I’ve been doing NaNoWriMo for ten years now, and I’ll be doing it again this November. This is where I break new ground, do something different. That’s good for developing my craft and trying out different genres. This is a look at my process for doing so. I need to get methodical about it. Sitting around waiting for inspiration to strike isn’t my style.
I wanted to write an urban fantasy. I’d never done that before. I had a magic system I liked. The genre is hot right now, and it looked interesting. I need to get in touch with my long-ago teen-aged self, which is one more on the side of developing my craft. My teen years weren’t a Beaver Cleaver episode.
So, where to begin? Reading a whole bunch of authors to try to get a feel for the genre was a lot of time, and some money, too. (Cheap old guy? Guilty.)
A piece of wisdom I got from my editor was, “You can’t avoid using tropes. Own them, and use them well.” Another was, “Tropes define genres.”
Okay, that’s better. Other people have already done the work for me. (I’m not lazy, I’m efficient.) The website TV Tropes is a huge resource, freely available to everyone. The awesome power of wikis is something my younger self literally could not have imagined.
I have a sympathetic young hero. He’s a weight lifter and a math whiz, for reasons dictated by the magic system.
Coming of age story, with a side order of a young guy discovering a new world. Definitely a trope I can work with. Some complain that it’s overused, but if JKR can get away with it, I can.
Tropes I’m Using
The Mentor. Rostam Cannon has a gift he doesn’t even know he has, so he needs to be trained. Got to have him, but he’s not going to be a kindly father figure. By the time our young hero gets his feet on the ground in country, he’s going to be ready. Who sweats more in peace, bleeds less in war. “The Blind Master is a legend.” “Yes, he is. He is a living legend.”
The Damsel in Distress. He wants to rescue his mother. Right, this one needs a really heavy subversion work-over. Never mind that passive females waiting to be rescued doesn’t go over well with readers these days, I don’t like it, at all, never have. His mother is in deep trouble, but she’s a serious player with her own agenda.
The Men in Black I just couldn’t not use that, and it fit right in. Arcanist Security Coordination (ASC), founded by the great Sir William Stephenson, the man called Intrepid. They wear sunglasses because you have to have your eyes closed when you use arcanism. (Magic is an overused word.) Way cool, seriously badass.
The Masquerade The secret world is a common trope, but it does need to be justified. (Though, handwaving it can work. The Dresden Files has a magical detective who advertises in the newspapers.) I have a good motive for the secrecy, and select people in the Canadian government know, and cooperate in keeping it highly classified, with ASC to do cover-ups. Close enough for government work.
Enemies to Friends (or Supporters) The leader his mother is trying to supplant isn’t the bad guy. He’s a political opponent who becomes an ally and elder statesman to the young hero. (Never thought of that. Free plot thread!)
Restricted Rescue Operation. Fits right in. ASC has limited resources and rules they have to follow. The hero does it, or it doesn’t get done.
The Cavalry Comes Over The Hill. I originally kicked this to the curb. It sneaked in by the back door, subverted. The hero can’t call in the cavalry. He has to become the cavalry.
Tropes I’m Not Using
The Chosen One. Negative, Ghostrider. He’s going to be at the eye of the storm, and the bridge between two cultures, but no prophecies need apply.
Vampires, Werewolves and Zombies. Try across the hall.
The Secret Heir His ancestry matters, but it is well known.
The Evil Overlord The bad guy is the leader of a small faction, violent and abusive.
The Magical Object Never liked it, not using it. Arcanism is all about skill and training.
The Lucky Novice The hero doesn’t get lucky against the bad guy. He was trained by the Master of a tough school.
Unchanging Medieval World Modern urban fantasy. Nuff said.
The Quest This is a Hero’s Journey. He has to become Sultan to save his people.
There’s Only One Way. We’re talking political intrigue, complex situations, Murphy and Plan B, C, D.
There you have it. A nice grocery basket of tasty ingredients, assembled in minimum time with little effort. Who says tropes are bad? Not me.
“Arcanist Intrepid” is now being shopped around to literary agents. Wish me luck.
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