Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
No, don't write your book for the gram...but what if you WANT to be "tropey"?
🛑 FIRST, have you planned out your author career with a series? Get my free workbook, One Book to Bestselling Series, here: kelseyhumphreys.com/writing
🖋️ Submit your writing questions: kelseyhumphreys.com/writing
👋 If you’re new here I’m Kelsey—rom-com author, stand-up comic, and mom of six. I make real-life rants about writing, creating and staying delulu with our creative dreams. I am a lot. Subscribe for weekly humor, heart, inspo, motivation and zero perfectionism.
"Kelsey Q&A" street cred: I have published over 12 novels, made six figures in just over a year from book sales, have thousands of reviews and over 33 Million Kindle page reads.
________________________________________________________________
🔗 JUDGE ME
🎁 Get a FREE full-length novel and see what you think: kelseyhumphreys.com/freebie
______________________________________________________________
📌 STALK ME
Instagram → instagram.com/thekelseyhumphreys
Amazon → amazon.com/author/kelseyhumphreys
Personal Channel for the mamas → @HappyTearsPodcast
________________________________________________________________
⏱️ CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS
0:00 Intro – Are your books tropey enough to sell?
0:20 Who is Kelsey? Author background & channel intro
1:13 Today's question from Sherry (small beach town series)
4:00 Reader expectations & genre conventions
8:10 How tropey do you need to be?
4:11 Structural tropes explained
8:31 Micro tropes — moments that make readers highlight & share
9:08 Examples: only one bed, "who did this to you?", forced proximity & more
16:18 What REALLY makes a book sell: the emotional moment
16:27 Universal Fantasies by T. Taylor — finally feeling seen, true love match & more
20:43 Don't be afraid of "overused" premises
21:42 Brainstorming tropes for Sherry's book
25:08 Construction site & small town micro trope ideas
🛑 STOP and plan out your author career with a series. Get my free workbook, One Book to Bestselling Series, here: kelseyhumphreys.com/writing
________________________________________________________________
TAGS:
Kelsey Humphreys, writing tropes, book tropes, romance tropes, micro tropes, structural tropes, how to use tropes, tropey books, book talk tropes, enemies to lovers, fake dating, only one bed, forced proximity, forbidden love, reverse age gap, small town romance, beach town romance, how to write romance, how to write a series, indie author tips, self publishing tips, fiction writing tips, how to sell books, reader expectations, universal fantasy, book marketing, romance author, rom com author, women's fiction, cozy romance, how to outline a novel, writing advice, Kelsey Romcom, author YouTube, book talk, writing YouTube
No, don't write your book for the gram...but what if you WANT to be "tropey"?
🛑 FIRST, have you planned out your author career with a series? Get my free workbook, One Book to Bestselling Series, here: kelseyhumphreys.com/writing
🖋️ Submit your writing questions: kelseyhumphreys.com/writing
👋 If you’re new here I’m Kelsey—rom-com author, stand-up comic, and mom of six. I make real-life rants about writing, creating and staying delulu with our creative dreams. I am a lot. Subscribe for weekly humor, heart, inspo, motivation and zero perfectionism.
"Kelsey Q&A" street cred: I have published over 12 novels, made six figures in just over a year from book sales, have thousands of reviews and over 33 Million Kindle page reads.
________________________________________________________________
🔗 JUDGE ME
🎁 Get a FREE full-length novel and see what you think: kelseyhumphreys.com/freebie
______________________________________________________________
📌 STALK ME
Instagram → instagram.com/thekelseyhumphreys
Amazon → amazon.com/author/kelseyhumphreys
Personal Channel for the mamas → @HappyTearsPodcast
________________________________________________________________
⏱️ CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS
0:00 Intro – Are your books tropey enough to sell?
0:20 Who is Kelsey? Author background & channel intro
1:13 Today's question from Sherry (small beach town series)
4:00 Reader expectations & genre conventions
8:10 How tropey do you need to be?
4:11 Structural tropes explained
8:31 Micro tropes — moments that make readers highlight & share
9:08 Examples: only one bed, "who did this to you?", forced proximity & more
16:18 What REALLY makes a book sell: the emotional moment
16:27 Universal Fantasies by T. Taylor — finally feeling seen, true love match & more
20:43 Don't be afraid of "overused" premises
21:42 Brainstorming tropes for Sherry's book
25:08 Construction site & small town micro trope ideas
🛑 STOP and plan out your author career with a series. Get my free workbook, One Book to Bestselling Series, here: kelseyhumphreys.com/writing
________________________________________________________________
TAGS:
Kelsey Humphreys, writing tropes, book tropes, romance tropes, micro tropes, structural tropes, how to use tropes, tropey books, book talk tropes, enemies to lovers, fake dating, only one bed, forced proximity, forbidden love, reverse age gap, small town romance, beach town romance, how to write romance, how to write a series, indie author tips, self publishing tips, fiction writing tips, how to sell books, reader expectations, universal fantasy, book marketing, romance author, rom com author, women's fiction, cozy romance, how to outline a novel, writing advice, Kelsey Romcom, author YouTube, book talk, writing YouTube
