For context, I saw some of the booktubers/authortubers I watch rank their favourite things to read and/or write and it got me thinking about my own. Here is my very short list of things I'll never get tired of writing LOL.

- - -

✿ 1 - The Found Family Trope ✿

Aka a character who is alone and isolated from the world finds somewhere to belong by the end—with friends who would do anything for them.

I am shamelessly obsessed with this trope. In all shapes and forms. It is so good.

Looking back on it, this is in a lot of my books. The Humanity Club, Outsider Syndrome, The Suitor Search, Stumbling Over Love—clearly, it's a problem.

There's just something so satisfying about a character who's an outcast and feels out of place, and by the end, they have friends who'll die for them, and an environment which accepts them for who they are. Essentially, their false perception of the world from the beginning (that they'll never belong) is entirely flipped upside down by the end. Ahhh. It's so, so fulfilling.

This makes up the majority of what I write. But I love it. I'll probably keep finding ways to incorporate it into my stories here on out too.

✿ 2 - Multiple Love Interests ✿

Granted, I would say reverse harems (because yes, I'll never get tired of those) but like I even love triangles. Writing a single love interest over the course of a book is kinda out of my scope. I did do it in The Suitor Search but technically that book is supposed to be written like an otome game so obviously one route will follow one love interest. If I ever wrote just one love interest in my other books, chances are that story of mine isn't a romance, I just included a romantic subplot for the fun of it.

Although it would be a lot easier having one main love interest per book, I won't get tired of including multiple.

I should PSA this by saying that I hate cliched love triangles, so like the "bad boy" vs "good boy." We all know the MC is choosing the bad boy even though it's obvious the good boy deserves her more (second male lead syndrome is real). That's why if I'm writing a love triangle, I prefer utilizing different characters archetypes than those two and at least not make the plot too predictable so it doesn't take away from the joy of the story.

LIs should fundamentally click with your MC, no matter how many of them you have. That's my motto, at least. Multiple LIs for the win!

✿ 3 - Awkward Moments ✿

I'm an awkward person. It doesn't matter what I do, chances are I'll make things awkward by default.

So whenever I watch or read romances where the characters are flawlessly flirting with each other or everything perfectly falls into place—it's boring.

I live for writing awkward moments in fiction (even though reading them I get hardcore secondhand cringe) because it's much more relatable to an awkward bean like me.

✿ 4 - Characters Who Are Not What They Initially Seem ✿

!!!

Do I need to elaborate because it's very self-explanatory!

A villain with a heart of gold.

A happy-go-lucky goof with a dark past/side.

A cutesy (yet really psychopathic) mastermind capable of destroying the entire world—

This is my life source.

I guess the unpredictability is interesting. Of course, there's nothing wrong if a happy-go-lucky ray of sunshine is one through and through, but it's more fun when there is more to their character. It adds depth to them. Plus it's more interesting.

So, yeah. If you don't mind, I'll be including all of these in my WIPs forever and always.

✿ 5 - Childhood Friends to Lovers ✿

This trope has me by the neck.

This may be my favourite one after 'found family.' It's up there, and I have no reasonable excuse other than it SLAPS.

Like, best friends who grew up together and would go to hell and back for the other person. Both characters slowly realizing their feelings for each other may not be platonic but something more. Or even if one of the friends (usually the guy, ahem) has been in love with the girl for YEARS and has been pining after them in secret because they don't want to lose them—

I'm sorry, I'm obsessed.

If anyone has noticed, I write a childhood friend love interest into all of my reverse harems, AND FOR GOOD REASON.

I will never get bored of this trope. EVER.

I always see people rave about enemies-to-lovers or hate-to-love relationships when this superior trope exists right there. If people think childhood/best friends to lovers is boring, that's on them, but I eat it up every time lmaooo.

Please don't question it if you see me continue to incorporate this trope in my future reverse harems. I have an obvious problem 😭

—Misty
(10/14/2021)