Recap / Terrible Writing Advice

Terrible Writing Advice usually uploads two kinds of content: the numbered episodes, which focus on one trope (or a series of related tropes) across media, and the other videos, which do something else.

The numbered Terrible Writing Advice episodes, when posted on Beaubien's blog, also have a "My Honest Thoughts" section, which comments on the tropes conversed about without the tone. The numbered episodes are as follows, with what tropes they converse about (and often deconstruct, usually by admitting in some way that the deconstruction could never happen) in another bullet point (excluding the trope named in the title):

1. Dystopias (August 30, 2016)
   • A Nazi by Any Other Name, Straw Character, Hollywood Homely, Adults Are Useless, Dystopia Is Hard, No Ontological Inertia
2. Mary Sue^note Named "Perfect Protagonist", different name for the same trope, in the title card. (September 6, 2016)invoked
   • Various Mary Sue Tropes (Black Hole Sue, Relationship Sue, Self-Insert Fic, Mary Sue Classic)
3. Fantasy Races (September 13, 2016)
   • Standard Fantasy Races, Can't Argue with Elves, Always Chaotic Evil, Our Dwarves Are All the Same
4. Environmentalism (September 20, 2016)
   • Broken Aesop
5. Alien Invasion^note Named "Alien Invasions", plural, in the title card. (September 27, 2016)
   • Monumental Damage, Planet Looters
6. Urban Fantasy (October 20, 2016)
   • Various Urban Fantasy Tropes (Fantasy Kitchen Sink, Our Vampires Are Different, Our Werewolves Are Different)
7. Slasher Films (October 30, 2016)
   • Various Slasher Movie tropes
8. Marketing and Promotion^note Named "Promotion and Marketing", entries swapped, in the title card. (January 21, 2017)
   • Shameless Self-Promoter, Sock Puppet, Small Name, Big Ego
9. Magic Schools (February 4, 2017)
   • Adults Are Useless, No OSHA Compliance, Write Who You Know
10. Evil Empires (February 16, 2017)
    • A Nazi by Any Other Name, Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy, Repressive, but Efficient, You Meddling Kids
11. Writer's Block (March 3, 2017)
    • Does not cover tropes in writing itself, but rather, ways to procrastinate while never doing actual writing.
12. Post Apocalyptic (March 22, 2017)
13. Chosen Ones (April 13, 2017)
    • The Prophecy, Birthmark of Destiny
14. Beginning a Story (May 6, 2017)
    • Various Beginning Tropes (Infodump, Lost in Medias Res and the prologue)
15. War Stories (May 29, 2017)
    • Anachronism Stew, various Military and Warfare Tropes, Sorting Algorithm of Mortality, Fatal Family Photo
16. Taking Criticism (June 29, 2017)
    • Can't Take Criticism, Pandering to the Base, tropes previously covered in Marketing and Promotion
17. Alien Ecosystems (August 13, 2017)
    • All Planets Are Earth-Like, Single-Biome Planet, Super-Persistent Predator, More Predators Than Prey
18. Antiheroes (September 1, 2017)
    • '90s Anti-Hero
19. Finishing a Story (September 27, 2017)
    • Rather than focusing on Ending Tropes, this one is all about the writer becoming The Perfectionist concerning an unfinished work, to the point where they neglect completing the first draft as they focus on editing and re-editing the already written chapters. It also features tropes previously covered in Marketing and Promotion and Taking Criticism.
20. Cyberpunk (October 28, 2017)
    • Various Cyberpunk Tropes (Advert-Overloaded Future, Artificial Limbs Are Stronger, Skyscraper City)
21. Survival Horror (October 31, 2017)
    • Various Video Game Tropes (the Genre Blindness of the player character, the Jump Scare, One-Man Army and the way video games treat graphics, either focusing solely on them while neglecting gameplay or deliberately obscuring them by making everything dark)
22. Fantasy Battles (November 20, 2017)
    • Battle Discretion Shot, Keystone Army, Onrushing Army, dismissal of many realistic battle tropes (Common strategies like Death from Above)
23. Giving Criticism (December 23, 2017)
    • This is an inversion of the earlier episode titled Taking Criticism (Tropes discussed include It's All About Me, G.I.F.T, Sacred Cow).
