Readers come to your book with expectations. Understanding those expectations—and knowing how to work with them—is one of the most powerful tools you have as a writer.
Every genre has unwritten rules. Readers of cozy mysteries expect a certain kind of sleuth. Romance readers expect the emotional arc to pay off. Thriller readers expect the tension to keep climbing.
These aren’t limitations—they’re the foundation you build on. This FREE one-hour webinar will show you how to build on it well.
During our discussion, you’ll discover:
- How to define tropes, clichés, and genre conventions—and why the distinctions matter
- How to identify what readers in your genre expect and use those expectations purposefully
- Strategies for layering and combining multiple tropes in a single novel without losing originality
- How to recognize when a convention has tipped into formulaic writing—and what to do about it
Perfect for:
- Writers who want to understand what genre readers expect—and why meeting those expectations well is a craft skill, not a compromise
- Authors who’ve been told their writing feels “predictable” and aren’t sure how to fix it
- Anyone working across genres or subgenres who wants to read reader expectations more accurately
A live Q&A follows the presentation to answer your questions and help you understand how to apply these tips and techniques to your writing immediately.
Fill out the form below to reserve your FREE virtual seat.
Sorry! Sign-ups for this event are closed. However, you can check my Webinar Replay Library for a replay of the presentation or view my latest event offerings on my Events Page to join me for a future topic.
Tropes, Clichés, and Conventions, Oh, My! A Writer’s Guide to Genre Expectations and Fresh Storytelling
Ask most writers what a trope is, and they’ll say it’s something worn-out—a shortcut, a lazy choice, something to avoid. But that’s not quite right, and the confusion causes real problems on the page.
A trope is a recurring story element that readers in specific genres don’t just recognize—they seek out. A cliché is what happens when a once-fresh idea has been used so many times it’s lost its power. And a genre convention is the broader framework readers use to understand what kind of story they’re in. We’ll sort out all three, look at how they interact, and talk about how to use them—and when to push against them.
Join us at our FREE virtual discussion:
May 16, 2026 at 1 p.m. Eastern
Reserve your spot at this FREE virtual workshop. I’ll send you the access details shortly before the event!
In Beat the Bots: An Author’s Guide to Surviving and Thriving in the Age of AI, published in August, Jane K. Cleland shares practical exercises to nurture imagination, spark original thinking, and resist creative conformity. Her other books on the craft of writing, Mastering Suspense, Structure & Plot and Mastering Plot Twists, both won the Agatha Award.
Jane has also written fourteen novels in the multiple award-winning Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series [St. Martin’s Minotaur, with short fiction published by Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine]. The series has been optioned for film and TV.
In addition, Jane is a contributing editor for Writer’s Digest magazine and the chair of the Black Orchid Novella Award, presented by the Wolfe Pack in partnership with Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Jane has served as President of the New York Chapter and Vice President of the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America, and was on the national board.
