Home Page May 2005
How do you contribute? Jump into a category. Edit the page. Add the element you are interested in. The element name has to take the form of a wikiword. After you commit the change, there will be a question mark next to your entry. click that puppy, and start writing.If you see an entry with a question mark that you want to fill in, grab it and run.
Home Page November 2005
What is this about?: This "Wiki" is a catalog of the tricks of the trade for writing. Frequently found plots, tropes, idioms, and devices are fair play here. The idea is to provide a resource for writers to spark ideas. Finding a cliché to subvert is always fun.
Right, So what is a "Wiki" ?: A "Wiki" is a web site where any user can create new pages, edit existing pages, link between pages, and search the site. You can even edit this page! This may seem weird, but it can be an extremely powerful and flexible way to take notes, collaborate and work on the web. All we request is that you act responsibly with all this power...
How do you contribute? Jump into a category. Edit the page. Add the element you are interested in. The element name has to take the form of a WikiWord. After you commit the change, your entry will appear in red. Click that puppy, and start writing.
If you see an entry in red that you want to fill in, grab it and run.
Home Page December 2005
What is this about?: This "Wiki" is a catalog of the tricks of the trade for writing television scripts. Frequently found plots, tropes, idioms, and devices are reposed here. The idea is to provide a resource for writers to spark ideas. Finding a cliché to subvert is always fun. This all arose out of conversations on the Buffistas.org discussion board.
This way to The Catalogue:
Right, So what is a "Wiki" ?: A "Wiki" is a web site where any user can create new pages, edit existing pages, link between pages, and search the site. You can even edit this page! (Or try things out in the Wiki Sandbox.) This may seem weird, but it can be an extremely powerful and flexible way to take notes, collaborate and work on the web. All I request is that you act responsibly with all this power...
No really. It is all about The Catalogue.
Any ideas for improvement should go on the General Suggestions page.
Home Page December 2008
What is this about?: This wiki is a catalog of the tricks of the trade for writing fiction. We dip into the cauldron of story, whistle up a hearty spoonful and splosh it in front of you to devour to your heart's content.
Tropes are devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations. On the whole, tropes are not clichés. The word clichéd means "stereotyped and trite". In other words, dull and uninteresting. We are not looking for dull and uninteresting entries. We are here to recognize tropes and play with them, not to make fun of them.
The wiki is called "TV Tropes" because that is where we started. Over the course of a few years, our scope has crept out to include other media. Tropes transcend television. They exist in life. Since a lot of art, especially the popular arts, does its best to reflect life, tropes are likely to show up everywhere. We want 'em all.
Right, so what is a "wiki"?: A wiki is a web site where any user can create new pages, edit existing pages, link between pages, and search the site. You can even edit this page, if you wish. This may seem strange, but it can be an extremely powerful and flexible way to take notes, collaborate and work on the web.
We are not Wikipedia. We're a buttload more informal. There Is No Such Thing as Notability, and no citations are needed. If your entry cannot gather any evidence by the Wiki Magic, it will just wither and die. Until then, though, it will be available through the Main Tropes Index. We encourage breezy language and original thought (and won't object to the occasional snarky comment, either). Some of us are a bit fussy about grammar, but that's just because we like words.
Click on "Troperville" in the menu on the upper left of any page to find the places where the troper community gather to talk about things.Go on, have fun.
What is this about? This wiki is a catalog of the tricks of the trade for writing fiction.
Tropes are devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations. On the whole, tropes are not clichés. The word clichéd means "stereotyped and trite." In other words, dull and uninteresting. We are not looking for dull and uninteresting entries. We are here to recognize tropes and play with them, not to make fun of them.
The wiki is called "TV Tropes" because TV is where we started. Over the course of a few years, our scope has crept out to include other media. Tropes transcend television. They reflect life. Since a lot of art, especially the popular arts, does its best to reflect life, tropes are likely to show up everywhere.
We are not Wikipedia. We're a buttload more informal. We encourage breezy language and original thought. There Is No Such Thing as Notability, and no citations are needed. If your entry cannot gather any evidence by the Wiki Magic, it will just wither and die. Until then, though, it will be available through the Main Tropes Index.
Click on "Tropers Online" in the menu on the upper right of any page to find the places where the troper community gather to talk about things.
Go on, have fun!
Home Page August 2016
Merriam-Webster defines trope as a "figure of speech." For creative writer types, tropes are more about conveying a concept to the audience without needing to spell out all the details.
The wiki is called "TV Tropes" because TV is where we started. Over the course of a few years, our scope has crept out to include other media. Tropes transcend television. They reflect life. Since a lot of art, especially the popular arts, does its best to reflect life, tropes are likely to show up everywhere.