24. Intrigue Plots (January 6, 2018)
    • Kudzu Plot, Gambit Roulette, All According to Plan, Omniscient Council of Vagueness
25. Dark Lords (February 14, 2018)
    • Evil Overlord, Kick the Dog, Evil Counterpart
26. Action Scenes (March 10, 2018)
    • Action Prologue, Plot Armor, What Measure Is a Mook?
27. Worldbuilding Cultures (March 31, 2018)
    • Planet of Hats, Proud Warrior Race Guy, Low Culture, High Tech
28. Character Development (April 14, 2018)
    • Character Development, Back Story, Mary Sue, Cannot Spit It Outinvoked
29. Steampunk (May 17, 2018)
30. Rivals (July 13, 2018)
    • The Rival, Ho Yay, Can't Catch Up, Rivals Team Up, Left-Handed Mirror
31. Science Fiction Weapons (August 12, 2018)
    • Energy Weapon, Humongous Mecha, Square-Cube Law, Slow Laser
32. Grimdark (September 15, 2018)
    • Darker and Edgier, Designated Hero, Character Derailment, Kill the Cutie, "Everybody Dies" Ending, Fate Worse than Death, Crapsack World, Too Bleak, Stopped Caring
33. Plotting A Story (October 13, 2018)
    • Malignant Plot Tumor, Plot Hole, Filler, Ass Pull, Strictly Formula, Writing by the Seat of Your Pants, The Producer Thinks of Everything, Villains Act, Heroes React, Arc Fatigue, Aborted Arc
34. Cosmic Horror (October 29, 2018)
    • Eldritch Abomination, Follow the Leader, Apocalypse Cult, Mood Whiplash, Lovecraft Lite
35. Noble Houses (November 10, 2018)
    • Decadent Court, Stupid Evil, Stupid Good, Obviously Evil, Chronic Backstabbing Disorder
36. Holiday Specials (December 8, 2018)
    • Various Christmas Tropes (Tropes discussed include The Grinch, Yet Another Christmas Carol, Santa's Existence Clause)
37. Spies (January 12, 2019)
    • Follow the Leader for tropes associated with James Bond, Post-9/11 Terrorism Movie, Torture Always Works, Disposable Woman
38. Love Interests (February 11, 2019)
    • Romantic Plot Tumor, Strangled by the Red String, Damsel in Distress, Pair the Spares
39. Megacorporations (March 9, 2019)
    • Private Military Contractors, Amoral Attorney, Corrupt Corporate Executive, Straw Character, Author Tract, One Nation Under Copyright
40. Characterization (April 13, 2019)
    • Vanilla Protagonist, Flat Character, Pinball Protagonist, The Call Knows Where You Live
41. Comic Relief Characters (May 11, 2019)
    • Pet-Peeve Trope, The Scrappy, And There Was Much Rejoicing, Shoo Out the Clowns
42. Giant Monsters (June 9, 2019)
    • Rent-a-Zilla, Giant Space Flea from Nowhere, Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever, Notzilla
43. Avoiding Scams (July 13, 2019)
    • Sunk Cost Fallacy, 419 Scam
44. Myths, Legends, and Gods (August 10, 2019)
    • Fantasy Pantheon and other various God Tropes (Mainly God of X examples)
45. Alpha Heroes (September 15, 2019)
    • Walking Shirtless Scene, Purple Prose, Designated Hero, Stalker with a Crush, Freudian Excuse, Wish-Fulfillment, Screw the Rules, I'm Beautiful!
