Fantasy Tropes: A Writing Tool or a Story Crutch?
Tired of princesses and dragons and swarming hordes overrunning fantasy novels? What about the questing orphan turning from farmer to prince? The internet contains a lot of rants against such tropes, but are tropes really that bad? What happens to a fantasy story that tries to avoid every trope? Is such a story a revolutionary or unmarketable? Is it even doable? Panelists discuss the use and avoidance of tropes in developing story lines.