Top Ten Most Commonly Done Teen Plots

smpandmmpgloworms
Jul 30, 2020
6 min read

Alright, if you're a Wattpad writer or a teen fiction writer, I mean no offence if one of the listed plotlines is similar to a plot you have written or are currently writing. This is completely based on my opinion and what I've seen others agree to on the Community Forums, plus a little help from writerscooperative.com.

Writing a book is a beautiful thing, but, no matter how much effort or mind you put into the task, it will always be difficult. Part of that difficulty is coming up with a fresh, clean and well-researched plot. You might want to create a book about a bad boy popular, or a quiet shy girl who is betrothed to a billionaire baddie named Maximus. While these plots are... lovely, they are a little overdone, and it will take work to make it unique in its own way. Similar to, say, entering a BTS fanfiction competition, or, if we're being drastic, a sweater-making competition where you have the same fabric, must have it be shaped a certain way, and must use all the same colours as the millions of other competitors. It'll be hard to make it stand out, hard for it to be unique. So, if you aren't up to a challenge like that and you don't really want to make a more common sweater at all, let's let you know what other sweater competitions to look out for.

P.S this isn't actually going to be about sweaters.

One - Popular Badboy and Nerdy Shy Girl Romance

Yeah, yeah. The outcome of these is too easy.

The problem with a plot like this (besides it being a massively done plotline) is that it's often very hard to make enjoyable for others who have read so many like it. Also, sequels are a whole other issue. Take To All the Boys I've Loved Before 2 and The Kissing Booth 2 for example. While I love both of these movies, I won't be watching them for a second time. They are practically identical to each other romance-wise, with the love-triangle obstacle and all, and are probably a little too alike to other films with a similar trope.

I would've much rather watched Lara-Jean and her new beau end up together then circle back to the exact same outcome of the first movie. It would've surprised me, something the rest of that movie did not do.

I think I've drifted from the topic a little. What I'm trying to say is that while there are many good stories that follow this plot, there are a lot more that, in all honesty, suck.

Two - Under-Researched Mafia Romances

Why.

These stories, while once fresh, indulging and interesting, now seem dry and overdone, not to mention incredibly unrealistic. Sorry, Brinleigh, seventeen-year-old hottie Xavier Collins is never, ever going to run the New York Mafia while seducing you at "I'm a Minor and Incapable of Understanding/Neglected to Research How Crime Works Thus I Can't Write a Novel About It" Highschool.

At least watch a docuseries about it. There's a real good one on Netflix.

But seriously, in all reality, this plot can genuinely be somewhat offensive, especially if you follow the classic Italian mob boss stereotypes. Also, anything you write without the proper background understanding and appropriate following of realistic possibilities can very easily come off as offensive. Not to mention, a lot of these stories are plain gross, whether it's because of the lack of research or a ridiculous amount of down-and-dirty moments without a proper rating or mature turned on. That leads me to the next plotline.

Three - Dirty Tales With Zero Character Development

No offence, but I don't have much to say about this. This is a bit of a no-brainer.

While these plots can often be unappealing and strange, they are incredibly overdone and just dusted over. I don't really understand why you would write a book like this for others, it's just boring after a while. Stories are a telling of a thought-out, curated string of events, and these books oftentimes seem messy and crude. Don't even get me started on the abusive alpha males that practically have the female protagonists bowing down to them. These writers are crazy, and I almost admire their bravery. I just find these books a little degrading, but overall, you d0 you.

Four - The Return to the Small Town Home

Similar to the writerscooperative.com post that I mentioned before, these are way too overdone, even on television. When I pick up a book where the big star/failed dream-pursuer's career comes tumbling down and they go home, or a town tragedy strikes leading to the big-shot returning to small-town South-Carolina, I know I'll be putting it down immediately. It's not the writing, it's just so boring. Also, we can't forget the childhood sweethearts reuniting after a cold breakup before the protagonist left for L.A.

These plots speak for themselves, but I'll say it anyway.

