Main Tropes Index

What is this about?: This wiki is a catalogue 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 recognise 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. Art in any form does its best to reflect life, so tropes 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, right now, 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. All we request is that you act responsibly with all this power and follow the few rules and guidelines we have.

This is 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. Go on, have fun...

Community: To suggest a trope that you can't find, go here