How to Turn Up the Heat in Romantasy

Nov 12, 2024

Guest

Ella McLeod

Guest

Bea Fitzgerald

In this engaging discussion, bestselling YA authors Bea Fitzgerald and Ella McLeod dive into the sizzling world of romantasy. They emphasize raising stakes to deepen character yearning and tension, while cleverly navigating tropes to captivate readers. Bea breaks down romance beats within fantasy plots, urging writers to push conflicts to the extreme for maximum emotional impact. The duo highlights the importance of blending fantastical elements with profound emotional stakes, ensuring that love feels both earned and consequential.

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ADVICE

Make Stakes Monumental

Raise the stakes so the romance feels world-altering rather than petty.
Make consequences of them not being together monumental to increase yearning and tension.

ANECDOTE

Love Physically Saves A Character

In Rapunzel, Baker's love literally pulls the protagonist back from magical death.
That rescue ties romantic devotion directly into the fantasy stakes and emotional payoff.

ADVICE

Use Tropes Intentionally

Use tropes like fake dating, enemies-to-lovers and wound-tending deliberately and playfully.
Combine or subvert tropes to make familiar beats feel fresh and satisfying.

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Romantasy is a genre that has taken the publishing world by storm with titles like Fourth Wing and ACOTAR flying off bookstore shelves. Whether you’re writing romantasy or just a fan of magic and make-outs, authors and The Novelry writing coaches Bea Fitzgerald and Ella McLeod are here to unpack the keys to turning up the heat in your story. In this extra spicy episode of The Novelry on Writing, learn how to raise the stakes, create characters who yearn deeply, and how to wisely use tropes to write a book readers will fall in love with.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction

01:44 - Tip #1: Raise the stakes

05:05 - Tip #2: Use tropes wisely

09:02 - Tip #3: Romance beats

13:14 - Tip #4: Lean in

15:17 - Tip #5: Romance arcs

Guest Bios

Bea Fitzgerald

Bea Fitzgerald is a Sunday Times bestselling, award-winning author. Her debut novel, Girl, Goddess, Queen, was published to rave reviews including five-star write-ups in the Telegraph, Glamour and Culturefly. It went on to become the bestselling YA hardback debut of 2023. Girl, Goddess, Queen won Romance Novel of the Year 2024 at the RNAs and has been shortlisted for numerous other awards including the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Young Adult Book Prize, and the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards.

Ella McLeod

Ella McLeod is a Branford Boase-nominated author whose debut novel, Rapunzella, Or, Don’t Touch My Hair, was published in July 2022 with Scholastic and in June 2024 with Little Bee in the U.S.A. Rapunzella received rave reviews in Kirkus, the Irish Times, the Guardian, and a star review in Foreword Magazine. Her second novel, The Map That Led to You, was published in June 2024 and is a pirates-and-mermaids swashbuckling adventure story full of queer romance and radical self-acceptance.

Resources

Check out these blog posts for more insight on how to write a gripping romantasy novel:

What is Romantasy?

Get Writing With These Inspiring Fantasy Writing Prompts

Seven Best Fantasy Settings For Your Novel

Read the full episode transcript here!

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Show description

Learn how novels work from publishing’s top experts at The Novelry, the world’s #1 school for writers. Hosted by our bestselling writing coaches and publishing editors, this podcast is a practical, helpful guide to writing novels for every genre. Enjoy inside tips and tricks to make your writing a joyful experience while building your expertise in writing craft.

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