"We get it, they stay in the small town, fall back in love, let the other main characters down when given another opportunity but quickly return, either because they felt bad or were just psyching out the opportunity-giver because they had wronged them before. Move along, go back to Hallmark!"

Five - The Drunk Text/Call or The Wrong Number

While these two may seem completely unrelated at first glance, they really aren't. Here. I'll show you what I mean.

The Drunk Text By M.M.P

Lexi March didn't mean to drink too much at Kasey Scott's party, and she didn't mean to drunk-dial the one person she thought she hated the most with a steamy message. But, she did. Whoops!

Now, Lexi is stuck attempting to convince Maximus Blake, her childhood friend turned bad-boy quarterback who's "too good for her" that she has zero feelings for him, which might be kind of hard now that her love could be resurfacing...

The Wrong Number By M.M.P

After meeting the cutest boy to ever walk the earth at a diner and receiving a false number from him, Lexi March finds herself having a series of unbearable conversations with the real owner of the number; popular bad boy Maximus Blake. He doesn't seem to be giving up on the flirty texts, but Lexi can't help herself from liking them...

See what I mean? Even being unoriginal on their own, these tropes are similar to different plot themes!

These plots can often be boring and predictable, and excuse me if I'd rather be reading something else.

Six - Ugly-Turned-Beauty Queen

Thank you so much to writerscooperative.com for this one.

Stories that revolve around a girl viewed as unattractive to others getting into shape and going on to win Mrs. Debutante is over-used and, in this day and age, quite degrading to girls insecure about their looks or body weight. Now see, this could be a much better theme. Take the book Dumplin' by Julie Murphy, for example. It's a fabulous tale about an overweight teen girl taking her small Southern town by storm and running in the beauty pageant. It's a much better message about body positivity and acceptance of self, but don't take that idea, either. That's already been done. Move along.

I'm just saying a story with the inspiring message behind Dumplin' is a much better tale than a story like the tv show Insatiable tells. Sorry, Debbie. That show in many ways is crap for young female (and male) viewers.

Seven - Fake Relationship

I don't care what you say, this plot has been rendered a joke to me. I'm not even sure what to say about this.

Eight - The Dumb Chosen One

I don't mean the chosen one is dumb, I mean it's dumb that said character was chosen out of billions of people to do something thousands would do better at. Like, come on. If you're going to do a story where one person is chosen to fight to the death against the best martial artist, then please have the chosen one have some skills. I'm not going to read a book about a dumb rich blonde fighting against Aries. What are you thinking? It's unrealistic, it's overdone and the only way I'd want to read it is if the said fighter had skills.

That's just an example, the whole fighting someone thing, but you get what I mean.

Nine - The Vampire Falls for the Female Human

I wish this weren't so overdone. It made the creator of this cliche, Twilight, look cliche. That's how bad it's gotten. If writers would've just let the Twilight series have the plot it created, then people wouldn't view it as cheesy and unoriginal. It created practically all the angst and weird cheese cliches inside of those books, and with all of the crap fanfics or books based off of the same topic floating around us like ghosts, it's made Twilight lose its special magic.

Please, whatever you do, find a way to make your vampire love story unique.

Ten - Love Triangle

Last and most certainly not the least, the fabled love triangle.

I've already spoken briefly of love triangles as a sub-plot, but let's talk about it fully.

I mean, there are three ways you can do a love triangle. No more.

1- It's annoying, it comes in at the worst time, the girl is a moron and picks the complete horrible option for her.

2- It's somewhat well done, not that annoying, she picks the right guy but it's still unoriginal.

3- It's totally freaky, about a girl and her two new stepbrothers.

Those exist. Look them up.

I feel that this concept will ALWAYS find it's way into a teen romance, whether it be the first or the sequel. I just don't understand why people think that this is their only option.

Conclusion

So, there you have it! These are my top ten least preferable story tropes. Thanks for the read!

If you found my article helpful, I'd love a like and a comment. If you didn't, I'm sorry that I offended you.

Check out my Wattpad account, CreativeGloworms!