46. Franchise Reboots (October 12, 2019)
    • Money, Dear Boy, Darker and Edgier, In Name Only, Stealth Sequel, 2D Visuals, 3D Effects, All There in the Manual
47. Zombie Apocalypse (October 31, 2019)
    • Our Zombies Are Different, Elite Zombie, Militaries Are Useless, Air-Vent Passageway, Apocalypse How, Coincidental Broadcast
48. Ending A Story (November 9, 2019)
    • Ambiguous Ending, All Just a Dream, Twist Ending, Cliffhanger, Sequel Hook, Audience-Alienating Ending, Cliffhanger Copout, Too Good to Last, Gainax Ending, Writer Cop Out, All There in the Manual, All There in the Script, Ending Fatigue, Red Herring, Smash to Black
49. Villains (December 16, 2019)
    • Orcus on His Throne, Evil Gloating, Motive Decay, "Not So Different" Remark
50. Military Science Fiction (January 12, 2020)
    • Mildly Military, What Measure Is a Mook?, Author Tract
51. Power Fantasy (April 12, 2020)
    • God-Mode Sueinvoked
52. Dungeon Master's Guide (June 14, 2020)
    • Railroading, Killer Game Master, Rocks Fall Everybody Dies, Player Archetypes, GMPC
53. Mentors (Jul 27, 2020)
    • Mentor Occupational Hazard, Info Dump, My Greatest Second Chance
54. Killing Off Characters (August 18, 2020)
    • Sorting Algorithm of Mortality, Death Is Cheap, Redemption Equals Death, What Measure Is a Mook?, Unexplained Recovery, Disposable Woman, Developing Doomed Characters
55. Humor Writing (September 21, 2020)
    • Acceptable Targets
56. Fantasy Characters (October 20, 2020)
    • Farm Boy, Blue Blood, The Proud Elite, Escapist Character, Ordinary High-School Student, Trapped in Another World, Wizard Classic, Lovable Rogue, Satisfied Street Rat, The Artful Dodger, Street Urchin, Mascot, Exposition Fairy, Sidekick Creature Nuisance, Deceased Parents Are the Best, The Good King, Rightful King Returns, Evil Chancellor, Red Shirt, Mooks, Elite Mooks, The Dragon, Giant Space Flea from Nowhere
57. Propaganda (November 3, 2020)
    • Godwin's Law, G.I.F.T, The War on Straw, Logical Fallacies, Chewbacca Defense, Insane Troll Logic
58. AI (November 20, 2020)
    • A.I. Is a Crapshoot, Omnicidal Maniac, A God Am I
59. Traditional Vs Self Publishing (December 21, 2020)
    • J.P. and his Inner Critic argue whether traditional publishing or self publishing is best for an inspiring author.
60. Isekai (February 15, 2021)
    • Running Over the Plot, Most Common Superpower, Harem Genre, Themed Harem, Stock Light-Novel Hero, RPG Mechanics 'Verse, New Life in Another World Bonus, Happiness in Slavery, Beach Episode, Hot Springs Episode, Hero's Slave Harem, Standard Japanese Fantasy Setting
61. Revenge Plots (April 20, 2021)
    • Revenge Tropes, Disposable Woman, R-Rated Opening, "Shaggy Dog" Story, Power Fantasy, If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!, I Surrender, Suckers, Self-Disposing Villain, Disney Villain Death, What Measure Is a Mook?
62. Player's Handbook (May 17, 2021)
    • Off the Rails, Killer Game Master, Monty Haul
63. Fanfiction Original Characters (June 22, 2021)
    • O.C. Stand-in, Sailor Earth, various Mary Sue Tropes, Self-Insert Fic, Author Avatar
64. Symbolism, Themes, and Motifs (July 20, 2021)
    • Various Symbolism and themes tropes.
65. Rebels (August 24, 2021)
    • Full-Circle Revolution, Designated Hero, Rooting for the Empire, Black-and-White Insanity, The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized, Reign of Terror
66. Urban Fantasy Reloaded (September 21, 2021)
    • A Continuity Reboot of his early episode Urban Fantasy. Comments on other tropes related to the genre that weren't touched upon in the original episode.
