The document provides advice on how to use established tropes and traditions in romance writing in creative ways through literary borrowing and adaptation. It discusses how major authors throughout history engaged in a form of "artistic theft" by borrowing from previous works. Specific romance tropes like settings, character types, and narrative arcs are identified as common elements available for adaptation. The document cautions that outright plagiarism should be avoided and provides tips for thoughtfully diversifying representations and transforming familiar tropes in original ways through techniques like combining elements in new ways, reversing expectations, and ensuring internal logic.

1. The Fine Art of Literary Theft
How to use (and not abuse) the tropes and
traditions of romance for fun and profit.
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La Nascita di Venere, Botticelli

2. Our tongue is a thieving tongue.
“The problem with defending the purity
of the English language is that English is
about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We
don't just borrow words; on occasion,
English has pursued other languages
down alleyways to beat them
unconscious and rifle their pockets for
new vocabulary.”
-- James Nicoll
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3. Thievery has a long artistic pedigree.
(Though we usually refer to this as an allusion,
homage, reimagining, or a parallel novel.)
Ovid
‣ Stole from Homer and
other Greek and Latin
poets, who stole from
him in turn.
Shakespeare
‣ Stole from Homer,
Ovid, and plenty of
Italian storytellers.
James Joyce
‣ Stole from Homer,
Shakespeare, and
contemporary Irish
songs, among many
other sources.
(When in doubt, steal from Homer. He’ll never see it coming.)
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4. Romance has great booty (pun intended).
The romance genre is full of established settings, tropes, and
narrative arcs – all ripe for plunder.
Setting
Trope
‣ Regency London
‣ Wounded hero
‣ Small Southern
town
‣ Opposites
attract
‣ BDSM club
‣ Marriage of
convenience
‣ Space!
‣ Mistaken
identity/amnesia
Narrative Arc
‣ Beauty and the
beast
‣ Friends to lovers
‣ Working
together to solve
crime
‣ Secret baby
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5. Not All Theft is Created Equal
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La Naissance de Venus, Selous

6. Plagiarism is wrong: do not do it.
Plagiarism is wrong: do not do it.
Plagiarism is wrong: do not do it.
Plagiarism is wrong: do not do it.
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7. Fanfiction
Anxieties
Fifty shades of grey areas
Talented
Writers
Engaged
Fans
‣ Many authors worry that
fan creations will eclipse
their own works in
popularity/profitability.
‣ At the same time, fandom
has a sophisticated
language for distinguishing
between canon works, fan
works, and ‘fanon,’ or fanestablished traditions.
?!?!?
Copycats/
Plagiarists
‣ Fanfic authors are both
consumers and creators,
an uneasy mix.
In It For
The Money
‣ So authors of fanfiction are
always secondary in status
to ‘real’ authors,
irrespective of talent or
popularity.
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8. Cultural Appropriation
Because for the most part romance is really, really white.
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9. So You Want To Diversify Your Fiction:
A very very very basic primer that you should consider as a
starting point rather than an thorough method.
Do:
Do Not:
‣ Research, and not just for
the hard facts.
‣ Do not use the word
‘exotic.’ Ever.
‣ Check thoroughly to make
sure you’re not making basic
mistakes.
‣ Do not use someone else’s
culture or identity as a
metaphor.
‣ Remember that your
character should be a
person.
‣ Do not defend your
depiction of a borrowed
cultural identity as
authentic. It’s not.
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10. Alternatively:
Recommend books by other authors!
Search out and talk about good books from marginalized voices.
Jeannie Lin
‣ Writes sweetly spicy
historical romance set in
Tang-dynasty China.
N. K. Jemisin
‣ Writes dark, lyrical fantasy
set in intricate, unique
worlds.
Vicki Essex
‣ Writes emotionally
compelling contemporary
romance with AsianAmerican heroes and
heroines.
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11. Transmutation
Turning old, dull elements into new valuable ones.
Birth of Venus, Fritz Zuber-Buhler
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12. Know your materials.
Many tropes and story elements come with useful built-in themes.
Cinderella
Disguised identity, class boundaries,
dysfunctional families, sexual competition,
magic, search for a missing person
Vampires
Blood, nighttime, no reflection, predation,
contagion, sexual charisma,
transformation, fear, power, death
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13. Reverse the polarity!
Change something fundamental about a trope to make it refreshing.
Traditional
Transformed
Vampires
Vampires do not show
up in mirrors.
Vampires use mirrors as a
means of magical travel.
Cinderella
Cinderella goes to the ball
… why, exactly? (Original
Cinderella: so passive!)
Cinderella goes to the ball
in disguise because she is
blackmailing the prince.
Secret Baby
Baby the result of long-ago
sex between hero/heroine.
Baby a clone of heroine
that scientist hero made
from her DNA.
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14. Complementary Elements
Explore the common ground of combined tropes.
Cinderella
Midnight
Dysfunctional families
Disguise
Transformation
Magic
Vampires
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15. Contrasting Elements
The differences between tropes are often a rich source of conflict.
Vampires
Werewolves
post-death undead
generally bloodless
superior/snobbish
glamorous
fastidious
pre-death undead
animalistic
brutal
rough
combative
CONFLICT!
Examples: Twilight, Warriors of Poseidon, Parasol Protectorate
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16. Polish your material.
Use your tropes to inform your characters, and vice versa.
Primer
Background
Connect/contrast your
tropes, or make your
twist. For example:
Cinderella is a vampire.
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Balance the
telling details
with the
big picture.
2
Develop the internal
logic of your premise.
Cinderella the vampire
goes to the ball to
stop her vampire
stepsisters from
turning the prince.
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Foreground
Flesh out your characters and setting. Cinderella didn’t choose to be
turned and has sworn to prevent it from happening to anyone else.
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17. Da Vinci, Dali, or Mary Cassatt?
Mixing tropes can be delicate and subtle as well as bold and
showy. Choose elements that suit your narrative voice.
Original Trope
Subtle Twist
‣ Friend’s older brother (or older
brother’s friend)
‣ Friend’s younger brother (or
younger brother’s friend)
‣ Heroine returns to her small-town
hometown to run B&B/bakery/etc.
‣ Heroine returns to her city
hometown to start community
garden/food co-op/locavore
movement
‣ Boss falls in love with his secretary
‣ Boss falls in love with his business
rival’s secretary
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18. In Summation
Quick ‘n’ dirty recap of all the stuff I just said.
The Birth of Venus, Henri-Pierre Picou
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19. Transmutation Cheat Sheet
Successfully stealing in four easy steps.
Prep Your Canvas
Know Your Materials
‣Choose your elements (tropes, setting,
etc.)
‣Identify themes in your tropes to combine
or contrast
‣Preliminary research (history, biography,
cultural)
‣Identify a color palette (dark and angsty,
light and sweet, lush and dramatic)
Sketch Out Your Figures
Composition
‣Identify problem areas
‣Write
‣Develop interesting tensions (competing
agendas, antagonists)
‣Write
‣Secondary research (there’s always
something)
‣Write some more
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20. Credits:
Magpie image courtesy of the Graphics Fairy (www.graphicsfairy.com)
Various Venus Anadyomenes, Cinderella, the bat, and the image of Lord White
Elephant via Wikimedia Commons
www.oliviawaite.com
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