Trope

How will you make the trope your own?

Ground it so that it couldn't be lifted into any other book.

What about the trope will you honor?

What will you subvert?

What is your one-line hook?

E.g., Two exes, one will, and the inn they both inherited.

Where will the trope show up in this act?

List the beats.

What does it add to the story in terms of plot, character, etc.?

Is the trope serving the story, or the story the trope?

Will it meet reader expectations in this act?

If not, why not?

Where does the trope go in this act?

List the beats.

How does it deepen or escalate the story in terms of plot, character, etc.?

Is the trope serving the story, or the story the trope?

Does it meet reader expectations in this act?

If not, why not?

Where does the trope end up in this act?

List the beats.

How does it pay off in terms of plot, character, etc.?

Is the trope serving the story, or the story the trope?

Are reader expectations met in this act?

If not, why not?

Who is the audience for this trope?

What are the comps and the audience for this trope?

What other tropes are you stacking?

And which pairing does the real work?

How will you frame the trope in your description of the book?

Write the line in your blurb that makes the promise land.