67. Writer Self Care (October 22, 2021)
    • Depression, Creator Breakdown, Creator Recovery
68. Mid Series Shakeups (November 27, 2021)
    • Wham Episode, Sacrificial Lion, Sacrificial Lamb, You See, I'm Dying, Incurable Cough of Death, Soap Opera Disease, Victorian Novel Disease, Trash the Set, Heel–Face Turn, Face–Heel Turn, The Bad Guy Wins, Ass Pull, Plot Twist, Giant Space Flea from Nowhere, Bait-and-Switch, Reset Button, Status Quo Is God
69. Lovemaking Scenes (January 1, 2022)
    • Various Sex Tropes, Lemon, Purple Prose
70. Everyman Protagonist (January 2, 2022)
    • Various Normal People tropes, Audience Surrogate, Power Fantasy, Escapist Character, The Watson, Wangst
71. Shipping (April 1, 2022)
    • Various Shipping Tropes, Shipping Goggles, Fan-Preferred Couple, Ship Sinking, Ship-to-Ship Combat
72. Exposition (June 9, 2022)
    • Info Dump, As You Know, Explaining Your Power to the Enemy, Opening Scroll, Lecture as Exposition, Talking Is a Free Action, Flashback
73. Writing Dinosaurs (July 3, 2022)
    • Artistic License – Paleontology, Dumb Dinos, Raptor Attack, Science Marches On
74. Leader Characters (August 12, 2022)
    • Standardized Leader, Competence Zone, Commander Contrarian, Protagonist-Centered Morality, The Chains of Commanding, Rousing Speech
75. Filler Arcs (September 10, 2022)
    • Non-Serial Movie, Padding, Clip Show, Compilation Movie, Recap Episode, Flashback, Overtook the Manga, Girl of the Week, Wacky Wayside Tribe, Trapped by Mountain Lions, Bizarro Episode, Bottle Episode
76. Writing Cults (October 11, 2022)
    • Various Cult tropes, Offscreen Villain Dark Matter, Men Are the Expendable Gender
77. Reboots Rebooted (November 30, 2022)
    • A reboot of his video about reboots, Executive Meddling, They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character, Dear Negative Reader, Periphery Hatedom, Banned in China
78. Deconstruction (December 28, 2022)
    • Various Deconstruction tropes, Darker and Edgier, Rule of Drama, Hate Fic, Follow the Leader, The Theme Park Version, Decon-Recon Switch, Too Bleak, Stopped Caring, Unbuilt Trope, The Dung Ages
79. Smart Characters (December 31, 2022)
    • The Smart Guy, Mad Scientist, Informed Ability, Character Shilling, Mr. Exposition, Shown Their Work, Technobabble, Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness, Omnidisciplinary Scientist, Herr Doktor, Reed Richards Is Useless, Cut Lex Luthor a Check
80. Being Original (January 30, 2023)
    • Rather than focusing on tropes, JP talks about the idea of being original and to what extent should it influence a story being written, in case being called a copycat gives a writer cold feet.
81. Evil Lackeys (February 27, 2023)
    • Various tropes associated with Mooks, including What Measure Is a Mook?, Foe-Tossing Charge, Mook Chivalry, Informed Ability, Offstage Villainy, A Million Is a Statistic, Elite Mooks, Fake Ultimate Mook, Putting on the Reich, You Have Failed Me, Shoot the Messenger, Torture Always Works, Vile Villain, Laughable Lackey, Underestimating Badassery
82. Dungeon Crawl (March 30, 2023)
    • Dungeon Crawling and tropes related to creating a Tabletop RPG scenario. A Wizard Did It, Everything Trying to Kill You, Temple of Doom, Booby Trap, Final Boss, Railroading, Excuse Plot
83. Media Literacy for Writers (April 23, 2023)
    • Misaimed Fandom, Periphery Demographic, Do Not Do This Cool Thing, Implied Death Threat, Shipping Goggles, various Subtext tropes
84. Character Backstories (May 25, 2023)
    • All There in the Manual, Wangst, Show, Don't Tell, Infodump, Flashback, all kinds of backstory types
85. Worldbuilding Governments and Politics (July 21, 2023)
    • Worldbuilding, various political concepts and philosophies along with their pros, cons and implications.
