Jennifer Hilt is a USA Today Bestselling author with more than 24 romances published across four pen names. She is the author of The Trope Thesaurus: An Author Guide, a four book series. Jennifer is obsessed with tropes and story structure thanks to a background in linguistics, plotting, and concept creation.

From her Seattle home, Jennifer collects dictionaries in unfamiliar languages, binges Scandi-Noir series, and shouts out tropes from the comfort of her couch.

The Trope Thesaurus by Jennifer Hilt

What if the secret to writing compelling stories wasn't inspiration, but tools you already know by heart?

The Trope Thesaurus is a groundbreaking resource for fiction writers who want to harness the power of storytelling's most familiar patterns — tropes. Far from clichés, tropes are the building blocks of every genre, the hidden framework that makes readers lean in, turn the page, and fall in love with your story.

In this comprehensive guide, bestselling author and story coach Jennifer Hilt unpacks more than a hundred tropes across romance, mystery, thriller, fantasy, and beyond. With clear explanations, examples from books and film, and practical writing prompts, The Trope Thesaurus shows you how to twist, combine, and refresh tropes so your stories feel both satisfying and original.

Whether you're a new writer searching for inspiration or a seasoned pro looking to sharpen your craft, this book will change the way you see story structure. With The Trope Thesaurus on your desk, you'll never face the blank page the same way again — you'll have a toolbox full of proven story elements ready to help you craft unforgettable characters and page-turning plots.

 

REVIEWS

  • " This book ought to be on every genre fiction author's bookshelf! What a gem! The Trope Thesaurus doesn't just list the various tropes … it shows writers how to use and combine them to plot romance, science fiction, fantasy, and mystery, suspense & thrillers and write a more compelling story."

    – Goodreads review

  • "This was a great book on tropes! As a writer I needed it. I recommend this book for any beginner!"

    – The StoryGraph

  • "Super helpful and packed with ideas! … The handy index makes it easy to refer back to the tropes when looking for inspiration."

    – Goodreads review
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

Welcome to the

Trope Thesaurus

Consider these three tropes: a bet, blackmail, and a billionaire.

Maybe your brain is already churning with ideas about how these three provide a basis for a story? Or is just the mention of tropes stressing you out?

Whether you are on #TeamTrope because you know which ones your audiences love, or you don't feel comfortable using them, tropes are landmarks.

They prepare our audiences to be wowed by twists of character, worldbuilding, and con ict; a trope is a contract with the reader.

It says, trust me, let me tell you a story.

They are neither positive nor negative. Tropes are tools to use in our story world. Tropes can be applied sparingly or more liberally; it's all up to you because they work for us.

2Jennifer Hilt

In working with storytellers about tropes, I've met some who love them, some who hate them, and some who just aren't sure what to do with them.

My hope for this book is to take the mystery out of tropes.

Whether you use tropes in your work, they are inescapable in the wider storytelling world. Today's movies, series, and computer games are chock full of tropes.

Why is that?

Tropes provide conict. That Breaking Bad episode that had your jaw drop? A trope did that. The Disney+ Star Wars Mandalorian series that had my family hooked each week? Tropes. Tropes. Tropes.

Stories need conict like plants need water.

If you are trope phobic, you might be surprised at the invigorating eect they have when employed.

And if you don't plan on using a trope, guess what? It's unavoidable. Tropes are the gears behind every single story ever written or spoken. It's even in the favorite song you can't get out of your head.

So how do we use tropes skillfully in our storytelling?

By using them to create multi-dimensional characters and to increase conict.

Trope Thesarus3

Since you can't escape using tropes, you might as well learn how to use them and make them do the heavy lifting for every story you create.