elevates its appeal by prioritising politics and keeping its romantic elements on the down-low, so credit where credit's due.

But if you're not penning romance fantasy, don't you worry. Have the eventual love interest torment the female lead in every conceivable way. It's erotic because she has no means to defend herself. Don't we all enjoy fawning over the romanticism of power dynamics?

It is all okay in the end if he starts referring to the tormented protagonist as "my wife" because there is no greater act of love than ownership.

On a serious note

Oversaturated as the market may be due to the manufacturing and promotion of tropes over unique narrative curiosity, digital communities like BookTok and Bookstagram have wonderfully brought together writers to support one another through this uncertain journey.

The same way that digital artists have carved out a strong space for themselves amid the dangers of AI theft, writers too are carrying their craft to the forefront once again. Criticism aside, it would be dismissive to deny the opportunities that these communities are able to grant to young creators.

It is important, however, to remember that literature encourages the emergence of new ideas. To boil it down to tropes is to do injustice to at least the contemporary era of written fiction, as it sidelines those who actually wish to explore something aside from the dark-romance or romance-fantasy trope festivals.

At the end of it all, we all enjoy complex characters, but as I mentioned before, that direction deserves commitment. If a villain is introduced, why can't they stay that way? Why must they be burdened by the author's itch to offer redemption? It is as if modern media has forgotten why we hate villains—it's because we love to hate them, plain and simple.

If we were to achieve a revamping of the digital space at some point, that might clear the way for more out-of-the-box ideas to take the stage. Until then, I'll hope against hope that contemporary authors stop undermining just how fast I'm willing to run away from a male character who growls with every breath.

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