86. How not to write a Mary-Sue (October 5, 2023)
    • Anti-Sue, Black Hole Sue, Pandering to the Base, touches on the discourse surrounding the term "Mary-Sue" such as its origins in fanfiction to refer to Spotlight-Stealing Original Characters and morphing into a modern definition of "character someone doesn't like".
87. Monster Manual (October 31, 2023)
    • A guide on the building various monsters along with various common tropes that are tied to them.
88. Scene Writing (22 November, 2023)
    • A guide on how to write various types of scenes. Opening Narration, Description Porn, Info Dump, Exposition Dump, Talking Is a Free Action, Perspective Flip, Mood Whiplash, Arc Fatigue, "Everybody Laughs" Ending, And the Adventure Continues, Sequel Hook, Conflict Ball, Filler, Big-Lipped Alligator Moment
89. LitRPG (30 December, 2023)
    • LitRPG, Stock Light-Novel Hero, Protagonist Power-Up Privileges, Informed Attribute, Most Writers Are Male, Chick Magnet, Launcher of a Thousand Ships, Chainmail Bikini, Fanservice, Torture Porn, Cruel and Unusual Death, Harem Genre, Satellite Love Interest, Power Fantasy, Ass Pull, Monster Media, Standard Japanese Fantasy Setting, RPG Mechanics 'Verse, Deep-Immersion Gaming, Random Number God

The non-numbered Terrible Writing Advice videos usually stray from the main format in some way. These include:

• Welcome To Terrible Writing Advice (August 30, 2016)
  • An introductory episode, which firmly establishes the sarcastic tone of videos to come, interspersed with an occasional honest thought (such as, for this video, that there is actually a lot of terrible writing advice out there).
• How not to write Star Wars (December 12, 2016)
  • Rather than pick on one trope portrayed by a lot of media (even if a particular example and its snowclones are concerned first and foremost), this video picks on a lot of tropes in one type of media, in this case Star Wars movies. This includes the Opening Scroll, the specific plots of the movies, the Stupid Evil The Empire exhibits and the Standard Sci-Fi Fleet. It is also included in the Terrible Writing Advice playlist, which means that YouTube automatically lists videos 8 and onwards on the playlist as one number higher than the title card.
• The Nature of Cliches - Honest Thoughts (October 6, 2017)
  • A significant departure from Terrible Writing Advice in both episode length and theme, this video talks about tropes in general (with specific focus on clichés). It points out, among other things, that Tropes Are Tools (and therefore neither good nor bad) and that critics are more attuned to spotting tropes than the general audience (which Beaubien explicitly labels as TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Life In-Universe). It also extensively discusses the Percussive Pickpocket trope as something that ruined Beaubien's immersion, and suggests ways to lampshade or subvert it. Naturally, since this is an "Honest Thoughts" video, the terrible writing advice goes on the blog.
• Finding your voice - Amazing Writing Advice (April 1, 2018)
  • A Mirror Universe live-action episode which features J.P. Beaubien himself giving good advice while remaining fairly snarky. Despite being an April Fools' Day gag, some of the advice he gives is given in Sincerity Mode, such as making sure to read a lot for inspiration, and checking out classic literature because those stories have withstood the test of time. However, some of the advice he gives falls under Sarcasm Mode. He dismisses genre fiction (fantasy, sci-fi, romance, etc.) and says to only focus on classic literature, despite the fact that J.P. is a fantasy writer. He also says clichés are bad and should be avoided, which contradicts his stance on clichés in "The Nature of Cliches - Honest Thoughts".
• Terrible Writing Advice Merch Announcement (February 14, 2019)
  • An announcement for Terrible Writing Advice merchandise, including two enamel pins (flaming pencil and the Love Triangle), as well as a Love Triangle tee. Midway, the presentation is taken over by the Dark Lord, up until he fails to deliver on how awesome the Love Triangle is, at which point J.P. cuts back in and plays the role of the director.
• The Eye of Argon Dramatic Reading (April 1, 2019)
  • Another April Fools' Day gag, and pretty much Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
• Apology Video Template (July 26, 2019)
  • A parody video template for people to use when they get swept up in internet controversy. Follows the tone of his normal videos, but involves J.P. talking into a camera instead of using animation.