Consider this typical fantasy story:

There was once a young handsome man who was good with the sword, excellent with everyone in the village he lived with, and loved and cherished by all. However, he was unhappy because the one girl he fell in love with did not love him ...

Several hot summers ago, while enrolled in a video production class, the instructor said a movie must be watched at least three times in order to appreciate different aspects of the film.

First watch: Watch the film in its entirety to get the general storyline.
Second watch: Mute the film ...

A small gang of imprisoned tough guys are “offered” the chance to do some advanced military training… It turns out that a little earlier while they were meeting in a park to discuss their dastardly plans when an alien starship abducted them and they may or may not have rampaged ...

About 50 years ago people with superpowers started to emerge. This caused chaos and terror as society tried to find a new balance and cope with all these crazy people running around with amazing abilities causing destruction and fear, even vigilantes on the side of justice were a problem. Eventually ...

Often when there are children in a cast of characters, especially in sitcoms or certain types of movies, audiences groan because they tend to be immensely annoying. They are a very special type of uncanny valley in the way they are written to talk and react. Usually, we get one ...

So you've just written a kick-ass, exciting sequence, and you are already looking forward to the next awesome, kick-ass exciting sequence that is coming right up…

…after the dreaded lull: the scenes in a story that have to take place between the exciting sequences. The scenes where technically plot-wise ...

So there's an art to writing characters with strong political agendas when you also happen to be a creator that has a strong political stance. I happen to be a person with very strong political views and ideology and ironically in my comic Without Moonlight absolutely nobody shares my ...

There are a handful of cinematic “group shots” that showcase an ensemble of characters in a memorable way.

The Avengers in their first movie have one where they're finally all together, back to back in a circle to face the invading alien army.

There's the Usual Suspects in ...

It's that turning point in your story.

Something grave has happened, and your main character is having to face a defining moment. A moment where they need to really look inside themselves, and weigh their options of who they are, who they want to be, and what it will ...

So maybe the verb ‘hate’ is excessive, but there are some tropes that can really throw me off a story. Or perhaps, what throws me is the way they are used. I firmly believe that any trope can be part of a solid, enjoyable story, even the ones I hate ...