Want to know a dirty secret? The same story you're writing has already been told before. That doesn't mean you're plagiarizing (unless you're copying someone else's words as your own). That just means you're piggybacking on people who came before you. All writers do this, and there's not a single story in the world that doesn't have elements inspired by other works of fiction.

As discussed in "Rookie Mistakes: Magpies and Plagiarism", you don't want to veer into taking someone else's work as your own. But equally dangerous is not telling an original story at all. You don't want to veer into cliché territory and tell the same tired plotline with the same tired characters over and over again. You want to take inspiration from a lot of places, then add your own touch to make it your story.

With that in mind, let's talk about what's a trope and what's a cliché. A trope is a story idea or character type commonly used in fiction. For example, a sympathetic villain is a trope. A quest story in fantasy is a trope. An enemies-to-lovers romance is a trope. A (pardon my French, but this is what it's called) "badass female hero" is a trope. 

Within these vague story ideas, there's a lot of room for originality depending on the worldbuilding and cast. For example, Korra from Avatar: Legend of Korra and Ahsoka from Star Wars: The Clone Wars both fit the "badass female hero" trope. Similarities? They're both young, powerful, impulsive people who are often thrust into situations they aren't ready for. Differences? Ahsoka listens to her superiors and is far more respectful than Korra, and never knew her parents. They have different roles in their stories too - Korra is the "Chosen One", while Ahsoka is the "Chosen One's" sidekick.

Clichés are tropes that are carbon-copies of each other. Let's take an overused version of the bad boy trope. He's always a sex god. He doesn't listen to authority, and has the snark level of Catra from She-Ra. He gets what he wants (especially if it's a one-night stand with that snack of a girl he's been eyeing). And he always talks back when someone challenges him or his masculinity. I could find you hundreds of stories on Wattpad with this boy as the same character, though written by different authors. There's no substance when you use the exact same character in your own work and add nothing new.

So, how do we fix the problem? The trick is to dig a bit deeper than "snarky, sexy bad boy". Maybe the boy is sexually promiscuous because of some deep insecurity that he's not man enough if he isn't screwing five women a month. Maybe he talks back to authority because he was abused as a child and feels as though superiority of any sort will hurt him again. Maybe he's selfish and expects all the women he's turned on by to sleep with him because he's addicted to sex, and he can't control himself no matter how hard he tries. All of these things can be the catalyst for deep character growth, if you're willing to think a bit more about what you're writing.

You may say that what I described destroys the trope. Not really, in my opinion. At his core, he's still a snarky, sexy bad boy. But now, he's a three-dimensional character with flaws, the potential to change, and a theme to explore. If you think that adding originality to a tired cliché destroys the trope or makes it less appealing, don't become a writer. In the real world, people want to see your story. Not the jerk billionaire romance you read on Wattpad. Not the "Jamie is not your average girl" tale. They want to see your perspective through the eyes of someone they can relate to.

This was a quick detour on tropes and clichés in writing. I hope this is helpful to people stressing over whether they can have a Chosen One in their books - remember, the key is originality. Put your own sugar and spice in the coffee of your story, and watch it come to life with your own blend. In the next chapter, I'll be discussing some general tips on how to craft a beginning that will hook your readers into the story.